Julio - Double Falsehood
This character was very fun to play. I think I have realized that although I would like to think every choice I make is very thought out, when it comes down to it I will almost always make the choice that is fun for me. I didn’t have a chance to look at this script until about 3 hours before I performed. Since starting grad school last month I have significantly less time to devote to developing bits etc.
One very specific choice I did make was to play this character honestly. So painfully honest that he cannot even get away with wearing a disguise. Julio stands out as honest, if a bit melodramatic, in contrast with the shenanigans and secrecy the other characters hold in this play. Julio’s goal is always to love and be with Leonora. This character is just good.Â
I have always been one to develop a character around flaws. It took a bit of reframing in my mind to create this character, but I also happen to be taking a graduate class on the dark side of relationships this semester. Dishonesty can be a prosocial process. Being stoic has it’s place. Honesty and love may be good morally, but solely focusing on this prevents Julio from being strategic about how to win Leonora.
As far as looks and gender goes, this character is the first that I did not try to do any costume for. To me, this character is a blank slate in which anyone who has ever had a first love could relate to. It was important to me that this character did not have any distinct gender characteristics. I did no makeup and didn’t even brush my hair. I drew inspiration for this look from 80s androgyny of all places, which is kind of hard to notice without the makeup.
Overall, Julio was such a fun and unique character for me! I need to think a little bit more on why within romances it always seems easier for me to play characters written as men rather than women. There is probably lots to analyze there. Thankfully, my counterpart, Leonora, was played by the endlessly talented Kayla Douglas who is truly meant to play the most adorable, genuine, female leads. Once you have been in a few shows with someone you can almost anticipate how they will play a character, and I think this allowed Kayla and I to really stand out in this performance.Â
