Hello—
Legend, icon, spiritual guru and superstar astrologer, with a heart of gold — Walter Mercado was a positive force in the lives of everyone who met him — whether in person or through their TV screens.
In this week’s GAYLETTER, we asked film-maker Kareem Tabsch, who spent two and half years with Walter making his brilliant Netflix documentary about Walter, Mucho Mucho Amor, to share the 5 most impactful lessons he learned from the Puerto Rican astrologer.
The last one is our favorite, and truly is Walter’s greatest gift to the world.
Please enjoy.
-Tom and Abi
Text by Kareem Tabsch
For decades, extravagant Puerto Rican astrologer, psychic, and gender non-conforming legend Walter Mercado charmed the world with his televised horoscope forecasts. Equal parts Oprah, Liberace, and MISTER Rogers, Walter was a celebrated daily part of Latin American culture, who at his peak reached over 120 million viewers. In our Netflix film Mucho Mucho Amor, my co-director Cristina Costantini and I, tell the story of Walter’s unlikely rise to fame and his unexpected disappearance.
The two and half years I spent with Walter were unforgettable, and along the way he taught me several life lessons I hold dear. Here are five of them.
1. Make the outside look like the inside.
Color-coordinated pantsuits, sequined capes, opulent jewelry, lacquered – on makeup, and hair that was feathered to perfection: Walter’s look was unforgettable. Off-camera, he was more casual but no less glamorous. Even in later years as he contended with old age and failing health, Walter made sure he always looked on the outside, the way he felt on the inside.
Once during filming, his newborn grand-niece was brought to meet him, but Walter wouldn’t allow the newborn to see him until he had on a full face of makeup. As I think back on it, I don’t think it was mere vanity.
The effort he put into the way he looked, helped him feel better about himself. It told everyone that he knew they were expecting to see ‘Walter Mercado’ and that he cared enough about them to deliver.
2. Leave no space for negativity.
Our film told Walter’s story from his humble beginnings in rural Puerto Rico to his unprecedented superstardom. We also covered his acrimonious legal battle with his former manager and his subsequent disappearance from the limelight. Of all our questions, the ones about this period were the hardest to get Walter to answer. In fact we even had to enlist his family to urge him to be more forthright.
Ultimately, his reluctance stemmed from the fact that Walter never dwelled on the bad. Even in discussing his former manager, he spoke with love about the good times. Those were the memories he held on to. He only focused on the positive. Walter had made the decision to leave no space in his life for negativity.
3. Everyone is a star, make sure they know it.
Unsurprisingly, Walter had a big ego. His walls were adorned with portraits of himself, and he’d delight in regaling you with stories of his success. Yet, for all his self-confidence, Walter was never the most important person in the room: you were, and he made sure you knew it. He had the ability to make you feel like the star, giving you his utmost attention and all of his energy. You felt like the only person in the room that mattered to him. Whether on-set or at a restaurant, Walter made sure to acknowledge and thank every person he encountered.
He wanted to make sure you knew that he saw you and that you mattered. Yes, Walter clearly loved himself, but he always loved you more.
4. Don’t take yourself too seriously.
Walter wasn’t just entertaining, he was brilliant. He could talk authoritatively about theology, world history, sexuality, or astrology. His home was full of books on every subject; all of which he had read. Even his aesthetic was a brilliant calculation which he knew would draw viewers in. Yet despite his smarts and outsized ego, he never took himself too seriously. He was the first one to poke fun at himself, always delivered with a twinkle in his eye. What he never took lightly was his work, taking great care in everything he did.
He knew that folks listened intently to his message and he worked arduously to ensure its delivery was flawless. In our time together, he taught me to always take your work very seriously but to never lose the ability to laugh at yourself.
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