Mamen García, actress, 78: “My father had a beautiful convertible, but he told me a boy or girl crossed the road, hit him, and died; from then on, he never had a car again.”

Mamen García is a musician, jazz singer, and a wonderful actress who never fails to impress. We've long been fortunate to enjoy her enormous talent in film, television, and theater, where she has brought to life unforgettable characters such as Amparo in Señoras del (h)Ampa , a woman full of humor and self-confidence who won the affection of the public. She has also done the same, albeit in a very different way, with Victoria Rafaela Balmaseda de Unzeta and Téllez-Girón in La que se avecina , where her cry of "Logiiiiiii" has become an emblem of her aristocratic extravagance. Two very different characters, but with one thing in common: both have boundless energy, a drive toward the unexpected and the bold. This ability to go beyond is also reflected in her personal life, in her travels, and in how she navigates the world, both physically and emotionally.

Today we're going to meet Mamen, not the actress, but the person whose own travels and experiences have shaped and enriched her over the years. Travels that, like our favorite Marchioness, Victoria Rafaela Balmaseda de Unzeta y Téllez-Girón, have never been afraid to face the impossible.

Mamen, how are you?

I've been dealing with balance issues due to vertigo for three or four years, and as soon as I start moving, I notice that it's difficult, but I'm getting by. Despite this, I keep working because I'm not going to stay home thinking, "How bad I am." No, I keep going.

If your life were a vehicle, what kind would it be? Choose one that represents your way of traveling through life and tell us why.

I would choose the train because it offers many advantages: independence, comfort, good visibility, and it's generally quiet. I feel very comfortable traveling on it; I've been using it for so many years that I enjoy using a private car less and less.

In the car, as in dancing, do you like to lead or be led?

Until recently, I liked driving, but for health reasons, I drive less and less. If I'm in Madrid, I prefer to take a taxi, an Uber, or whatever I need. The train, on the other hand, is a pain. Remember the famous Fahrenheit 451 , where those futuristic trains appear? I wish they existed today; I'd love to, but I don't think I'll ever see them.

As an actress, you experience hectic, rushed times between filming sessions. How do you manage to stay organized and stay focused on the city's chaos?

Fortunately, amidst all the chaos, I live in a fairly quiet place. My apartment is in a residential area of ​​Chamartín, with a small garden and pool. I'm close to the embassies, right next to the Iranian embassy, ​​so if anything happens, I could be protected... or maybe the opposite. To stay organized, I try to think beyond what's happening at the moment. For example, I now have several projects underway, and I visualize them little by little so I don't get overwhelmed. This is something I've learned over time, because before I was so impulsive and hasty that I ended up crashing into everything. Now, luckily, I've learned to visualize my steps better. The first thing I do is organize my mind, which is the most important thing for moving forward.

I used to be so impulsive and hasty that I ended up crashing into everything; now, luckily, I've learned to visualize my steps better.

Mamen García Actress

Do you have any routine or ritual before embarking on a long trip?

I have a somewhat silly ritual that I've been following for a few years: I always have to set my alarm clock for a time ending in one. I can't set it to two, three, or four. In other words, if I want to wake up at seven in the morning, I set it for 7:01. It's a habit that, although it makes me a little angry, I can't avoid it anymore. It must be something that comes with getting older.

Mamen, beyond being an actress, you're a creator, composer, pianist, and singer. When you're in the car, what music do you sing? Songs from when you performed with the group Patxinguer Z?

I sang Patxinguer Z for many years, although I don't do it the same way anymore. I remember a trip I took through Europe with my children about 30 years ago, where I discovered a wonderful singer-songwriter from Seville, whose name I can't remember, and we played him all the time in the car. It was one of the trips on which I listened to the most music.

What are the car trips you remember most from your childhood?

I remember very little from my childhood for several reasons: I was in boarding school, and my father, who was a rural village doctor, didn't have a car. At home, there was a photo of him with a long, beautiful convertible from the 1920s, complete with a horn. He himself explained to me that once, while he was traveling, a boy or girl crossed the road, hit him, and died. From then on, he never owned a car again. He would walk to every village to see his patients at all hours.

Likewise, when I was little, I boarded at a convent school for five years, at a seaside resort. My parents came to visit me on Sundays, always walking and carrying a sandwich under their arms. The girls from wealthier families arrived in their Mercedes, and I had none of that. When I was 11, I went to the seaside for the first time, to Oliva beach, on a bus, where my father sang zarzuela because he loved it. It was much later that I started traveling.

My parents would come to see me at boarding school on Sundays, always walking with a sandwich under their arms. The girls from wealthier families would arrive in their Mercedes, and I had none of that.

Mamen García Actress

What do you remember from your travels as a singer?

I'll tell you a little detail. My husband and I formed a duo called Aries. We lived in Barcelona and got married there in 1972. Before returning to Valencia, we sang in Barcelona's cafes. We earned our living in pubs in Igualada, and it was there that we met comedian Eugenio, who, before that, sang with his wife Conchita. In fact, we had the same booking agent, José Novellón. One of our performances was in the Pyrenees of Huesca. And we went by bus. We took our speakers, the electric piano, the guitar, and the microphones. It was an odyssey loading and unloading everything, but people helped us. It was incredible to see how supportive people were. Then, we had a child and looked for new ways to get by. That's when we bought a van in Ibiza. We would go sing in a pub near the beach called Tiqui. It was the 1970s, pure bohemian life. No one had their own apartment, we all rented, and to move around more freely, we decided to buy a van.

What is the car trip you remember most fondly?

The one we took around Europe. There were four of us: my son, who was 11, my son, who was 15, and the two of us. It was a 12-day trip, and we traveled all over Europe. We went straight to Genoa, found a small hotel; from there, we visited Geneva, and then continued on to other places. It was 1987, and we had bought one of those Alfa Romeos, one of those very nice ones, but it gave us a lot of problems. From that trip, I also have very fond memories of what we did to record the program "If I Were President."

Mamen, what conversation with a chauffeur or taxi driver will you never forget?

I haven't had any conversations that were really that interesting or that revolved much around me. I've had drivers from productions with whom I've become good friends, and the other day I ran into one of them. He told me he was no longer with the production company because they said he was "too aesthetic" and "too good," so they fired him. It's a sad anecdote, but oh well, there it is. I had some very good conversations with that person, who is also a journalist.

Which of the characters you've played throughout your career would you like to go on a trip with? Where would you go?

I played a wonderful character with opera and stage director Gustavo Tambascio. It was a department store clerk who dreamed of musicals. Through those dreams and with the help of her partner, Armando Pita, a great musical theater actor, she made it all come true. I played Zorba the Greek in Barcelona, ​​with Fabio Testi at the Teatro Apolo, and I loved it, but I have special memories of this musical. Plus, I sang a song originally performed by Glenn Close, which appears in the film Sunset Boulevard .

I also have to say that I wouldn't go on a trip with Amparo from Señoras del (h)Ampa because I suffered so much with that character. I wouldn't go because a woman is capable of drilling into another woman's skull... With Victoria Rafaela, who is my character in La que se avecina, I would travel, even though she's very annoying and bombastic. Maybe I'd leave her alone in her house on Contubernio Street...

The other day I met a production company driver and he told me he'd been fired because he was 'too aesthetic' and 'too good'.

Mamen García Actress

Traveling is wonderful, but it also has its less-than-wonderful aspects. What can't you stand about traveling?

I hate everything about flying, even more than the trip itself. I hate all the protocol, both before and after. There was one day they made me take off my shoes, and I told them, "I can't, I can't ever go barefoot because I'm allergic to humidity, to the ground, I can't." I was on the verge of not flying, but in the end I did. I can't stand that kind of thing. So, look, in October I have to go to New York because I'm premiering a play at the Teatro de la Batería, called Little Red Riding Hood in Manhattan , by Carmen Martín Gaite, and we're going to do a reading of the play in Manhattan. They told me that, since I'm over 70, they'll give me priority status and that everything will go smoothly. I'm going because I'm going with my colleagues, but the truth is, I don't feel like it at all.

Your next trip?

I have a trip planned with my husband, the Cantabrian Sea, on that luxury train where you travel, have dinner, and everything.

What was your first big trip?

I think the trip we took to Russia was impressive, especially getting to Leningrad, which at that time, around '92 or '93, was in a terrible situation in Russia. Leningrad, an imperial city, with empty streets and a small line of people waiting to enter a haberdashery. It was a city with a unique, absolutely imperial atmosphere. The trip itself, arriving there by boat, was quite gloomy, foggy, but fascinating at the same time. I really enjoyed that trip and all the excursions we took there. Aside from that, the other one I remember most was the 10-day trip I took around Europe by car, but I won't forget Leningrad. Another wonderful trip I took was by plane to Buenos Aires, in '99. I went with El Hombre de la Mancha, Palomita (Paloma San Basílio) and José Sacristán, and we stayed at the Hotel Babel, which, well, is what it is. I remember there's a song by Astor Piazzolla, Buenos Aires and its people, that says... Look, I'm going to play you a fragment...

At this moment, Mamen sits down at the black piano behind her and, with tremendous strength and energy, begins to sing and play, giving Piazzolla's piece the best performance of all.

Eight-year-old Mamen, what trips did she dream of?

Ever since I was little, I wanted to be a dancer, but my mother became very ill, and since I was in sixth grade, I was sent to boarding school. There was a piano there, and at first, I started playing what I heard, researching and learning. I remember being like Sara Montiel, always looking for ways to keep learning. My dream of being a dancer ended when they bought me ballet slippers and saw that, since I had bunioned feet, they told me I wasn't good enough. It was a blow, but then I dedicated myself to the piano and singing all the popular songs. The funny thing is, I never dreamed of traveling, probably because I got seasick a lot as a child, and now, as an adult, I also get seasick, and I prefer to tell those stories.

I never dreamed of traveling, probably because I used to get seasick a lot as a child, and now that I'm older, I get seasick too.

Mamen García Actress

Traveling for work is one thing, traveling with family is another, and traveling with friends is something else entirely. What was one trip with your friends that left you laughing so hard?

We had a great time with the Señoras del (h)Ampa crew. When we went to certain places, we laughed a lot, especially with Malena, Toni Acosta, Nuria Herrero... The first season was the most fun, and even though we had to do some pretty outrageous things, we always laughed a lot.

Traveling, like acting, allows us to experience other cultures. What trip has taught you the most about yourself?

I think what taught me the most was traveling for work. I spent a lot of time in Valencia and Madrid, always for work. When you travel by train, you have all the time to think. The work trips, those are the ones that have left the biggest mark on me. Between 1990 and 1997, I went on cruises; they gave us a cabin to share with the family in exchange for singing for an hour each night. The ships were enormous ocean liners, with many lounges for performing, but as soon as the ship moved, I would throw up because I got so seasick.

Mamen, where would you take Logi on vacation?

He laughs out loud and in Logi's voice says...

Look, Logi lives in Sanlúcar de Barrameda, she's told me this many times. She often invites me and tells me how nice it is there, close to the sea. She's always urging me to come, but I tell her I'd bring her here, that we'd look for a place along the Costa Brava, above Cadaqués, in Empuriabrava, for example, which is a place I'd really like to visit. The waters there are crystal-clear and beautiful. I'd say to her: "Logi, we'll get lost there."

And the Marchioness?

I'd take the Marchioness to a recital at Madison Square Garden. Although I'm not one for grandiloquent things, I'd make an exception for her.

Mamen, what are your plans for today?

Well, today I have to print the reprints for the new episode of the next season of La que se avecina .

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Talking to Mamen García is like discovering a woman who experiences travel with a unique intensity, not only the physical but also the emotional. Through each anecdote, one senses someone who has learned not to fear the unknown, to enjoy every step, and to embrace both vulnerability and courage. Mamen, in her life and career, is a constant journey, an explorer of the soul who, without restraint, continues forward, leaving her mark on every destination she touches.

Like her character, the Marchioness Victoria Rafaela Balmaseda de Unzeta y Téllez-Girón, who never stops shouting “Logiiiiiii!” with a mixture of desperation and glamour, Mamen also reminds us that, despite everything, there is always something that drives us to continue and never stop, even with a broken voice.