From acting to directing: Ana de la Reguera’s professional plot twist
After almost three decades being the face in front of the camera, it occurred to Ana de la Reguera that her comfort zone was very… comfortable. So he decided to make the leap to the dark (or illuminated, depending on how you see it) side of directing. His first film, the comedy “A Man a Week”, is in its final phase of post-production and promises to hit theaters at the beginning of next year. Because, let’s be honest, what better way to get over a breakup than by directing your own movie and, at the same time, being the protagonist? A level of therapy that not even the best psychologist can offer you.
The actress, whom we remember for films like “Long live Mexico!” and for her series with autobiographical overtones, did not embark on this adventure alone. For this film journey, the collaboration of the director Marco Polo Constandse was secured, the brain behind gems like “Valentine’s Wedding.” Together they embarked on the co-direction of this project that, spoiler alert, was initially destined to languish in the catalog of a streaming platform. But things got so good that they decided it deserved its moment of glory on the big screen.
A plot so relatable that it hurts
The premise is the kind that makes you say “who hasn’t been there?” Rodrigo de Pedro, director of the Videocine label, tells us the story: it is the story of a woman whose husband decides that monogamy is not for him (classic), which triggers a separation and, immediately afterwards, the inevitable existential crisis. Our protagonist’s solution: go out into the world to “reconquer it,” one man at a time. It sounds like a plan that’s as disastrous as it is potentially fun, and we’re here for disaster.
What started as just another project for VIX ended up having so much potential that executives rubbed their eyes in disbelief. Pedro does not spare his praise: “Ana is incredibly talented, I have seen the film three or four times and all her comments have left me amazed by the sensitivity she shows.” Come on, she’s not just an actress who dresses as a director on a whim; The girl knows what she’s doing.
It is not his first rodeo in the director’s chair
It turns out that this is not De la Reguera’s absolute baptism in the director’s chair. In his series “Ana” (yes, the one with a biographical tone), he had already had to go into emergency relief when the original director fell ill with hepatitis. He had to take charge of management for a month, an experience that, without a doubt, gave him the final push to take on this new challenge. Sometimes the universe throws you into the pool, even if you don’t know how to swim perfectly.
With this move, the Veracruz actress joins the exclusive (and increasingly less exclusive) club of actors who have made the leap to direction. Names like Luis Gerardo Méndez with “Technoboys”, Ángeles Cruz with “Nudo Mixteco”, Diego Luna with “Abel” and Gael García Bernal with “Chicuarotes” have already paved the way. Welcome to the club, Ana.
And if that were not enough, 2024 has been a busy year for her. She also premiered at the Tribeca International Film Festival the feature film “Twelve Moons”, a dramatic project that took her out of her comedy comfort zone and made her film with non-actors and street people, in experiences so intense that she was even offered drugs without knowing who she was. A resume that writes itself.
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