Francesc Cuéllar: "Sometimes it's more important to give good stimuli than good responses: also with wine"

Actor and director Francesc Cuéllar (1993, Barcelona) views the world and his craft with a critical eye that doesn't preclude sensitivity. Known for his role as Ferni in Like it was yesterdayCuéllar spends his days going back and forth between Sitges, where he lives; Girona, where his parents live; and the Akademia Theatre in Barcelona, ​​where rehearsals are taking place forHonesty, the work he has directed and which can be seen from December 12.

Having grown up in Sant Sadurní, your relationship with wine…

— It's almost inevitable. When I was sixteen or seventeen, a friend and I started doing the theatrical tours organized by the town's tourism department. These tours told the story of Sant Sadurní and, of course, the town's connection to cava. We'd go past the Mir family home, explain how phylloxera arrived in the Penedès region, how the winegrowers adapted... I spent many weekends during my teenage years telling the story of cava to many people.

Did you have a good time?

— Yes, because we were playing characters. It was a trip back in time. It was a lot of fun, especially because afterwards people would ask us questions as if we were tour guides. At first we thought, "We've just learned a script," but since some of the questions came up often, we started to do some research and ended up knowing about grape varieties, boots, cork, yeast... We became a bit of an expert.

Did it affect you personally as a consumer?

— Not much. But it's true that I like to drink good wine.

What does "good" mean?

— I have many colleagues who, when they're hosting a dinner party, go to the supermarket and buy a two-euro bottle of wine. Not me: if I bring wine, I choose well. I had one top 3 which has varied, but there was always Jazmín, which is from home [DO Penedès]; La Garriga, which is a Perelada, and La Alpargata, a cava.

Have you become interested in the world of natural wines?

— I started trying them because they're trendy now. I like some, I don't like others. I don't think it matters that much whether it's natural or not: if it's good, it's good.

You also have a ceramics workshop.

— Fank Project, in Sitges. It's a project my partner and I started in May. We offer regular courses and, occasionally, open workshops. We've also joined the idea of...art&wineWe offer two-hour workshops where people create a piece, shape it, decorate it, and enjoy a snack and two glasses of wine. While we're working with the clay, I take the opportunity to explain some things about the wine they're drinking, where it comes from, and how it's made. I like the idea of raising awareness: that they know what they're drinking.

How do you choose the wines you offer?

— These are bottles I've tasted and enjoyed, mostly from the Penedès or Empordà regions, which are where I buy most of my wine. I don't serve wines I haven't tried: I like to be able to talk about them, to know their story and their flavor.

Giving words to wine.

— We want the experience to be complete. We don't want the wine to be an add-on, but rather part of the story. It's like when you go to a good restaurant and they describe what you're eating: the experience is richer. We also try to do it in Catalan. In Sitges, almost everything is geared towards tourism, and we wanted to create a place where local people could do something outside of work without leaving town. It's very rewarding to see someone who has never worked with clay take home a piece they've made themselves.

Do you think wine adds anything to the act of creating?

— I'm not advocating for alcohol, but in this case, the wine enhances the social experience: it makes the plan more appealing, helps people relax and socialize. I don't think drinking large quantities makes you a better potter—quite the opposite, in fact—but two glasses help create a pleasant atmosphere.

As someone who creates objects, do you notice the shape of wine bottles when you buy them?

— No, but it is on the label. The label is like a book cover: we'll discover the contents later, but if the cover catches your eye, you've already made half the sale. Besides, although it might be prejudice, I have the feeling that someone who dedicates time to designing the label, who thinks so much about the packaging, has also thought about the contents.

That aesthetic effort is also evident in the posters of the productions you have participated in.

— Yes. If the poster isn't visually appealing, people might not even bother seeing the film. Then it might turn out the poster is bad and the film is excellent, or vice versa. But when they complement each other, the experience is more complete. It's the same with wine. The more attractive the label, the better the chances of selling, even if the wine itself isn't that great. It's true that I've bought bad wines because I was fooled by the label.

In Jusqu'ici tout va (2022), a film you directed, there is a moment when a character says that social denunciation is incompatible with champagne.

— In that case, champagne was associated with the grand parties of the theater world, with beautiful women and luxury. This image doesn't usually align with that of someone who dedicates their time to social activism. But we're all inconsistent: it would be impossible to live without contradictions. I, for example, have a small, absurd, if you will, struggle. When people say "champagne," I correct them: "No, cava." Champagne is French; cava is Catalan. Perhaps it's better to buy an organic cava from a family-run business than an extremely expensive champagne, if what you're advocating is local consumption.

So one of your struggles is cava.

— Yes [laughs], a very small struggle. In fact, we premiered at the Akademia Theatre in December. HonestyThe stage version of the film stars Míriam Iscla and Dafnis Balduz, and we've expanded the text to explore more complex and profound themes. There's a moment where the line "If the system supports you so much, perhaps you're not so transgressive" is revisited. But we've added another: "If things ever work out for you, you can swap the champagne for cava."

How are the rehearsals going?

— It's been a really beautiful process. Most of the time I've written things, I've said them to myself. Hearing other people read my own texts takes me to another level.

In what sense?

— Whenever there's another perspective, another point of view, everything becomes more complex and expands. A sentence can have multiple interpretations, and when someone else reads it, my perspective and theirs overlap, my context and theirs, and everything takes on a greater dimension.

You've said that your job is to tell stories and that what you have to do is find different formats. Do you think wine can be one of those formats?

— Like a dish, wine can tell stories. It tells the story of a family that may have dedicated itself for generations, in lands with a specific climate, cultivated in a particular way, with workers who care for the vines, prune them, and harvest the grapes... But it's not just the true story, but also what inspires. Sometimes, providing positive stimuli is more important than providing positive responses. This is also true with wine.