Diksha Sundriyal
In Netflix’s ‘Superstar,’ a young woman named Maria Seisdedos comes to Madrid with the hopes of becoming a famous singer. However, success comes at a cost, and she has to pay the price in the form of the people who associate with her only to bring her down. One of those people is a man named Miguel de Diego, aka Arlekin. As Maria transforms into Tamara, things take one unexpected turn after another, as Arlekin himself goes through an arc that seems to be written for a TV show. SPOILERS AHEAD.
Superstar Presents a Fictional Version of the Real Arlekin
‘Superstar’ presents a surrealist version of pop icon Tamara’s story. This means that while the story is pulled from reality, it is presented in a fictional manner that aims to give more depth to the characters. The same holds true for Arlekin as well. Born in 1951, in Orihuela, Alicante, Spain, Miguel Diego Ñíguez, as seen in the Netflix series, worked as a talent manager in the early 2000s, while also trying to build a career as a singer. His first foray into music came as part of a duo from 1973 to 1975. Later, however, he took a solo turn, though he kept the name Arlekin and made several records, which included songs like “La canción popular de Ruiz Mateos” and “Tócame.” Meanwhile, his talent company was named Guesemen, a word he invented as a part of his act.
Arlekin’s true rise to fame came in the 90s when he became a regular presence on television. With Javier Sardà’s ‘Crónicas Marcianas,’ he became a household name, especially with his trademark costume of a harlequin. However, this attention also put his personal life under a microscope, particularly after he was accused of leaking a tape of Tamara in which she was mostly nude. He claims that he was unfairly villainised in the entire matter, saying that Tamara wasn’t entirely innocent in the matter either. The next time he made the headlines was in July 2001, when he crashed the car with Loly Álvarez and Montserrat Páez in it, suffering a minor head injury and multiple bruises.
With all the furore surrounding Arlekin and Tamara being in the past now, he is now focused on staying out of the public scrutiny. While he doesn’t wear the harlequin uniform as often now, he still performs, which includes his classic magic tricks as well as music. He found himself in legal trouble in 2012 when his ex-girlfriend accused him of physical abuse. However, he was acquitted of all charges, and the case against him was thrown out. Since then, he has tried to stay out of trouble, and whenever his name is mentioned in the media, it is either because of his past or because of his performances in the present.
He has also given interviews over the years, including his appearance in Netflix’s documentary, ‘I’m Still a Superstar,’ where he recounts his version of events about what went down between him and Tamara all those years ago. While she holds on to resentment against him, he, too, seems not to have moved on from bitterness for her. In the documentary, he is heard singing a song he wrote to express his detest against her, particularly after her mother, Margarita, beat him with her purse when he tried to confront Tamara in the street. The Netflix series focuses on Arlekin’s connection with Tamara, but takes a unique approach to get inside the mind of the character.
Read More: Who is Joaquin Sardana in Superstar? Is He Based on a Real TV Personality?
