William Levy did not think twice before booking his plane ticket to Cuba as soon as the Obama administration announced that it would allow individuals to travel to the island for “people to people” educational trips back in March.
“From Cuba with Love!” the Cuban-American actor wrote on Instagram. “Love to be back in my island.”
According to E! News, Levy ventured into his homeland not just to reconnect with his roots, but also to make one of his dreams come true: shooting a movie in the communist country.
“It’s so beautiful to come back to your country, with your people that you know have been through so much,” the 35-year-old Cojímar native said. “They told me things like, ‘You don’t know how proud we are of you and we love to see a Cuban being so successful outside Cuba, because you know how difficult it is for us to leave this country. Seeing you making it is like us making it too.’”
The “Resident Evil: The Final Chapter” star documented his journey on social media and shared the story of a special encounter he had with a sweet old lady in the streets of Havana.
“Walking through Habana, I found this woman smoking a Cuban cigar and I couldn’t resist to take her picture,” Levy wrote on the image’s caption. “Because the moment, the place, her expressions and her attitude expressed more than words could ever do.”
He continued, “When I was done taking her photo, she looked at me with the same look you can experience through the eyes of the camera, and without putting her cigar away, she asked, ‘What country are you from?’ ‘From Cuba,’ I replied with a smile. Then she said to me, ‘Hey, I’m not a little girl, I’m an old lady.’ I laughed and I said, ‘I swear. I’m from Cuba.’ To what she wittily responded, ‘Then why are you taking my photo? To play tourist?’”
Levy finished his story saying that the old lady had no idea who she was talking to until one of her grandkids yelled, “Abuela, that’s William Levy!” Once she realized, she dropped her cigar and walked over to embrace him, “just like a grandmother does to a grandchild.”
William’s friend and film producer, Jeff Goldberg, commented on their experience during a recent interview and pointed out that this trip was more than just business for the actor.
“There is a powerful connection between William and Cuba,” he revealed. “I could see tears welling in William’s eyes as he looked out of the airplane window and saw Cuba on the horizon after so many years, and once he was there everyone showed such an incredibly warm and genuine love for him.”
This was William Levy’s first trip to Cuba since 2008.
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