Meet the ‘What Women Don’t Say’ team
Soapbox Mexico follows the production team behind one of the country’s most successful telenovelas.
 |
Alicia, executive producer
Alicia is a veteran writer, director and producer for television and cinema. She was hired by bosses at Azteca TV as executive producer to relaunch What Women Don’t Say.
She is passionately committed to help women speak out.
“It’s a daunting task, far beyond ego … it’s a responsibility … I really enjoy being the boss, but it’s a big resposibility. What Women Don’t Say is a soap for women who’ve had a painful personal experience.”
 |
Laura, associate producer
Alicia’s right-hand, Laura is a professional problem-solver who executes the creative ideas.
She is one of many tough female producers who are forging ahead in a traditionally male dominated world.
“Alicia is the creative one and I’m the one who executes. I’m a fighter … I think I will always be. As soon as a problem appears I’m already thinking of solutions.”
 |
Maria Rebeca, actress
Maria Rebeca is an actress who has been in telenovelas all her life – she practically grew up on-set, so she is well-versed in the language of melodrama.
Her moving performance with a Down’s Syndrome actor shows how her sensitive nature blossoms when confronted with a real story.
“We love it when the heroine suffers … we are very dramatic. Mexicans love drama … we watch it on TV, and we act it out at home.”
 |
Araceli, writer
One of the programme’s most senior writers, Araceli bases her script on testimonies from victims of abuse or domestic violence.
“I have to create an emotional distance… I can’t weep every time I hear something terrible. If I did that, I wouldn’t be able to do my job.”
Thoughtful, opinionated and a great observer of Mexican society, Araceli offers a deep insight into relations between women and men.
 |
Victor, producer
A highly-strung experienced producer of telenovelas, Victor is consumed by the desire to do his job well. He is a single father whose son wants to follow him into the production businesss.
Conscious of the impact that What Women Don’t Say has in rural communities, no detail escapes him, and he will not rest until the episode he is in charge of is filmed in a way that relates to the audience on the other side of the screen.
 |
Salvador, director
An award-winning film director, Salvador connects well with actors and helps pilot a special episode on Down’s Syndrome to success.
However shooting also involves directing sponsored commercial episodes and he must learn to balance the clients’ demands with the social message of What Women Don’t Say while ensuring the survival of the programme.
 |
Deborah, writer
Introspective, intense, and passionate, Deborah uncovers the tragedy of the discrimination of young male HIV sufferers, forcing them to keep their illness secret – with potentially dangerous consequences.
As a writer, she creates drama to carry a message, all from a careful and engaged view of her subjects.
 |
Alejandra, actress
The actress struggles prepare for her role in a story about a mentally ill girl whose family believes she is possessed by demons.
Her transformation into the role of a rural mother is aided by Eugenia, an indigenous weaver who migrated to Mexico City so that her son might one day become a doctor.
“If I help break down the taboo of mental illness, even in the heart of just one, then it will have been worth it.”
