Since A film director has enough to do already when bringing a movie to life, casting in the U.S. is typically delegated to a casting director. But Guatemala’s “La Llorona” director Jayro Bustamante likes to take on casting duties himself. The critically acclaimed, Golden Globe–nominated and Oscar-shortlisted “La Llorona” is a horror interpretation of the titular Venezuelan folk tale. In Bustamante’s story, a brutal former Guatemalan dictator now lives with his wife, daughter, and granddaughter. When their household staff of indigenous women quits, the housekeeper hires a village woman, Alma, as a maid. While trapped in their house due to unrest in the country, her presence wreaks havoc on the family. The cast features mostly first-time and amateur actors in a story that combines reality, sociopolitical commentary, and fantasy. The process presented singular challenges that Bustamante was more than game to take on.
Why did you want to make “La Llorona”?
Since I decided to dedicate myself to the cinema, I was committed to making films that had social impact and significance. Talking about the recent history of my country and the wounds left by the war, which is unknown to almost everyone, was necessary. I was aware that Guatemalans do not want to address the issue of genocide, because it is a painful topic and because they want to deny the suffering of the native populace. Putting those two subjects together, it seemed to me that “La Llorona” could be the perfect metaphor to talk about my country and to touch on a subject that everyone avoids.
What kind of research went into the filmmaking and casting process?
We are lucky in the country to have a lot of documentation of all kinds—journalistic, artistic, documentary, police, army—on the facts of the war. That was not a problem. Additionally, folklore is not something new for any of our actors, so it was a natural process.
“I think that in the case of a country like mine, where actors are sought among people who do not necessarily have great careers already underway, the best thing to do during the casting process is to be as honest as possible, to show themselves so that we can identify the talent they have within.”
What did your casting process look like?
Throughout my career, I have been casting “real people” rather than film actors, since there are very few in Guatemala. After [casting], I proceed to [do] a long training period with them as a school of actors. It was in that group of actors that I had formed throughout our work that I chose those who would embody the characters in this film. This was with the exception of Margarita Kenéfic and Julio Diaz, great theater actors with whom I worked for the first time, and ones who also trained to work in film.
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Where do you typically search for the people who appear in your films?
When we undertake a talent search, we try to do it at a national level. The number of people who have theatrical gifts and who want to participate is impressive. In Guatemala, the only agency representing actors that exists is mine, which is part of my production house; and we represent the actors that we have found, so we have to look all over the country for those who can become not only actors, but icons.
What advice do you have for aspiring actors?
I think that in the case of a country like mine, where actors are sought among people who do not necessarily have great careers already underway, the best thing to do during the casting process is to be as honest as possible, to show themselves so that we can identify the talent they have within.
This story originally appeared in the April 8 issue of Backstage Magazine. Subscribe here.
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