When Sonsoles Ónega wrote “The Maid’s Daughters,” she wasn’t expecting recognition, such as the Planeta Award she later received, let alone a series. “You can’t imagine it, and I suppose every author writes in a certain way, but I never know if it is … “I won’t even finish the novel,” the journalist and writer admitted to ABC. And next to him is Veronica Sanchez, who will play Donna Inés, one of the protagonists of this story, which now comes as a series to Atresplayer. “The actresses were a wonderful gift, they gave everything, because it is a very feminine novel and a very feminine series as well, even though they are very good. I would tell you that in the series more than in the novel, mind you. “You are not difficult for me to portray female characters; Male characters are a little more difficult for me, but suddenly Don Gustavo, who is Alan Hernandez, has a look, he has an instinct, he has many feelings, which when you see in the series take on another dimension on paper, maybe they are more emasculated or they exist only in the head of the reader,” admits the presenter of “And Now Sonsoles”.
For those who have not yet received the novel, the story is set in Galicia in the year 1900. In the country house of Espirito Santo, two girls are born, Clara and Catalina. The first belonged to the maid Renata and the second to the daughter of Valdés Don Gustavo and Doña Inés. Unexpected revenge will shake the lives of these girls and all of them, and will force Donna Inés to survive the heartbreak and pain of abandonment. And also to the power struggles to make her real daughter the heir to an empire, at a time when women were not allowed to be the master of their lives. “My personality is very strong, with great ideas and a great sense of justice. I also like her contradictions, because I say this often, she is very progressive in her social ideas and perhaps a little more conservative in her more intimate sphere, As for the family. I love his fight. “She is a woman with great class consciousness,” the actress admits.
When you finally write and publish your book, the feeling is like giving birth to a baby. The son who is not yet made of flesh, the creature who is to be made of flesh and blood must pass through other hands. It’s a feeling that many authors experience, sometimes fear and sometimes confidence. Sonsoles in the second group. “It went well, but I couldn’t trust him either because I didn’t even know what not to trust. I was watching the scripts as I wrote them, and although the adaptation required some narrative twists not found in the novel to make it engaging, the confidence was absolute.. Viewer and reader appear similar, but they are not exactly the same; You have to catch them with other tools. You gave them absolute freedom. “I’ve never embarked on anything like this and everything went well because they are very sensitive people.”
At the same time, Sánchez had to face other challenges, such as taking over the role already written by Sonsoles Ónega, who had been attached to the project from the beginning. A presence that can sometimes generate pressure or a need to live up to it, but the actress was never pressured. “Don’t think about it when you’re going to encounter the character. Now, in the promotion, I realize: You say “mom.” Now it’s getting impressive. But when you start shooting, you better create a buffer and think about your character’s idiosyncrasies, both intimate and small, otherwise they will overwhelm you.”
“As the creator of Doña Inés, this is exactly what you convey on screen. Veronica is an actress who, apart from her professional life, has very similar traits to Ines: strict in privacy but outgoing. I imagined you were all that. You watch it and see the character in the role. I think the same thing will happen to readers watching the series now.», Sonsoulis Sanchez answers. The image one creates when writing a book is not always similar to the one one finally sees on the screen. “Some things change,” the writer says, “but I was very moved — for the better — by listening to the novel’s dialogue in their voices.”
Artists face public opinion on many occasions. Over time, they both learned how to manage them. “You can always learn from constructive criticism. I take into account the criticism of professionals. I do not take into account the criticism of networks, because they are a place without order or concert where anyone can write; Sometimes there are professionals, but sometimes there are people who simply enjoy causing mischief. I’m staying away from it because it’s not helping anyone. In fact, anxiety and depression have increased in teens, and there has to be a reason,” Sanchez admits.
Culture as a meeting point
The writer feels optimistic about the current writing era. “Reading has been in excellent health since the pandemic. It’s always a good time to write and especially read. Creativity and reading are essential for human development. I refuse to reduce ourselves to social networks, even though they are sometimes highways of culture», she admits, although the journalist admits that the tension has increased. “We live in a time of trenches and dangerous polarization. I hope that culture will be a unifying point, devoid of sectarianism. I am radically against sectarianism, entrenchment, polarization, and lack of training. The algorithm is the cause of many evils, and it should act in the opposite direction: “You do not confirm your thesis, you contradict it.”
In addition, they realize that stress sometimes makes their work difficult. “It affects that way. You are more careful not to enter unnecessary parks, but I stop self-censoring. There are things that I will never give up: I am against the occupation with K, I am against sexual violence…”