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[title]Raised among stages, cameras and songs, Minerva Casero arrives at Anastasia at one of those pivotal moments: when experience carries weight, but the vertigo is still fully intact. With a career spanning television, series and a personal music project (free, experimental and deeply personal), the actress dives headfirst into her first major theatrical lead—and into a musical that offers no respite: body, voice, emotion and mind, all at once.
In this conversation, she speaks candidly about the challenge of sustaining an intense character show after show, the pleasure of letting herself be directed, and the duality that runs through Anastasia—beggar and princess at the same time—which also resonates with her own artistic present. Months before the premiere, and after a massive launch that confirmed the hype on Calle Corrientes, Minerva is navigating the process with a mix of nerves, discipline and total commitment.
This leading role arrives at a very solid moment in your career. What do you feel you have today as an actress that allows you to embody Anastasia with more confidence?
I’m going to lean on all my experience as an actress. Beyond the fact that it’s a musical, the story is very powerful and deeply emotional, and it deserves to be told with sensitivity—that’s what I’ll try to do. At this point in my life, I feel I have an acting trajectory and that I’m ready to challenge myself by acting in a different code. I’m open, I like being directed, and at this stage I also have experience. All of that allows me to approach Anastasia with greater confidence.
"Beyond the fact that it’s a musical, the story of Anastasia is very powerful and deeply emotional, and it deserves to be told with sensitivity"
The story of Anastasia is about rebuilding oneself and finding identity. What points of connection do you find between her and yourself today?
I don’t feel particularly identified with Anastasia when it comes to identity in a first-person sense, but I do have many close stories—even within my family—linked to the search for identity. How difficult it is to build forward without knowing what came before, what the origin is, and how that can generate so much restlessness and curiosity in some people. Maybe I don’t connect on a personal level, but I do feel I’m representing many stories that are very close to me.
You come from TV, series and music. What from that whole journey do you feel helps you today in taking on a musical as big as Anastasia?
I think what helps me most is having done series and having been directed. Learning to be open and receptive to what’s proposed to me is something I value deeply. While one naturally tends to propose things when acting or singing, there’s something about working with direction that brings me a lot of joy, pleasure and a sense of surrender. From my entire journey, what’s helped me most is learning to be directed.
"From my entire journey, what’s helped me most is learning to be directed"
TV moves fast and a musical demands physical and emotional stamina. What was the hardest thing to leave behind to step into this character?
Actually, series don’t move fast. Shooting an eight-episode series can take many months, and it’s a very different dynamic. There’s a lot of waiting: you wait for hours to act for a short while. In musical theater, you also rehearse a lot, but it’s more explosive—something that has to happen precisely at a specific moment. I think one of the biggest challenges for me will be being ready for that instant and doing everything live. When you work a lot for the camera, you’re used to trying, cutting and doing it again. Instead, building something, letting it settle into memory and repeating it every time with the same intention—that, I think, will be one of the hardest things.
Anastasia is an intense role, physically and vocally. What do you think will be the most challenging part of sustaining it show after show?
I’m a very healthy person; I have good habits: I don’t do drugs, I don’t drink alcohol, I don’t go to bed late. There’s a bodily discipline naturally at the service of my work. I think endurance is something I’ll be able to manage. What might be hardest for me at first is the exposure—the moment of stepping onstage—because I’ve never done theater before. That gives me a bit of panic. But once things settle, I think I’ll be comfortable and able to regulate myself to sustain the performances.
"What might be hardest for me at first is the exposure—the moment of stepping onstage—because I’ve never done theater before. That gives me a bit of panic"
Throughout the play, the character changes a lot. How do you show that evolution without overdoing it or underlining it too much?
I think the key is that she changes, but she also doesn’t—and that’s what’s beautiful about the character. Anastasia lives almost like a beggar and then discovers that her origin is royalty; they’re two extremes, but she never stops being either one. When she’s a beggar, she’s also a princess deep down, and when she’s a princess, she’s still a bit of a beggar. There’s something about that duality—which many people have—that shows you can inhabit multiple things at once without them canceling each other out. I think that’s present in both stages of the character and will create a natural balance.
PING PONG
Sing first or act first? That’s like asking me mom or dad.
Ritual before going onstage or improvising and trusting? I’m still figuring it out.
A dream role that hasn’t come yet? I’d love to play the life of Mata Hari.
Advice you’d give yourself before this leading role? Try to stay centered and be patient with yourself—it’s my first time doing theater and I’m willing to learn.
Your favorite Buenos Aires neighborhood and why it stole your heart? I like Coghlan—it’s small, quiet and full of trees.
A place in Buenos Aires to eat well without spending too much? Enso, in Villa Urquiza. Top-level Japanese food at a reasonable price.
Anastasia in one word, today. Challenge!