Cuban Actress Odelmys Torres Opens Up About Her Departure from Cuba: "It Was the Opposite of What I Imagined"

Cuban actress Odelmys Torres recently took to TikTok and Instagram to share an emotional video revealing the harsh realities she has faced since moving to Spain. Her candid words resonated deeply with thousands of Cubans living abroad.

In her TikTok post, Torres does not attempt to project an image of strength or successful adaptation. Instead, she embraces her vulnerability, speaking from a place of pain and acknowledging that her migration experience diverged greatly from her expectations.

"Leaving Cuba was the opposite of what I imagined," she states in the video description. "But it's my journey, and I want to embrace it from start to finish (spoiler: it doesn't end)."

Odelmys Torres graduated from Cuba's Instituto Superior de Arte (ISA) in 2018 and gained recognition for her role as "Cecilia" in the youth series Calendario. She also appeared in the crime series Tras la huella and the soap opera Tan lejos y tan cerca, as well as performing in theater with the Mefisto Teatro group under the direction of Carlos Díaz.

Now residing in Madrid with her partner, Torres revealed in an October 2023 interview, "I never thought of leaving Cuba. I didn't want to; I resisted the idea of leaving the place where I was born." It was the desire for her children to be born elsewhere that ultimately led her to make the definitive decision to leave.

Emotional Reflections and Honest Revelations

In the video, the actress shares five deeply emotional reflections. She acknowledges that she doesn't have to "handle everything or overcome everything" and stresses the importance of listening to her body's signals. While she dreams of having children, she admits she isn't ready yet. She also bravely admits, "I long to hug my father but don't dare tell him because I don't want to break him."

Torres discusses her therapy sessions as her sole safe haven, clarifying that this doesn't make her any less strong: "On the contrary, thanks to that, I'm creating that space within myself."

The responses to her video reflect a strong sense of identification among her audience. One user commented, "The pain passes, hides, returns, but everything passes, stay strong." Another shared, "We all thought it would be different; it literally took me to the depths... I still don't feel completely happy."

A Cuban mother shared her experience of emigrating "with a shattered soul" but drawing strength from her son and grandson.

The Broader Cuban Migration Experience

These types of personal accounts are part of a growing trend among Cubans in Spain using TikTok to document the human cost of migration. Experts describe this as a multiple and invisible mourning process that involves losing family ties, identity, and a sense of belonging.

Between 2021 and 2024, approximately 1.79 million Cubans left the island, with Spain being a primary destination. Many share on social media the challenges of being a Cuban emigrant, with stories like Odelmys's highlighting the resilience needed to rise after each fall.

What makes Odelmys Torres's video particularly impactful is her honesty: she doesn't promise that everything will be alright or pretend to have overcome her pain. She simply tells the truth, which, for thousands of Cubans experiencing the same journey, is more than enough.