If there is someone to blame Angelica Vale has returned to the play Lies, it is his daughter, the little one Angelica Masiel. “I came back because he told me: ‘Mom, you have to do it because one day I want to sing there, and if you don’t return to Mentiras, I will never sing in Mentiras again. Please come back,” Vale tells of his daughter’s request to take part again in the famous musical currently being performed in Mexico. “Well, I had no choice but to say, ‘Okay, okay.'”
Just like his mother, the legendary actress and singer, one day Angelica Mariaand his grandmother, the screenwriter, producer and filmmaker, disappeared Angelica Ortiz, Vale could be paving the way for his firstborn. At the age of six months, Angélica Masiel herself let him know in her own way that she had the family profession in her blood. “When I first brought her on stage she was six months old. I had left the piece of Mentiras to have her.” [y] When I come back they tell me: “We are going to introduce your daughter.” Suddenly Angélica comes out, they applaud her, the baby turns around, raises her hand and starts waving. “I said, ‘That can’t be right!’” recalls the proud 48-year-old mother, who is now in top form.
What is inherited is not stolen, and the story of this dynamic Angelica trio gained strength with the coronation of the Bride of Mexico, Angélica María, who sat front row – and nervously – in July as she welcomed his 11-year-old daughter saw. The one-year-old granddaughter Vaselina is making her professional debut in Mexico. “I was in the audience and cried like an idiot,” she admits excitedly. “She sang divinely. She understood everything she said, acted everything she did. We were more nervous than they were.”
La Vale also celebrates his success with the two works that marked his triumphant return to the Mexican stage. His participation in Vaselina took place as part of a kind of reunion of the Timbiriche group at the factory. “The truth is that I never imagined that a dream of mine as a child would bring me back into fashion in Mexico,” says Vale, surprised. “It was an absolute dream for me to perform Vaselina with Timbiriche. Being on stage with them was something that… my 6 year old girl is very proud of me, very happy. I have fulfilled my dream.”
This dream has brought her to the top in her home country, where she hopes to return to television with the third season of the reality show “Bake Off México” in 2024. But first she has to finish a dubbing, a film and the final presentations of them in the year of the two musicals, while also performing her radio show La Vale Show in Southern California, where she lives with her clan. “I’m very tired,” she admits. “But is it worth it?”
Of course, without the support of his family, he wouldn’t be able to keep up with his busy schedule. When she goes on tour to Mexico, Angelica María and Vale’s husband – the CEO of Meruelo Media – meet Otto Padron— They ensure that everything at home goes according to plan. Both share the morning chaos in order to now take on Angélica Masiel Daniel Nicholas, 9 years old, to school; and in the afternoon, it’s Grandma’s turn to transport them to their after-school classes. Homework is the responsibility of the children who complete their assignments. “I have two wonderful children and I couldn’t be prouder of them every day for different reasons,” says Vale. “Everyone is different, but both make me incredibly proud and they are my greatest love.” And be careful, like his sister, Daniel Nicolás also has acting talent, he says: “Daniel does it well. The little guy is going to be a good actor.”
This December holidays, the actress will dedicate all her time to being with her children – without forgetting her dog daughter Coco – as a family. “Our family [es] “A united family full of love,” says Angélica María, 79, who hopes to reprise her role as Elena in the series “The Lincoln Lawyer” (Netflix) next year. Here the Angélicas open their hearts and share the bonds that connect, that is their everyday life today and their plans for the future.
How do you manage to preserve and teach Mexican traditions to children living in the United States?
A V: The truth is that we are pretty good at following traditions. Yes, we celebrate Halloween, but on November 2nd [Día de Muertos] The offering is placed, the candles are placed, my father’s photos are placed [el actor y comediante Raúl Vale]my grandmother [Angélica Ortiz]. Yes, we do Thanksgiving American, and that’s how it should be. So at Christmas we have every excuse in the world to combine these, because of course a good cod cannot be missed when there are also Romeritos. For my husband, white rice is a must – because he is Cuban – but we also eat it and black beans, and I had a Venezuelan father.
AM: So it’s a parent combination because [Angélica] makes hallacas.
A V: I make hallacas, which are tamales [venezolanos] Very similar to the tamale from Oaxaca. I make the hallacas and my mother makes the ham sandwich, which we also inherited from my father. We also celebrate Epiphany and the bagel. That can’t be wrong, it’s very Mexican. My children are more than used to the 6 [de enero] The kings are coming [Magos].
AM: We keep our traditions very much alive and we do them and we love it and we start cooking up to two days in advance. The hallacas are 3 days old and the tamales are 2 days old. [días de elaboración].
What tradition from your childhood are you continuing with your children?
A V: I still remember one thing my mother and I did together: I did it a few years ago because I was lazier than Angélica. [Masiel]– was to put up the Christmas tree. My daughter helps more. Angelica was [Masiel] She helps us and she helps even more.
AM: You don’t know the job! [Cuando mi hija era] When I was a teenager, I took the whole tree. Some nice trees, but she was too lazy. Now I placed the little angel on top, which is a tradition.
A V: My mother puts up the little angel every year and we all put up the tree. Everything runs in the family. We do all of this the day after Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving was the last holiday I spent with my father. He was sick in Houston, so I started celebrating before I moved to the US because for me it was the last date I spent with my dad. It means a lot to me, even though it’s not a Mexican tradition, but I’m very happy for my father.
Do the children know about their grandfather Raúl Vale, do they know who he was?
A V: I show them a lot of photos of my father, and every now and then there are videos of my father. So much [en] My fans then upload every video of my father that I love to Twitter and Instagram because I can then show it to my children. I always tell them, this is Grandpa Raúl. And they keep it in mind for my brothers too. The children from my father’s first marriage, who are older than me, have children who are a little older than my children, but they love each other. They are Mexico’s cousins and they love them. Every time they travel to Mexico, they have to spend at least one day with their cousins. The truth is that there is a very beautiful relationship between cousins, even big cousins. The older cousins have the patience for my children like giants. They are already teenagers and they take care of them and play with them, they behave wonderfully towards their cousins and that has also helped my father to be present in a certain way. Angélica tells me: “Did you grow up with your brothers?” [Yo le contesto:] “No, my love, they are my half-brothers, they are not my mother’s children, they are children from my father’s first marriage.” They seem to have caught the wave there too; [les digo:] “Just like your half-sisters.” Carolina And Elizabeth, who are daughters from your father’s first marriage, so they are children from his first marriage.’ But obviously there isn’t that big of an age difference. You completely understand. You know exactly who my father is.
AM: Angelica [Masiel] He asks me a lot of questions about Raúl. Was he unfaithful? A lot, yes. I told him the truth, that’s why I broke up. I couldn’t stand him spending time with anyone else. Gross! He came home and kissed me with each other’s saliva. No, wow! So he understood it very well [ríe].
A V: To me he said, “Hey mom, like he was unfaithful and good?” He was a great man, he was a very good man, but he had this little flaw. As a father, his infidelities hurt me, but not like that [le dolió a] his wife, because my mother saw them all. I tell him: “You can be a good person and be unfaithful, my love, those were different times, a different education.” It was a different path. “The women stayed at home and the men could go out and do whatever they wanted.” Women raise our children better. By the way, my parents decided to get divorced for Christmas. Please not this tradition. No more fear in life [ríe].
At this time, nostalgia comes over people who are far from their country and their own. Was it difficult to leave your country in search of new opportunities, like thousands of immigrants who come to the United States in search of a better life?
A V: For me it was very easy. For me, I translate a lot of Mexican culture into food. Life in Los Angeles was very simple. Most people are Mexican. We love celebrating May 5th because we are party animals and celebrate wherever they tell us. But we never forget September 15th. In Los Angeles it takes less work. I tell my kids, “Do you want clams?” [pan dulce]?’. You can find them around the corner. They like to eat conchas, eat tacos, they are happy. The fact that they like Mexican food makes me very proud and that they like and love Mexico. You ask them where they come from and they tell you: Mexican. They love Mexico, they have a great time every time they go there.
AM: It took a lot of work for me because after 60 years in my country I will live in Miami and [en] There aren’t that many Mexicans in Miami. We were very happy, yes, but it’s not the same as here [en Los Ángeles]. We feel much more comfortable here. Almost everyone speaks Spanish and it’s not because they speak Spanish, but because of the way they speak it. Our treatment, our customs, our training, our culture. Many things that are fathers of our country. [A los niños] They are born they really like it [México]. It’s not because they say, “Oh yeah, my family is Mexican.” They love Mexico and it makes us very proud because our Mexico is divine.
What does the legacy you have created mean in the world of entertainment?
A V: We are committed to what we like. That was the greatest happiness, that we could do whatever we wanted. God placed me in a family that was dedicated to what I wanted to do.
AM: [Suerte] to be able to do what we want and be successful at it, because if not, we would not be able to continue doing what we want. The audience liked us. The world liked us, it is a blessing from God. That was a blessing.
It’s one thing for your daughter to have such a successful, beautiful career, but now your granddaughter’s beginnings begin…
AM: Imagine that. I am an artist. What he said [a mi hija] Angelica, I’ll be twice as nervous with her, yes, and twice as proud. I’m fighting to move forward and be the best, but if Angélica can do it, oh man! And he does it beautifully and I’m drooling and everything. And the exact same thing happens to me with the girl, but three times as often. I become even more nervous around the girl, but also more proud. I am so proud to be the mother of this wonderful woman that Angélica is, not only as an artist but also as a person. He is a beautiful person. I am so proud to be his mother. I am so proud to be that grandmother. [niñita] which I adore with all my heart.
Given your experience and long career, what advice would you like to give your granddaughter Angie?
AM: There is just a little advice because the truth is that everyone has to learn it on their own, they have to learn it. You have to listen to the directors; You learn this race [que] In any job you learn a lot, so there is little advice. Tips are: Study, give yourself, be sincere, be disciplined and be grateful to the public. That’s all.
Okay, is it hard to see your girl on stage and have that courage and pride that she’s doing well?
A V: At that moment I was dying. He said, ‘Please God, let him do it well, let him do it well.’ May it go well, may she not get stuck.’ Because you think about everything: that you might stumble, that you might get lost, but I don’t suffer. Quite the opposite. I’m very proud of her. I just saw her on stage in those seconds, how well she did it, how she did it better than me. Me at 11 [años] I didn’t understand Angie’s understanding of the scenario. I was 9 years old and did theater. I had a lot more boards than my daughter. But I didn’t have Angelica’s understanding of acting at her age. That makes me less worried. I played more, it was like a game. Not her, she has a very strong understanding. [Es] very advanced.
How do you achieve the balance of a good relationship where respect and trust prevail?
AM: With love. We grew up, I say that for both of us, because then Angélica was born and they grew up in the same environment, in a family full of love. Our family was a united family full of love. Great grandmother cheetah It was what united us all and held us together. Once a week we all had a hearty meal together.
A V: A family full of love. The love my grandmother gave me is one thing… that’s where we both come from. It is obvious and logical that our love for each other is greater than anything else. Obviously, this love is the same that I give to my children. But that is the origin of respect, of good communication and understanding, that is the origin of respect. Because love is greater than anything else. I try to give my children the same education and love that I received and there they are.
AM: My daughter comes first in life and now my grandchildren too. They are very good children, very humane, very sweet, concerned about people, about animals, about the world. They are very intelligent and very sweet children.
What advice would you give to people who have left their country, who have left Mexico in search of a better economic life, but who are not fortunate enough or blessed to have their loved ones here?
A V: We had to be separated from our family many times for work reasons. Now we have the luxury of spending time together, but not before. Then we postponed the dates. We celebrated a week before, after, if possible. But there are people who cannot return to their country. I think that’s what makes you family [ayuda]. We Latinos are good at settling in [estamos]. Here comes the cousin of the friend’s cousin, and here we go for Christmas. Because yes, we won’t get through this alone. We Latinos are good at that. And there are families like us who [invitamos a] those who have nowhere to celebrate. That’s how we are Latinos. I think that’s why you don’t see so many Latin Americans eating alone at Christmas because there’s always someone to open the door for you.
AM: It was our turn [vivirlo] Also. We became a family of friends. Angelica and I have been here many times [separadas para los] Birthdays, New Years, Mother’s Days; In all these celebrations, the artists sang, we will do our shows. You have to start a family, not just get married, but make friends, have friends, make those friends your family.
A V: These bonds of family love, these bonds of love for your friends are the most important and must be the foundation of every home and of everything.
It’s a blended family. What are the dynamics like during this time of celebration?
A V: [Celebramos con] My brothers or my husband’s daughters, we also have a lot of friends who we suddenly invite to spend the holidays with us when they don’t have a place to spend it, here it is open house. Anyone who wants to can celebrate with us here, we have no problem, quite the opposite. It’s like opening the doors for the family to continue to grow not only with the blood relationship, but also with the family you choose.
AM: Otto has something very nice about these evenings: he gives thanks because the family is together. It is something very beautiful.
A V: My children learned that too. And they say to the Father, “Let us give thanks.” This part is very beautiful. Apparently [contamos con] the family we choose; I’m lucky to have my best friend here in Los Angeles now, which is cool too. The traditions continue not only with the blood family but also with the chosen family.
What is the professional moment you are experiencing?
A V: It’s great, it’s spectacular. The truth is that I never imagined that a dream of mine as a child would bring me back into fashion in Mexico. I never dreamed of it. I did it so my 6 year old girl could finally die peacefully. Because for me, making Vaseline with Timbiriche was an absolute dream. Being on stage with them was something that… my 6 year old girl is very proud of me, very happy. I have fulfilled my dream.
I could never have imagined that all this would come back into fashion, let alone that it would have an impact on the United States. That’s something very weak that this boom had here, it’s very weak. Then my return to Mentiras. The truth is that I returned because of Angélica because she told me: “Mom, you have to do it because one day I want to sing there and if you don’t return to Mentiras I will never sing in Mentiras again, please come back.’ Well, then I had no choice but to say, “Yeah, okay, that’s fine.” But when I get to rehearsals and I realize how these new Mentiras are constructed, I fall in love even more. I love Lies, I will continue there.
I think the fact that I went back to Mexico to do a season from scratch was a return to everything. I became fashionable again. To be fashionable again at this stage, at this age, [siendo] Mom… I’m very tired and can’t stop thinking that I need a dubbing and a film to finish this year. More Vaseline, more lies and the radio and two children, my husband and my mother. And my dog Coco, we can’t leave her behind. Yes, I’m very tired, but it’s worth it.
I feel like I’m at a point in my life where, as a woman, I’ve achieved my dream of becoming a mother. I have two wonderful children who, for different reasons, I couldn’t be prouder of every day. Each one is different, but both make me incredibly proud and are my greatest loves. I’m at a point in my career where I’m going back to a lot of things that I needed to go back to. I am very happy.
Left: Image Credit: Photo: Katty Cantalamessa
Right: Photo credit: Photo: Erick Nieto/@ericknieto_; Production: Aneliz Alvarez/@anelizzilena; PR: Mario Larios – Part 1 /@mario_larios @parte_1
Links: Image Credit: Photographer: Kike Flores @kikeflorescreator; Stylist: @shopaveconcept; Decoration and framing: @305decoliving @floridaverticalsandblinds @touchoforchids; PR: @mediaconceptspr
Right: Photo credit: Photo: MichyWatchao/@michywatchao; Styling: Reading Pantaleón/@readingp; Makeup: Michelle Flaz/@michelleflaz; Hair: Jessica de León/@hairbyjessicadl; Costumes: Misura Store/@misurastore; Jewelry: Gold Center/@goldcenter; Location: Margaritaville Island Reserve Cap Cana/@margaritavilleircapcana