Mexico City — Zorro leaves his mark again in a new television series starring Miguel Bernardeau that premieres this weekend on Prime Video.
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Just like the original story, Zorro is set in California under Mexican rule in the mid-19th century, at a time when the state brought together Spaniards, Native Americans, Asian immigrants, Mexicans, Americans, and fearsome bandits who took advantage of the lawlessness. In this environment, Diego de la Vega grows up, the son of a wealthy landowner who returns to California after studying at a military school in Spain.
“He’s a younger Zorro,” Bernardeau said in a recent interview in Mexico City. The Valencian actor highlighted that in this version of the story we know more about De la Vega’s origins.
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“He discovers that everything he thought was happening is not happening, that his father is not who he thought he was, and how that shakes his foundation,” he added.
The series, which also stars Renata Notni, Emiliano Zurita, Dalia Xiuhcoatl and Cuauhtli Jiménez, was written by Carlos Portela and is directed by Javier Quintas, Jorge Saavedra and José Luis Alegría. And although it faithfully recreates the era and the Californian architecture of the time, the public will be surprised to know that it was filmed in the Canary Islands in 77 exterior locations and in Sioux City Park, a theme park created in the style of the time.
Filming lasted seven months, but some actors first received special training in horse riding and handling weapons such as whips, spears and axes, as in the case of Xiuhcoatl, who plays the indigenous Nah-Lin, a very strong girl who, like De la Vega wants to be Zorro. She was so into her character that Xiuhcoatl used to carry her spear through the streets of Gran Canaria.
“People were scared,” he said. “And they even stopped me on the street and told me: ‘Be careful, the police could stop you,’” she recalled smiling.
“I feel very proud to be able to inhabit the universe of Nah-Lin and recognize that she is also Zorro, she has the same strength as Diego De La Vega, she is the warrior,” said the actress. “And she is a brown, Mexican girl, belonging to an indigenous people who has this strength, that she has this possibility of also defending a community.”
Tornado, Zorro’s faithful black horse, could not be missing from the story, although in the case of Nah-Lin she has her own horse, called Lightning. Another constant is Zorro’s deaf-mute servant, called Bernardo in other productions, who is played by Paco Tous and in the new series is called Mudo. As for the original music, Mexican star Carín León performs the song “No te detengas.”
Zorro, a character created in 1919 by Johnston McCulley, is one of the first fictional heroes of modern culture. His story has been adapted to multiple formats, with a first film in 1920 The Mark of Zorro, by Fred Niblo, with Douglas Fairbanks as Diego de la Vega. Likewise, he has appeared in comics since 1939, series such as the 1957 Disney production and the famous 1998 film The Mask of Zorro, with Antonio Banderas and Anthony Hopkins. Zorro has also been an inspiration for other characters like Batman.
“This is a completely new and different version,” said Notni – who plays Lolita Márquez – about the series that debuts in Latin America and the United States. “That’s why the proposal of younger people, actors who make us look different from those who had already played these characters.”
The character of Notni has known De La Vega since his childhood and like him he has a strong character. She is a girl who likes to carry a shotgun and has a complicated romance with him.
“A completely modern woman and ahead of her time,” added Notni. “I think it will be received well, it is a very inclusive story, with many characters, it tells real situations very well.”
Emiliano Zurita in a scene from the series “Zorro”.(Uncredited / ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Zurita, for his part, plays the officer Monasterio of the Mexican army, who seeks to stop Zorro, and also highlighted the relevance of this new interpretation of such an emblematic story.
“For us it is creating a Zorro for the audience of 2024 with this new way of telling stories,” said the son of Humberto Zurito and Christian Bach. “It’s very cool to create something that we feel the whole family can see, from parents who are already very familiar with the story of Zorro and someone who is seeing it for the first time.”
Among the changes in this new version is the focus and prominence given to indigenous peoples. Characters like Cuervo Nocturno, played by Jiménez, are guides for De La Vega in his fight against injustice.
“The dialogue that occurs about the native peoples and the relationship with the Spanish and the Mexicans and the issue of the land, I think is something very interesting,” said Jiménez. “Our characters are very important in the series and are main characters.”
* By Berenice Bautista / AP
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Miguel Bernardeau, left, and Renata Notni in a scene from the series “Zorro.” (Uncredited / ASSOCIATED PRESS)
2024-01-19 21:24:54
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