Passionate, energetic and determined, Gilberto David Vázquez Gomez, who prefers to be called by his second name, David, is definitely a kid to watch on campus. Don’t let his youthful spirit fool you; he has articulated plans that are well beyond his years. As a young director of the new up-and-coming series Inergia, David has quite a lot on his plate. His responsibilities don’t end there: he is an actor in the series as well! Read on to learn more about this fascinating young man.
Age: 20 years old
Major: Film, with an interest in doing a minor in Psychology
HCUPR:Where did the idea for Inergia start?
David: Inergia is a project that started in 2011. A couple of friends and I who all wanted to study film started it. We decided on a series that would be finished by summer. I had a different perspective on film back then, I thought it was a bit faster, I was living a fantasy. My friends ended up moving to the States and I stayed. I decided that I would continue a form of the project that we started in their honor. I couldn’t really let a good initiative go down the drain.
Photo credit goes to: Javier Enrique Photography
HCUPR: Can you tell us a little bit about the actual series?
David: Inergia is a type of energy. I can’t really say much more about it because it’s one of the main topics of the series. But basically its about human beings fighting against the Ukam, a species of humanoids that have the ability to control energy, which means they are a threat to humanity. So a group of humans decide to create a group called The Company. The Company is divided into sectors that are all around the world. They join while they’re very young in order to specialize in weapons, computation, military combat so as to eliminate the Ukams. The series is centered around six teenagers that share the mysterious death of their parents. Without much experience, they must maintain their lives as agents while surviving and dealing with all the problems that adolescence brings. They are adults in the body of teenagers. They have a different mentality of the world, they have encountered attacks and have learned how to fight for their lives. They are very disturbed because they had to practically raise themselves.
HCUPR: Who is your favorite character?
David: My favorite character is interpreted by Cecilia Arguelles. I have always wanted to create an antagonist that wasn’t necessarily an antagonist. One that everyone sees as a bad person but if you see the things that she has been through and her perspective on life, you understand why she is the way she is. No one is bad to be bad, in reality the people who do bad things… it’s because they have a different perspective. I love how dedicated she in terms of what she wants. She is a calm but very passionate character.
HCUPR: Have there been any obstacles in the production process?
David: Continuity. We have been filming for about a year and two months and we change. I have photos of when we started filming and of how we are now and we are really different. We all look way older. Also, money-wise, we’ve had to fund everything.
HCUPR: What character do you feel the most connected with?
David: Roberto is the character I’m playing. I’ve always liked this character. He is a serious guy, one that has seen a lot of death. I, on the other hand, like to joke around and laugh all the time. I thought it would be a good challenge to interpret a really serious character. I always thought that if we found someone else that could do the character justice, we’d give him the part, but we never really did.
HCUPR: Where do you see yourself after you graduate?
David: I think and establish my goals gradually and then move on to the next one. I like having a short-term goal, then another and another, and so on, that’s how I maintain myself. I also want to continue studying. I’m more interested in studying psychology, because it helps me develop believable characters that have a story. I don’t want to create characters; I want to create humans. I’m also working on writing a book about many things that I couldn’t include in the series because of cost or time constraints. I want the book to be about all the ideas I visualize in my head. We’re also working on making a graphic novel about Inergia.
I also want to go to Spain to live and study there. Strengthen my film training there and come back with new projects and revolutionize the film industry here. It’s easy to say, I know, but I do it because I think we have so much more talent and locations here in Puerto Rico other than the beach. Whenever you think Puerto Rico, it’s nothing but beaches. I don’t think it has been explored enough to really showcase everything that we can offer in the world of cinema.
HCUPR: Favorite book and movie?
David: I have more than one.. First is V for Vendetta, Stoker and Hannibal, definitely Hannibal. And my favorite book is The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde.
HCUPR: Favorite Halloween movie?
David: The Collector. What I like is that it doesn’t focus just on killing. It’s more like a visual ritual than what it all looks like. It uses many styles of sound and camera angles that keep you in suspense throughout the movie. I bought it and I’ve already seen it more than 10 times.
HCUPR: Who has influenced you the most and how?
David: Although it sounds cliché, I would say my mom. She’s a fighter, a nonconformist. She doesn’t accept the moment and wants more, always wanting to learn and discover more things. That’s what keeps her moving and learning . It’s what makes her so wise. She was the one who motivated me to do Ingergia. She said “you need to stop watching other people’s projects and start making yours” That’s why I started. I owe her everything, my mom is a single mom and even though my dad is in the picture she’s the one that is there all the time.
HCUPR: If you could be a type of animal/creature what would you be and why?
David: I’d be something abstract, a creature with no form. One that has the ability to get inside people in order to understand them.
HCUPR: If you could learn one random skill, what would it be?
David: Skate! I’ve seen super cool people skating and doing tons of tricks and spins in the air and I want to do that too! I’ve always said I wanted a girlfriend that could teach me how to skate.
HCUPR: If there was a movie being made about your life, who would play you?
David: Dylan O’Brien from Teen Wolf. I think I look like Joseph Gordon-Levitt but my friends tell me I don’t, that I look more like Mark Wahlberg, but put O’Brien!
HCUPR: What would you wear to the Oscars if you ever got the chance to go? Who would you bring as your date?
David: I don’t really like that whole “appearances only” side of things, so I wouldn’t go with anything too expensive. If there was no dress code I’d go well-dressed but comfortable. I’m not a person that wears a lot of labels in order for people to think a certain way of me. I’d probably pick something made by a newcomer designer in Puerto Rico. For my date, I’d pick my mother. She always wanted to be an actress and I think that’d be a good gift for her.
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