Luisa María Jiménez was a trailblazer in Cuba, breaking new ground by performing nude scenes in theater, film, and television. However, exposing her body as part of her craft came with significant repercussions in her personal life. In a candid interview with Abel Álvarez, the Cuban actress revealed the myriad of harassment she faced, primarily from men on the streets, simply for appearing nude on camera.
Jiménez recounted that her first nude scene took place in the theater. It was an arena-style play, where the audience is incredibly close to the actors, and her mother was in attendance. Her role involved portraying a character who dressed as a man throughout the play but ended by fully disrobing. "When my poor mother saw that, thankfully it was the end of the play, she got up from her seat and left. When she caught up with me, she said, 'How could you do this without telling me you would be naked? Who do you take after, Luisa María? I won't come to see any more of your plays.' She said everything you can imagine, my mother, a true lady," the actress shared.
"I've suffered through a lot," Jiménez admitted. "While I can't recall hearing any negative reviews, my nudity sparked a state of excitement and mental disturbance, especially among men. The stories I have from those experiences are shocking, and the things I endured were even more so," she confessed.
Unwanted Attention and Harassment
When asked if she had ever been physically assaulted, Jiménez responded, "People touched me... One day, I was standing on a corner waiting to cross the street, wearing a red top, when a man on a motorcycle with a sidecar stopped in front of me. He looked at me and pulled my top down to my waist." She continued, "I've experienced unpleasant situations, all caused by men... I was groped on buses, they did everything imaginable to me from behind, they touched me inappropriately," she recounted, detailing the many distressing encounters she endured.
Despite these troubling experiences, Jiménez noted that she always received respect from her peers in the acting world, including male colleagues and technical staff. She pointed out that her boldness in performing such scenes was recognized, yet it also stirred mixed feelings—an inherent feature of a society as patriarchal as Cuba, where gender violence remains prevalent.