This true story happened over 40 years go. I was then young and beautiful, now I am neither.
I had just returned to Mexico after some months in Europe, after finishing my studies as Interpreter and Translator. I was trying to find a niche in the world of interpreters active in Mexico City. It was not very difficult as the competition was not so fierce as it is today. We were enough to be able to find work as free lancers with relative ease, the economic situation in the country was booming and many companies were either bringing experts to share with the Mexican counterparts their knowledge or the foreign companies were eager to come and through sharing their technological or whatever knowledge, sell their products.
I had finished the rounds of the agencies that were hiring interpreters, to let them know I was back into active duty. Otherwise my time was spent at home reading, sawing and helping a bit with the housework. One evening we were watching the news and heard that Marlon Brando was in Mexico to advertise a TV series he had made. Fine, I thought, this should be interesting and that was that.
About 21.00 hours the phone rang, unusual time in my home, and it was one of the agencies, asking me if I was free to work the next day. Just for fun I asked if they needed me for the interview with Marlon Brando. She was shocked I had guessed! And I was even more shocked that it was for that. Of course I was free and more than willing. It was one of my first assignments after the return from Europe, so work was more than welcome. I was given the time and venue for the press conference in the Estudios Churubusco, one of the main cinema studios at the time in Mexico City.
I had to get ready, wash my long hair, iron a nice dress and so on. Also I had the idea of Marlon was like his character of The Godfather, i.e. an arrogant bastard with a very strong and sometimes hard to understand accent that treated all like dirt. I also had to prepare myself for that, I could not answer back, I was ONLY the interpreter, his voice in another language and we had been taught we had no feelings, no opinion, nothing!
The following day arrived and I got to the studios with lots of time to spare, just to find out that the journalists were already there and like a bunch of hungry lions or hyenas, ready to devour their pray. I was with the organizers, so when Marlon and Sam Peckinpah – the producer of the series, arrived I was introduced to them and to my great surprise Marlon was extremely nice and pleasant, the drooling of the Godfather was not there and he was smiley, talkative and gracious.
I was coached on the main subject of the press conference or what the organizers hoped would be the main subject which was a TV series relative to the American Indians that had been the “darling” of Marlon Brando and he wanted to promote it all over. If I am not mistaken sometime later he won recognition from the Oscars for this work but was so angry with them for any of the many reasons that angered him, that he sent an Indian woman to pick up the prize, but that is another story.
Marlon Brando is always news, so the room for the press conference was full to the seams and there was a podium prepared so that Marlon Brando, Sam Peckinpah and myself could sit and answer all the questions. These were fired as soon as we were sited, first of course some about the series, which were duly answered by both Marlon and Sam but then the questions turned personal to Marlon about Lupita – I still remember the name, a woman with whom he had been involved sometime, and when the subject became personal and related to Mexico in as much as the nationality of the lady, Marlon wanted to answer in Spanish. His Spanish left a lot to be desired, but it was almost impossible to tell him to let me do my job. So some questions were half answered in a very broken Spanish that was hard to understand for the press and even myself. At one point the journalist that were not known to wear kid gloves in their questions shouted to him that he should let me – the interpreter, translate his answers, that he should stick to speaking in English.
He did not like such comment very much but realized that if he wanted to continue, it had to be done that way so for the rest of the conference he let me do my job in full, interpret back and forth and provide the journalists with the information requested. I do no remember how long the conference was, but long enough for me, I was thrilled and stressed and almost shaking but finally thanks were given to all and the press left like horses in a race, I guess that they needed to write their copy and send them to their employers, either newspapers, television or radio stations. 40 years go there was no Internet so all had to be physically delivered or at best phoned.
We left the podium and backstage all the organizers were very happy, it had been a success and since I was still on duty, I was around, interpreting for Sam and of course for Marlon who invited me to visit him in L.A. if I ever was around, with the minor problem being only that he did not give me his address. Maybe he thought that it was vox populior that I would never even consider trying.
I got back home without fully realizing just what had happened, it had been a job, money coming in and that was it. Well, that was not all. That same night in the news Marlon was news and so was I, ALL, I really mean all of the TV chains broadcasted a shorter or longer version of the press conference and since I had been sitting front row between the other two, I had become inevitably part of the story, also my voice was aired and my gestures recorded “for posterity”. The telephone at home did not stop ringing for a long time, mostly for my mother as all her friends called to ask if it was really me with Marlon and congratulating my mother for my “achievement”. My mother, typical mother, was very proud of this and grew more so by the minute, she responded with great joy that it was her precious daughter that had been with Marlon, that had helped him during the interview, etc.
For me the great day was the following day, as all the agencies that provided work for interpreters had seen the news, and had seen me, they all knew me and were able to judge my work which I believe had been good, so they contacted me and started offering me interpretation assignments of different kinds, I was literally launched into stardom by Marlon Brando. It was the beginning of many years of great events, lots of work and full enjoyment of my profession, which lasts up to today, although now retired and working some very few days a year.
Some weeks later that agency that had called me for the press conference gave me a thick package with all the press clippings from the press conference, both national and u.s.a. newspapers. I believe I still have them, but I really do not remember in which of my boxes with memories they are.
For the anecdote, I went to L.A. once after this and indeed tried to find his address through those tours “visit the houses of the stars” that were popular at the time. However no one knew where he lived and I gave up. The later years of Marlon’s life were not full of joy and happiness. Sorry for him but to me he was just great.
So thank you Marlon for having launched me into stardom, it was great meeting you.
Mementos of my life 