December 17, 1999
By Elizabeth Hunter
Renaissance man Ruben Blades brings
passion and insight to the role of Mexican artist and revolutionary,
Diego Rivera, in Touchstone Pictures' "Cradle Will Rock".
The art and theater world of the 1930's New York City is the backdrop for the new Touchstone Pictures film "Cradle Will Rock," from acclaimed writer/director Tim Robbins. As labor strikes break out throughout the country, New York City is alive with a burgeoning cultural revolution. "Cradle Will Rock" is a tapestry of different stories. Nelson Rockefeller, played by John Cusack, commissions Mexican artist Diego Rivera, played by Ruben Blades, to paint the lobby of Rockefeller Center while Italian propagandist Margherita Sarfatti, played by Susan Sarandon, gives Da Vincis to millionaires who help fund the Mussolini war effort.
An alcoholic ventriloquist, played by Bill Murray, tries to rid his vaudeville troupe of communists while a 22-year old Orson Wells, played by Angus Mac Fadyen, directs his Federal Theater group in an infamous stage production of "The Cradle Will Rock" which is closed down on the eve of its opening by soldiers and the US government. Based on true events, "Cradle Will Rock" relives an exciting and dangerous time in American history when individual courage stood in the face of censorship and artists risked their livelihood by performing in shows and painting their canvases.
Filmed in the raucous spirit of the 1930's films, "Cradle Will Rock" stars Hank Azaria, Ruben Blades, Joan Cusack, Cary Elwes, Philip Baker Hall, Cherry Jones, Vanessa Redgrave, John Turturro and Emily Watson.
Acclaimed actor/writer/musician Ruben Blades was thrilled to play Diego Rivera in Touchstone Pictures "Cradle Will Rock." "It's an intelligent film that speaks about a period that his not been presented often," explains Blades. "It's an interestingly written piece of Americana and I loved every second of playing Diego Rivera. He was a larger-than-life figure who was full of contradictions, and I had a lot of fun playing him that way."
At first, Blades found the role to be somewhat challenging. "At the beginning I was a little intimidated by the part because I didn't feel that I knew enough about Rivera to portray him. It was somewhat difficult to find information about him. I don't think many people have depicted him in film. `Cradle Will Rock' might even be the first time we've seen him in an English language movie."
Through extensive research Blades found insight into this complex character. "Right before I started shooting, I figured out how to physically portray Rivera," says Blades. "It was something I did that had to do with the position of my head and something I did with my face. It was important to find the (psychological) balance of the character. There are some of scenes where Rivera is very funny, and others where his seriousness comes through and he's very upset at what's being done. Rivera was a very complex person and it was a lot of fun to play him that way."
There were additional benefits to playing the role of Rivera beside the artistic challenges it presented. "[Director] Tim Robbins told me I needed to gain weight to portray Rivera accurately, so I ate a lot of ice cream which was the real fun part of the role," jokes Blades.
Ruben Blades thoroughly enjoyed working with writer/director Tim Robbins and has the utmost respect for him. "It was a pleasure to work with Tim," says Blades. "It's good to work with someone who knows what they're doing. He had a very clear ideas of what he wanted to do. Tim was demanding, but for a reason. He wrote a very good script and managed the very difficult task of making an ensemble film while managing to create a nice working environment on the set."
Blades was also impressed by his fellow cast members. "Tim is very respected as an actor and a director which makes him immediately attractive to talent. There are so many great people involved in this project that you just turn around and go, `wow.'" Blades, an acclaimed actor/musician and social critic in his right, fit right in with this stellar cast.
Born in Panama City, Panama, Ruben Blades credits his paternal grandmother for instilling in him a life-long passion for truth and justice by introducing him to Hollywood film and U.S. culture. The multi-talented Blades has a number of impressive acting credits under his belt. In addition to "Cradle Will Rock," Blades recently starred in Wayne Wang's film "Chinese Box," opposite Jeremy Irons and Gon Li, and on Broadway in Paul Simon's musical "The Capeman." Blades also appeared in "Crossover Dreams," "Critical Condition," Alan Pakula's "The Devil's Own," Robert Redford's "The Milagro Beanfield War," and "The Two Jakes" directed by Jack Nicholson. Blades will soon appear in the "All the Pretty Horses" a film directed by Billy Bob Thorton.
Ruben Blades has also appeared in a number of television projects. His Emmy-nominated TV credits include "The Josephine Baker Story" and "Crazy from the Heart." He also headlined a British television documentary entitled "The Returns of Ruben Blades."
Ruben Blades gained widespread recognition in the music world when he composed and performed "El Cazangero" for Willie Colon on Colon's album entitled "The Good, The Bad and The Ugly." The son earned Blades the Latin NY magazine's "Composer of the Year" award. Two years later working in conjunction with Colon, Blades recorded "Siembra" which has become the best-selling salsa album ever and continues to set the standard for the genre.
A three-time Grammy Award-winner, Blades' subsequent albums continue to be widely successful while demonstrating his willingness to explore other musical traditions without compromising the integrity of his Latin American roots. "Escenas" features Linda Ronstadt and Joe Jackson, while "Nothing But the Truth" features Elvis Costello, Lou Reed and Sting.
In recent months Blades has performed in sold-out venues all over the world promoting his new album, "Tiempos," which is currently available on the Sony label. "I just finished doing fifteen cities in the United States. We've done about thirty-two shows here and in Europe and will play specific locations in the next few months. We also have a show that will air on PBS' `Sessions at West 54th Street' in the cycle of popular music," explains the prolific artist.
Like Diego Rivera, the character Blades portrays in "Cradle Will Rock," Ruben Blades is renowned both for his art and for this commitment to politics. "The strongest similarity between Rivera and I is that we were both artists and politically involved. We both believed in the necessity to work without any censorship and defended the idea of giving opportunities to the disenfranchised," says Blades who ran for president of Panama in 1994 and finished in third place. The high-powered Ruben Blades also holds a la degree from Harvard University.
Ruben Blades has no intention of resting on his laurels. When asked his goals for the future Blades replied, "I'm going to take a little break and go right back on tour."
No doubt, audiences will be duly impressed when world-class artist and social critic Ruben Blades' delivers a riveting performance as the complex and compelling Diego Rivera in Touchstone Pictures' "Cradle Will Rock."
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