In a video that was part of the Hitchcock – Bastidores do Suspense 2018 exhibition at the São Paulo Museum of Image and Sound, actress Eva Vilma, who died this Saturday at the age of 87, recalled the day she discussed in Portuguese language with director Alfred Hitchcock.
In the recording, Eva Wilma says that Hitchcock was looking for a woman to play the Cuban Juanita in the 1969 film Topazio. After taking photographs for selection, she received word that she had been selected for the job. tests.
It was in a studio in Los Angeles that the actress revealed that she first met the director of Psycho, who soon noticed that one of her teeth had sunk slightly in relation to the others, and asked the makeup artist, “what is this? ? “are we going to do this?”
The episode is humorously recalled by the actress, who admitted that she was outraged even when she found out that she would have to use fake breasts for the scene. Disappointed, the make-up artist had to calm her down, saying that in a couple of years she could win the “right” not to use prostheses.
According to Eva Wilma’s report, preparation for the test lasted a week, but responsibility only increased when she arrived at the studio and saw the trailer with her name written on it. From there, he prepared for the stage and saw the vain Hitchcock triumphantly appear in the studio to the applause of the entire team.
In the first and second tests, things went well. But in the third part, the situation escalated. It was a personal interview in which the director improvised questions on the spot and the camera was turned on. She recalls the rather provocative, somewhat humorous, but dramatic Hitchcock.
Eva Vilma said that she already knew English, but after some provocations, she reacted by saying that she was already embarrassed and annoyed by the questions, especially since she had to answer in a foreign language. It was then that he heard from the director “the answer in your language” – and he did it until the end of the interview.
After returning to Brazil, Eva Vilma said it took about three months before she was informed that she had hired a German actress to play Juanita – Karin Dor.
When he was ready, he watched Topázio and said that he felt a little relieved that he did not participate. For her, the film soured and the Cuban scene was even worse, but she admitted that “I would have wanted to do it anyway.”
