ENJOY AUGUST’S “QUE ONDA CON DONNA” ABOVE
IF ONLY I WAS STRAIGHT, YOUNGER AND SINGLE… HOLY JULIAN!
I am a 55-year-old lesbian, and I must admit that I had never heard of Julian Gil when I saw that he was coming to Providence as the special guest for PVD Fest. PVD Fest is an exciting music, dance and arts festival that takes place every June in our capital (and beautiful) city of Providence. This year, my friend Miguel Angel Garcia, was organizing a really cool “Super Feria” as part of PVD Fest, and he had the great idea to invite Julian Gil to be part of it. “La Super Feria” is a Latino festival that brings together businesses, people, politicians and performers to enjoy an amazing Sunday afternoon of fun and culture.
As I read about Julian Gil, I was excited that I was able to score an interview with him! When I shared the news and asked around town and around our bilingual (Spanish / English) law office, most people were excited and some were visibly salivating! They told me he is the hottest thing on the Latino soap opera scene, otherwise known as the telenovelas! They gasped, “have you never seen Por Amar Sin Ley?” [Love Without Laws]. I reluctantly and embarrassingly admitted, “well, no, I have not.” Soon everyone who knew I was going to interview Julian kept trying to describe his career and good looks. I started to read up on him, as I do with all my guests. I looked at his photos and I must admit, I thought to myself, “yeah, I agree, he sure is hot!“ My assistant tells me that phrase is “out,” but it still works in the 50 and older community! As a nascent TV talk show host, I was psyched to interview a TV star. After all, this guy is a really accomplished actor, and a successful, handsome guy from Argentina/Venezuela/Puerto Rico living in Mexico!
I woke up on Sunday wondering what I would wear to interview Julian. I decided on white pants and a purple shirt. A skirt is too “professional,“ and what lesbian wants to wear a dress on a Sunday? White pants in June are always a good idea. When I got to the Omni Hotel, the location for the interview had been changed to the Convention Center. I guess that was closer for him as he would be on stage for the Super Feria (part of PVD Fest) right after our interview. As soon as I saw him walking down the corridor, I knew why the women at work and around town reacted to his name. Yup, Holy Julian!
I introduced myself, and he introduced me to his friend and handler, Alberto. The first thing I noticed was that they were both just so nice and down to earth. We engaged in some Sunday morning chit chat while my producer finalized our set and microphones. The next thing I noticed was that he had on really cool shoes. They were these brown leather boots that looked almost like wingtip shoes, but the leather was two tone and I knew he did not buy them in this country. I am a huge fan of shoes myself so I asked him where he got them. “Mexico City,” he said, adding that they have great shoes there. Mental note: book a trip to Mexico City soon.
When we sat down to talk, he was just so sincere, genuine and jocular. He explained how he was born in Argentina. His family, like so many families, left to Venezuela in search of a better life. After a few years there, again in search of a better life, they headed to Puerto Rico. He has lived in Puerto Rico so long and loves Puerto Rico so much that he considers himself a Boricua! He shared with us his struggles and the wisdom and joy that came with becoming a father at the young age 15. I admire how glowingly he speaks about that blessing, and the opportunity it created for him to learn perseverance. And learn perseverance he did, sharing with us how he never lost his dream to become an actor. However he got there, get there he did. He is now one of the lead characters on one of the most watched novelas in the world, and we will soon see him playing the role of Jesus in the upcoming film Jesus de Nazareth -a role he is extremely proud of. I also loved how glowingly he spoke of his children, saying that, above all, they are what he is most proud of.
And just when I thought we were done, I gave him a little gift to remember us here in Lil’ Rhody. I gave him a pen manufactured by AT Cross, a Rhode Island company, and signed by our Governor, my friend, Gina Raimondo. And then totally unexpectedly, he gave me a gift of a Fiestas De La Calle cool looking water bottle. Again, this gringa had no idea what Fiestas De La Calle was, so we started talking about a little party in Miami. LOL! It’s no little party. Julian loves Puerto Rico so much that he has created a huge annual celebration of Puerto Rico on the streets of Miami, featuring Puerto Rican cuisine (we all love fritura), stars, actors, performers…and of course music and dance all day and all night long! Let’s just say, “El es Boricua… pa’ que tú lo sepas!”
I am excited to share this up close and personal conversation with you. Enjoy my new friend, Julian Gil…
“¿Que Onda? con Donna” can be seen on YurView – Cox Channels 4 and 1004 – Tuesdays at 7:30pm, Wednesdays at 8:30pm, Saturdays at 2:30pm and 8pm.
The author, Donna M. Nesselbush, is a founding partner at Marasco & Nesselbush Law, a Rhode Island State Senator and Municipal Court Judge for the City of Pawtucket. She hosts a Spanish language Saturday morning radio show on Latina 100.3fm and now hosts the all new “¿Que Onda? con Donna” TV show.
