Aida Oset: "I can drink a beer quickly, but a glass of wine takes time."

A regular on TV3 productions and in the country's theatres, Aida Oset (Barcelona, ​​​​1983) is one of the most recognizable actresses on the Catalan scene. After her time at the Teatre Lliure, with A species of Alaska, and through the Mercat de les Flors, with Kodama, will take to the stages of the Goya Theatre starting November 5th to play Giulia, one of the three protagonists of The braid, a work based on the book by Laetitia Colombani about three women with seemingly opposite lives but a shared desire for freedom.

How are the rehearsals going?

— We started this week. I've been working on the script all summer, watching videos of past performances, sharing scripts with my colleagues... I'd done all the work I could do, which was trying to understand the play from a mental perspective. I was starting to need to put it into my body.

What was the character work you did with Giulia like?

— I based my work heavily on what Carlota Olcina [the actress who played the character in the other two seasons] did. Each scene already had a rhythm, a temperature, that worked within the piece, and that's what I wanted to capture. But Clara Segura [the director] insisted that I make it my own.

Do you feel close to the character?

— The play's three protagonists are women who find themselves in difficult situations and decide to take charge of their lives and break the rules of their world. I think this is always a joy to perform. In a way, it's as if that courage, that irreverence, that somewhat revolutionary nature within your universe, becomes contagious.

Did you know? The braid before receiving the opportunity to participate?

— I saw the show when it premiered in 2022 at the Teatre Goya. It was very difficult to adapt the book for the stage, but it turned out very well. A third season isn't something that happens every day. And I'm really looking forward to being a part of it.

What was it like bringing this text to the theater?

— The braid It's much easier to adapt to film. In fact, the book's author, Laetitia Colombani, first thought about making a film rather than a play. Film is very visual, and it's much easier to recreate the three different countries in which the play takes place. If you want to show the crowds of India, you make the recording there and, so to speak, you're done. On stage, however, there's a very cool and very tiring stagecraft to perform, which is what impressed me most when I saw the play in 2022. Theater and film are different languages, and theater has that magic. We don't have to be realistic. A ladder placed horizontally can be a bus.

As an actress, what differences do you find between theater and film?

— In film, the actor is just another cog in a much more complex machine. Even the script, the looks, and the silences are informed by other things. In theater, on the other hand, it's just the words and the actor. I'm fascinated by both film and theater, but it's true that, as an actress, you feel you have more influence in theater. In the end, in film, you can play a role, but then three scenes can be cut, and what you've done is all that remains.

And the relationship with the public?

— Theater is much faster. You're live, the audience is there, and you feel the energy of the people. With film, you have the crew by your side, but you're more collected, and it's something you do once and that's it. The feeling is different. When you work in film, you think, "I'm going to do it as best as possible," knowing that what you do will last forever. This one. forever It's dizzying, just like facing an audience every day in the theater. But in the theater, you know that if a performance doesn't go so well, you have another chance.

How did you get into the world of theater?

— I was generally drawn to the artistic world. In school, I did theater, and I really liked it. When I decided to study music, I also studied acting. In fact, I started a biology degree and halfway through decided I wanted to do something else.

Did your environment understand the decision?

— Yes, I had support at home. My parents are both professionals, and luckily, I had examples of saying, "Hey, do what you feel like."

Was there a habit of drinking at home with your parents?

— I don't know if it's every day, but they also like to enjoy wine. The small glass of wine was often on the table.

Do you have any particular quirks?

— I don't drink just anything: I can only drink wines I like. And at home, we always drink Catalan wines. We like to go to our trusted winery and get recommendations. And we also like to taste them in restaurants. In Porrera, there's a place called La Cooperativa, where they make delicious food. Litus [one of the owners] pairs the wines and always recommends excellent ones. I always discover very special wines there.

For example?

— I discovered one called Planetes, which I really liked. Lafou, which is very good value. And then one called Gratallops Escanyavella, which is very special.

The name gives it a hint.

— There are some names you can't forget. I have a very visual memory and pay close attention to labels.

Can a label make you rule out a wine?

— Yes, it can happen. My father is a graphic designer and my mother is an interior designer…

And regarding drinks, do you have any manias?

— I like wide glasses that don't touch my nose at the tip.

Therefore, a plastic cup…

— We've done it, we've done it in every way possible. But man, we're at an age now, and if you can avoid the plastic cup, you do it.

Have you ever done grape harvesting?

— No, and I would love to do it.

And do you like tastings?

— Not especially. For me, drinking wine always has something celebratory about it. I'm not just talking about big celebrations. There's something ritualistic about having a glass, even at home with my partner. I associate wine with moments of being at ease with people I love, and I like to drink it slowly. Wine tastings stress me out a bit. I end up getting drunk, figuratively speaking: I no longer know what I've tasted or left untasted. I can drink a beer quickly, if necessary, but a glass of wine takes time.

Black or white?

— I associate white wine in the summer and red wine in the winter. I've tried orange and natural wines, but I still don't have a good grasp of them, and they're harder for me to handle on a day-to-day basis. I generally like full-bodied red wines. And as for whites, I prefer dry to fruity ones.

And what about sweet wines?

— No. I love ratafia, but not sweet wines. Maybe because they remind me of church.

Mass?

— I went to a religious school and even made my Communion. When it came to Confirmation, I didn't. In fact, in the village where I went as a child, Les Voltes, in Baix Camp, I was an altar girl. I enjoyed helping the priest prepare that ritual, which I found so intriguing. I think I was mainly curious about seeing that universe. After all, actors are curious by nature. I've always been very interested in exploring new worlds.