'You're a Captain': Nico Pons reveals how he played Paolo Guerrero in Netflix | interview

When Nico Pons Feeling the need to approach more ambitious productions away from Peru, he pursued Netflix. He searched for an actor abroad, knocked on doors in the United States and some South American countries, and tried many times in vain until he sank into frustration and with that, the epidemic arrived. It was the summer of 2020.”I gave up acting, threw in the towel, tattooed my arm because I no longer thought about acting and went to live on a beach in northern Peru, to run boards, to teach workshops and make music.the actor recalls.

Look: “With You a Captain”: We analyze the first chapter with the protagonist and its directors | video

A few months later, in the midst of that quiet new life on sunny days, side by side with his girlfriend and mother, away from the stage, a phone call from the streaming monster knocks Nicholas Ponce Noriega out of his comfort zone. More than just a huge challenge, giving life to Paulo Guerrero in “Contigo El Capitan” is the national actor making passes in acting.

Contigo Capitán, the first Peruvian series on Netflix, deals with soccer player Paulo Guerrero’s legal battle against the World Anti-Doping Association (WADA). (Photo: Netflix) / Pascal Mora / Netflix

“I believe so much in the universe, that things happen for a reason and at the right time, I tried so much all over, and when I decided not to act anymore, they called me to tell me they thought I was right for a Netflix project. But they had to run some tests. I passed With a lot of tests and meetings, everything became more serious and interest in my work increased,” says the national artist.

“Then I came to Lima to meet the directors, and when they told me it was about playing Paolo Guerrero, I cut and dyed my hair, bought contact lenses and a Peruvian T-shirt. They stopped communicating with me for about a month, I thought nothing was wrong, but I decided to play My last card. I asked my girlfriend to record a video of me speaking in Portuguese. I put on a gray polo shirt very similar to the one Paulo used in the interview with Juan Pablo Sorin, and within fifteen minutes I had the garment ready. I sent it to the producer Delia to see what would happen. And in the end they arrested me. When I was already on the project, they told me that this video was decisive in my choice,” he said, satisfied.

We spoke with Nico Pons and directors Javier Fuentes Leon and Daniel Vega about the series that depicts soccer player Paulo Guerrero’s battle for the 2018 World Cup in Russia after a positive anti-doping test result.

Contigo Capitán, Netflix’s first Peruvian series, deals with Paolo Guerrero’s legal battle against the World Anti-Doping Association (WADA) when he was disqualified from the 2018 World Cup in Russia after testing positive for a doping test. Directed by Javier Fuentes Leon and Daniel Vega Vidal. The series is available from Wednesday, October 5 on the platform.

Did Paolo or his mother Petronilla Gonzalez interfere in your election?

I don’t know if they had anything to do with it, but once they chose me, Paulo helped me a lot. Even though he had surgery in Germany, he was on top of everything we were doing.

Did he give you any recommendations for character building?

We met a long time ago, when he went out with a friend of mine, his leg was very simple and modest, and now that we met, he told me his version of what happened, how he felt, how he lived those days, and we agreed that this series would do justice to his career and his name. For this character, I discovered a lot, it was a hard investigation, I resorted to the interviews and conversations that Paulo had with Jefferson Farfan, with his mother and the situations that happened in 2018.

Paulo is heard telling TAS representatives: “I’m here to fulfill my family’s dream,” and Edwin Oviedo (Emilram Cossío): “My name has been unfairly tainted.” Did Paulo contribute to the script?

This is what Paulo told us, his dream has always been to go to the World Cup, he is very close to his family, his parents, his circle of friends is very small and he spends a lot of time with his cousins. The series is a fictional story based on real events, it feels good, it reaches the heart.

─ The tattoos you have, did you get them specifically for the series?

I have my own tattoos, but they had to do a lot, it was hard work, because Paolo has a special tattoo. They had to do a lot of it, especially on the part that shows, in the neck and under the ear.

Nico Pons confirms it "with you captain" it's a "Great goal for Peru". (Photo: Netflix) — Nico Ponce confirmed that “Contigo Capitan” is a “great target for Peru”. (Photo: Netflix) / Daniela Talavera/Netflix

─ What does the number 11 you have on your neck mean?

It is the philosophy of life, and numerology (it reflects qualities like idealism, clairvoyance, perfection, intuition and cooperation), that has brought me incredible things.

─ How was the physical preparation for playing Paulo?

I had to lose 10 kilograms, it was a mess, imagine, I was living quietly on the beach, with my girlfriend and mom, to escape the epidemic, I did not spend much money, we were in savings mode, enjoying ourselves .

Nico Pons had to lose ten kilograms to play Paolo Guerrero. (Photo: Netflix) / Thomas Cuesta / Netflix

Enjoy, when one of the best proposals of your career has arrived.

I would say it is the best suggestion of my life, as it is the beginning of something I have been striving for for a long time. Here in Peru, I’ve done a lot of things, it’s not like I’ve had 70 years of work, but I paddle a lot. This is the beginning of something very nice for me, I’ve set up a film production company and I’m going to start producing my own stuff, I want to give Peruvian cinema a twist, take a little risk, and do an international co-production.

─ How are you with football? Did you have to learn for the series?

I’m a soccer fan, and I’ve never devoted myself to professional soccer, but I have pichanguitas every Wednesday with a team of actors and singers. I have always played football, in this series I had to meet with “Sorin”.

─ What does the revival of Paolo Guerrero, captain par excellence, a national sports icon, mean to you?

A big challenge, it would be good to remember the moment Paulo scored against Colombia and took us to the playoffs. The Peruvian team is everything to me, I participated in every game, I jumped, laughed and cried.

Are you ready for negative criticism, especially those related to the physical differences between you and Paolo?

This started when it became known that I was going to play Paulo. There was no picture, no one saw anything, but criticism began to fall in regarding the color of my eyes. I’m ready and seasoned, but I think the Peruvian will realize that this series is an important door for Peru and the representatives of Peru. Netflix has produced a six-season series, filmed in Europe, Brazil, Argentina and Peru, which is a great target for our country.