He studied cooking, worked for Gastón Acurio, but later discovered that his greatest calling and talent is the art of special effects makeup (Make-Up FX) and characterization. He captured it numerous television, film and theater characters, especially with Carlos Álvarez, Chola Chabuca, Miguel Moreno, Fernando Armas and has already made the jump to international fiction series and even worked with Netflix. How did you do it, what characters have you played in your eleven-year career? Where do you present your talent live to the public, where do you learn from it, even through free courses? Find out this and more in Interview given by Pablo Beltrán (34), FX character (make-up artist for special effects), Trome.
How did your taste for art and characterization come about?
As a child, my mother enrolled me in molding, sculpture, and plastic arts classes Fine arts. In addition, I really liked films like the Back to the Future saga and also made a living by watching magazines and VHS about characters. And my family has always been connected to drawing, painting and the arts, although I didn't seek that path yet and moved into other areas when I was young.
TROME | Pablo Beltrán FX and his avatar makeup. INTERVIEW: Isabel Medina / VIDEO: Violeta Ayasta – Trome
THE KITCHEN AND YOUR WORK WITH GASTON ACURIO
In what area have you started to develop?
I studied and graduated in gastronomy, am a chef and had a small business until I came to América Televisión through an invitation almost thirteen years ago Work in production and logistics of Gastón Acurio's Master Chef Perú program. That's where I connect to the television and although the project was completed, I returned to Trujillo and decided to return to Lima and to television.
And how did you get back to working on television?
At first I worked in Lima in restaurants until I saw the creation of characters at activations and concerts, but with very realistic character styles and that fascinated me. I started working for a visual artist. He didn't want to be on TV, but sometimes we did characterizations, including me as a vampire, with fangs and Alfredo Benavides saw us. That was the key to everything that came.
In what ways was comedian Alfredo Benavides key to this?
At that time, “El especial del humor” by Jorge Benavides was on Latina Television. There was no social media or WhatsApp, but through his brother (Alfredo Benavides) I received the email and my boss asked to show our work. They liked it, hired us and I became an assistant, at the same time learning about cameras and how to work in television.
What was the first characterization you did?
Once Alfredo Benavides had to portray Álamo Pérez Luna for one sequence which they called “Ten.” My boss was very busy because it was a very large cast, I was still young, without much experience, but as you would say: I've decided to do it. Alfredo accepted and liked how it turned out. He said to my boss, “The student outperforms the teacher,” and the next day my boss stopped calling me.
Did you lose your job?
I was jobless, with no hopes, no dreams. Nothing, everything broken. I disappeared.
But you didn't give up…
I had two options: either I got depressed and went back to working as a kitchen hand, working six days a week and earning less than what I was getting on TV, or I looked for a way to show that I could work and live off my talent .
I wanted to return to television, I was already immersed in characterization, I had even ordered some materials from abroad because I wanted to improve and shine in my professional work.
Pablo Beltrán, FX character (special effects makeup artist) for television, film and theater. (Interview: Isabel Medina / Photo: Violeta Ayasta /Trome).Pablo Beltrán, FX character (special effects makeup artist) for television, film and theater. (Interview: Isabel Medina / Photo: Violeta Ayasta /Trome).Pablo Beltrán, FX character (special effects makeup artist) for television, film and theater. (Interview: Isabel Medina / Trome).
CHARACTERIZATIONS WITH CARLOS ÁLVAREZ
After losing your job, you looked for another opportunity…
“Yes, and I saw a great opportunity with Carlos Álvarez, because Jorge Benavides had the competition “El Cartel del Humor” on another channel, in which Álvarez imitated the “patron of evil,” Pablo Escobar, and he was a winner “Boom”. Character.
At that time, the prosthesis attached to the head was visible and could not be removed from the skin, it looked two-tone or very thick. And I made it look better with exterior materials. I tried to contact the producer and demonstrate not only the quality of my work, but also that I can complement their content.”
You managed to show him your work
Yes, I found the producer. He said to me, “Ok, Pablito, I'll call you.” But since I know they're busy with the artists, I took “I'll call you” as “I'll never call you.” I went out to eat and that same evening I was surprised when he called and asked me to come to the station the next day to record.
What did Carlos Álvarez tell you?
On the first day, he called me to his office at night, told me that he liked my work, asked me if I had a contract on another channel, and I replied “No”. Then he asked how much I wanted to earn, he paid me a month in advance and the adventure began that lasted seven years in a row. I have worked with him in film, television, theater, activations and tours, we have traveled all over the country.
TROME | Pablo Beltrán performed the PPK characterization for Carlos Álvarez. INTERVIEW: Isabel Medina / VIDEO: Violeta Ayasta – Trome
What was it like working on characters with Carlos Álvarez?
It was a very cool experience, but there were also difficult moments. Carlos is like a father, he advises you, helps you, takes care of you and gives you the motivation you need to do your best. At some point, when I wasn't up to characterization, he said to me, “I challenge you because I know you can.”
We also worked together for the night show “A las Once”, which aired at night on América Televisión with Fernanda Kanno and Rebeca Escribens, and we recorded sequences from Monday to Friday. We were also there for “Speak well!” “If you don’t fall, you slip,” then in Willax and we returned to ATV with the humor poster.
REVENTONAZO DE LA CHOLA
Did you continue with professional character makeup?
Yes. In 2020, I received an offer from América Televisión to participate in the channel Chola blowout, with Ernesto Pimenteland since the program appears once a week, I had more time for personal projects because the rhythm with Carlos Álvarez was more intense and traveling.
But I'm very grateful because The one who made me grow up on television and held my hand like a father was Carlos Álvarez. Whenever we went to an interview and I characterized him, they congratulated him and he said “Thanks to Pablito,” and it is me, Pablo Beltrán. We are still friends and I work on several of his events, activations or some recordings that he does on his social networks.
Pablo Beltrán, FX character (special effects makeup artist), worked on various characters, including “Portola”, for Carlos Álvarez's impersonations and parodies of Bartola. (Interview: Isabel Medina / Trome).
This change came in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic…
Yes, in 2020 I accepted América Televisión's proposal and, incredibly, signed three days before we all went into quarantine due to the coronavirus pandemic. Remember? They locked us all up. If I hadn't signed that contract, I wouldn't have been able to sell candy, bread or whatever because they wouldn't allow it.
What was it like working on the Chola Chabuca program Reventonazo?
Very good. And life surprised me once again, because after working on the Chola Chabuca program for two years and also supporting Gisela's Great Show, in 2021 I received a proposal to do this a collaboration for a series for Prime Video.
What was this production for Prime Video about?
It was a series about zombies. They wanted 30 zombies and the film had to be shot in the Bahamas. I didn't even know where it was, ha ha! We were still in a pandemic, but there were already vaccines and since La Chola (Ernesto Pimentel) was recording once a week, I was able to travel.
It was a good experience and those from the project paid for the trip and everything went well and I returned. Aside from that, I was trained and invited to a Makeup FX exhibition at Universal Studios.
I imagine you said yes and went to Universal Studios
Yes! I agreed and traveled to the United States. I completed this training, which was at a more advanced level in making prosthetics using a hyper-realistic silicone encapsulation technique (it looks like it's the skin itself) for films.
That's when I found out that the Bahamian production team had recommended me for an important series for Netflix.
Tell us what it was like to take part in a Netflix series.
It was 2022, for Stranger Things, Netflix's science fiction and suspense series. I was an external employee and do not appear in the credits. What I made were the molds for the characters' prosthetics. We worked as a team from the Bahamas and I was there for four months.
After these experiences you returned to Peru
I returned to teaching courses and lectures with projects as I had more experience and new techniques. I teach courses in institutions and also give them for free, always with the motivation that the students set their own goals and become bigger and bigger because you have to dare.
Ernesto Pimentel (“Chola Chabuca”) has also always been very supportive of me and I became part of his Reventonazo de la Chola team again and worked with him for about four more years.
TROME | Pablo Beltrán teaches characterization courses (Make-Up FX). INTERVIEW: Isabel Medina / VIDEO: Violeta Ayasta – Trome
Where do you teach courses?
I teach through my social networks and with various institutions, such as Charles Chaplin. I taught at the Casa del Estilita and at the Rosa Merino School in Trujillo.
The students are surprised by the results and it's very cool when you exceed your own expectations.
Have you ever lived “fairly” when it comes to money?
Yes, of course! I come from below. I have been working since I was 12 to finance my studies. From selling softeners on the street to working as a waiter to being a chef at the best hotel in Trujillo. Always connected to gastronomy.
And what is it like to work in television?
In social make-up, attention is usually paid to a lot of contrasts and color nuances, which make-up artists create with great effort, but television is very fast, everything is shot in a day or two and you have to be very skillful.
And since you're also a chef, what dishes do you enjoy the most?
Creole and Italian food. They say that the best things I prepare are lasagna, pasta, ravioli, fettuccini, pizza and in Creole, everything that is stews, beans, Nordic-style goat meat, shambar, rice with duck, ceviche…
Which characters have you played in characterizations?
For example, I made characterizations of Escobar, the patron saint of evil, Ollanta, Toledo, etc., adding an evolution of the prosthetics that Carlos Álvarez used for his imitation, and when he saw himself in the mirror he said: “ him is the president'. Also for his imitation of Monsignor Cipriani to characterize him as Urresti, and until Daniel Urresti himself, when he saw him, said: “Ah, you are the one who smears my birthmark on his face.”
Pablo Beltrán, FX character (special effects makeup artist) for television, film and theater. (Interview: Isabel Medina / Trome).
For Santiago Suárez I worked on the characterization of La Máscara, whose performance in the El Gran Show was incredibly successful.. Gisela Valcárcel said: It's the mask! and Morella Petrozzi highlighted “the best of the evening”.
Pablo Beltrán, FX character (special effects makeup artist) for television, film and theater. (Interview: Isabel Medina / Photo: Violeta Ayasta /Trome).
I also worked on several characters with Miguel Moreno, Fernando Armas and Manolo Rojas.
And among other characters, zombies, iconic movie characters like Freddy Krueger, I also characterized the Grinch, who was seen in December at Coca Cola's Santa Claus House.
MAKEUP AND CHARACTERIZATION
Are makeup artist and character the same?
No. Although A make-up artist is also a complete professional, his development should characterize; That is, characterization, prosthetics, realistic makeup and not just social makeup (for brides, parties).
Makeup artist and character have different techniques. However, it must be taken into account that in Peru characterization is more associated with humor, less with monsters, zombies, vampires or other characters and more with cinema.
Anyone who creates audiovisual content also needs FX makeup tools.
What character or characterization was the most difficult or challenging for you?
Turn a man into a woman. Actors imitate politicians, but when it comes to women, sometimes the moves are very good. For example, when Madeleine Osterling was a municipal candidate and Carlos Álvarez performed his parody of Madeleine Owesting. Also the Foquita Farfán with Bemba.
It was difficult to characterize PPK's personality because you had to make ears, nose, chin, bald head and then glue them together hair by hair. Vizcarra's characterization too and Fujimori's because of the Chinese eyes, bald head and hair.
Pablo Beltrán, FX character (special effects makeup artist) for television, film and theater. (Interview: Isabel Medina / Trome).
And even more difficult when shooting outdoors because you have to retouch, you sweat, the prosthesis can fall or come off, and you have to deal with recording times.
In the case of the president… not so much because it's the face of an older person, the wig helps, also putting a nose that looks similar, drawing eyebrows, placing shadows.
And which part of the head or face is the most difficult to work on?
What is most complex and complex for characterization are well-made ears and prosthetics near the mouth and in the chin or jaw area, as this is constantly in motion and it is glued with dermatological glue, not just any glue and with so much friction it could come off.
What is the most difficult thing for a characterizer?
Make what the director, producer or whoever directs feel comfortable with what the writer and director feel. This type of characterization or makeup effects is a team effort. They can tell you, “I want an alien that has references to a fly,” and you have to create the character, it's not just about seeing a photo and capturing it on the actor's face.
Pablo Beltrán, FX character (special effects makeup artist) for television, film and theater. (Interview: Isabel Medina / Trome).
TROME | Pablo Beltrán and the world of make-up FX (characterization) for television, film and theater. INTERVIEW: Isabel Medina / VIDEO: Violeta Ayasta – Trome
And the most satisfying thing about the characterization?
For example when an imitator sees in the mirror that he has the facial features of the character and that these have nothing to do with his face and he therefore blends in better with his imitation.
You have worked in television, theater and film. Where do you want to go with your art?
I want to star in an international production at the level of Casa de Papel and I know I will do it, but it is constant work to keep moving forward because everything is a process. I would also like to work with Will Smith.
Pablo Beltrán, FX character (special effects makeup artist) for television, film and theater. (Interview: Isabel Medina / Photo: Violeta Ayasta /Trome).Pablo Beltrán, FX character (special effects makeup artist) for television, film and theater. (Interview: Isabel Medina / Photo: Violeta Ayasta /Trome).Pablo Beltrán, FX character (special effects makeup artist) for television, film and theater. (Interview: Isabel Medina / Photo: Violeta Ayasta /Trome).Pablo Beltrán, FX character (special effects makeup artist) for television, film and theater. (Interview: Isabel Medina / Trome).
DO YOU KNOW THAT:
- “A make-up artist is a complete professional and develops through his personality. They use different techniques,” says Beltrán.
- Among the characterizations that Beltrán made: Escobar “Patron of Evil”, Fossati, Ollanta, PPK, Vizcarra, Toledo, Fujimori, Urresti, Monsignor Cipriani, Bartola, Foquita Farfán etc. Also zombies, Freddy Krueger, the Grinch, Avatar etc. and “The Mask” for that Actor Santiago Suárez in The Great Show.
- On Sunday, February 25, Beltrán presented “The Art of Transforming” at the Canout Theater (4:30 p.m.). It featured Make-Up FX live with a musical theater production, an imitation sequence, a cinematic part, a humorous part, presentations by artists on Make-Up FX makeup, prosthetic development and much more.
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