YonGonzalezInternational.com El Mundo Digital Encounter Yon González participated in an online question and answer session with his fans in El Mundo Digital Encounters. The online chat takes place. Yon was 23 at the time. Here is the transcript of the conversation. El Mundo Digital Encounter Translation by: Gema Sola He is celebrating the success of Mentiras y Gordas, the Spanish movie that has become a box office phenomenon and is the top film in its opening weekend. Yon González, a teen idol thanks to El Internado, plays an adventurous guy who has no idea his male best friend is completely in love with him. FAN QUESTIONS 1. Mentiras y Gordas was your first movie. What was the experience like? Thanks It s been a great and enriching experience. I would like to continue making films. 1
2. Hi Yon, since your character in El Internado is a tough boy, how did you go from him to this new part in Mentiras y Gordas? Was it hard to change roles? Kisses from Murcia. It s not hard for me to get into character as long as I prepare well before filming. The preparation is the most important thing. 3. Hi Yon, it s Carol from Madrid. First of all, congratulations on the success of your movie. I loved it and I m really impressed by everything you can transmit with just your eyes. I saw your brother Aitor in Hamlet and he also does a great job. How do you and your family celebrate such success? I guess they taught you to work as a way to get things, right? Kisses and good luck. It is true, yes, they taught me that working is the best way to get things. I started working as a waiter when I was 15, and from 15 to 19. When I started as an actor, I also had to work in many different things. 4. Have you ever found yourself in a situation like the one your character goes through in the movie? Has a friend ever fallen in love with you? How would you react to that? Thanks. No, I ve never gone through anything like that, and I have no idea how I would react. 5. Hi Yon. I went to see Mentiras y Gordas on Monday. What was the hardest thing to do in the movie, or when preparing Nico, your character? Greetings from Barcelona. The hardest scene was the one where someone dies. And also, a very bad joke my character has in a scene in a pub, it took me way too long. 6. Hey handsome! Greetings from the Carlos III University in Colmenarejo! A bunch of us are crazy about you because you are so handsome! Well, we wanted to know, what has changed in your life since you became famous? Do you feel watched all the time? What would you like to reach with your fame? Kisses, looking forward to your reply! 2
I don t want to reach anything with my fame, to be honest. And yes, since I became famous I do feel watched. But losing my privacy is a price I have to pay. 7. Tell me Yon, would you like to go to Hollywood in the future? I would like to go everywhere. 8. There s quite a few sex scenes in the movie, so be honest, weren t you a little embarrassed, considering you had the cameraman, the director, etc. right in front of you? No, getting naked is not hard or embarrassing for me, I m not bashful. Emotional scenes are way worse and where you have to put all your effort. 9. Hello Yon! I m a super fan of yours since I saw you on SMS. Your characters are always the bad guy, aren t you afraid to be typecast as that? Kisses from Barcelona. No, not really. It s easier for me to play good guys. In Mentiras y Gordas, for example, my character is not evil or bad at all. 10. Hi Yon. First of all, congratulations on your hard work, I admire you a lot. This new movie was number one at the box office, sending Gran Torino to second place after three weeks on the top. This is even more amazing, considering it s a Spanish film. What do you think was the secret for its success? Greetings from a fan in Barcelona. The secret is to gather all the successful and famous people of the day in the same movie. 11. Do you think young people nowadays are how they re described in the movie- drug and sex addicts? Thanks and congratulations on the success of your movie. Some young people are like that, yes. They like partying and they re too careless and kind of crazy. That s the way it is; step into a disco and you ll see. 12. Hi Yon! I was shocked by the movie from beginning to end. While watching it, I thought it needed to have a proper ending with a lesson I could learn. I m glad it did. 3
However, something worries me. Lots of people are fans of yours and other actors so they ll simply go see the movie to see you, do you think they ll get the message? I m worried they will only see the endless parties and having fun part and want to imitate it after seeing you do that. Nice work on your movie and on El Internado. Congratulations. I think the message at the end and the music are very clear. There are scenes that make you want to go partying, but the lesson is clear. 13. Hey, what will Ivan s behavior towards his mother be like in El Internado? And will you and your brother work together one day? Ivan s behavior will be reluctant because he feels deceived by María. You ll see in this season. And I wish my brother and I get to work together in the future. 14. Hi Yon, my 14 year old daughter and I really love you and would love to see your new movie. I won t miss it but I m worried it s not appropriate for young people. Good luck on everything, handsome! Reality is stranger than fiction. The movie tells no lies, and with that ending I think young people will really learn from it. 15. You re starting your career and are still very young, don t you think a naked scene like the one in this movie could actually damage your reputation when you get older? Don t you think you may regret it in the future? No, you won t see anything you haven t seen before. 16. Hello Yon. First of all, congratulations on your work. I love El Internado, I think it s different from everything else, and it s good Spanish fiction. I m scared, though, that if they keep making more seasons the show will start getting worse at some point. What do you think? Greetings and good luck. So far, the scripts are still really good and keep getting better. So unless I see the opposite 4
17. Film or theater? Which one do you prefer? Would you like to do theater? Kisses. Theater, yes. I d love to do theater, it s something I d like to try. 18. Hello, I have a few questions about your origins. Are you Basque? Where were you born? How long have you been living in Madrid? I hear you were born in Guipuzcoa, is that correct? Do you visit a lot? Greetings from a guipuzcoano Korionak for your success. I m from Bergara (Guipúzcoa), I was born in 1986 and I ve been living in Madrid for three years now. 19. Hi Yon, I haven t seen Mentiras Y Gordas yet, but I m going to this weekend. I m Ivan s biggest fan, I love his bad and mean side. Is your personality at all similar to Ivan s? It s just an act. I m the exact opposite. My parents love me a lot and I love them too. Nobody wants to kill me, I live a peaceful life. 20. Is this [Mentiras y Gordas] a movie that wants to show the Spanish film industry is not dead? Do we need to communicate better with the audiences? Congratulations and greetings. It s a movie people want to see because it has a very interesting topic that we are beginning to see more frequently in real life. 21. Would you like to have a crossover between El Internado and Los Hombres de Paco? I would!! No, they have a different genre. It s like mixing Heidi and Gladiator. 22. What would you have done had you not been an actor? I d be either a mechanic or a PE teacher. 23. Could you share any anecdote that happened on set? They told me to get excited, and it was impossible. You either are or you aren t, you can t lie about that. 24. Hey Yon! Although most of the reviews advised me against it, I went to see Mentiras y Gordas yesterday and I loved it. At first I really wanted to go to a party, but when I 5
got to the end I felt disgusted and did not want to go out partying again. Was that how I was supposed to feel? Kisses! Yes, absolutely. 25. Hello Yon, what is your favorite video game? Metal Gear. 26. What is the craziest thing a fan has done for you? They ring my doorbell every morning. 27. First of all, congratulations on your great work. I wish you the best in your professional career and also in your private life. I would like you to answer some of my questions. Did you take any drugs to portray your character? If the answer is yes, what were the consequences? In the sex scenes, did you have explicit sex? What were the consequences after having sex with some of your cast mates? How was your relationship with them after that? Zorionak!! From Bilbao. Keep fighting for what you want. Kisses. Evidently, we did not take any drugs and we did not have sex on set or anywhere else. Well, at least I didn t. 28. What music does Yon González have in his mp3? U2, chill out music, Spanish music like Serrat or Sabina, some Pereza songs, and I like Tarifa Grove, too. 29. How come only you went full frontal in this movie? The rest of the cast members weren t asked or they just said no? Congrats on the movie, I m glad that a Spanish film is successful at the box office. They only asked me, and as a professional 30. Hello Yon. I recently read somewhere that El Internado is going to have its own video game for Nintendo DS, becoming the first Spanish fiction show to have a video game. Apart from that, there are also books about the show, games for your mobile phone, pictures and a lot of other products related to the TV series. Do you think that, 6
when something is successful, they take advantage of its success and exploit the product, or it actually helps maximize its potential? Good luck on all your projects. Greetings from the El Internado GameByte website. It depends, sometimes it helps, other times they go too far. 31. Name one actor or actress you admire, national or foreign, from all times; someone who inspired you to become an actor. And what is your favorite movie? Kisses and good luck. My brother has always been a great reference. There are a lot of amazing actors out there, but my role model has always been my brother, Aitor Luna. I don t have one favorite movie, but I Am Sam was incredibly beautiful. 32. What would you tell people who see Mentiras y Gordas as a commercial-marketing product, lacking quality and a good plot? Everyone has their own opinion. 33. Are you happy? Very. And every day I m happier. 34. What is your favorite part of your body? And your least favorite? I don t have a favorite or least favorite part. I am content with myself. 35. I read that your character in the movie doesn t know his best friend is in love with him. How are you dealing with being a gay icon for people like my neighbor (he s adorable) who, for example, has his room walls covered with posters of you? I bet it s funny. Hugs from Jesús and a kiss from my neighbor JuanMa. Everybody should have whatever posters they want in their room. 36. From your official website, what do think about our site? Thanks to it, fans from around the world come seeking for information about you and want to follow all your projects! Greetings, Laura! 7
I love the website and I really appreciate your and everyone else who is behind the website s support. 37. What actor did you feel more comfortable with when filming the movie? Kisses from your fan in Galicia, Angela. Mario Casas. 38. Good morning, Yon. I m curious about the movie even though I m not a teenager anymore. Could you give me a valid reason to see it that s not just curiosity? From all the adverts I have seen, the movie seems to be made for people between the ages of 16 and 19. Thank you. It shows the lives and troubles of a group of careless teenage boys and girls. 39. What other actor would you have not minded kissing? Greetings. Since I m not gay, I don t mind one or another. Whoever they would have told me to kiss. 40. Hi Yon! Congratulations for being such a great actor. My question is whether you are an autodidact or you have studied in an acting school or something. Thank you. I have never studied acting. Getting a job and actually working as an actor have taught me everything I know. A GOODBYE Kisses for everyone and thank you for your interest in this movie. 8