Even Hollywood legend Robert De Niro couldn’t resist the charm of Disney’s Argentinian mini-series, “Nada.” At the recent Conecta Fiction & Entertainment conference in Toledo, Spain, Disney’s Leonardo Aranguibel and Mariana Pérez revealed the surprising journey of bringing De Niro on board.

“We sent the script to Mr. De Niro,” shared Aranguibel. “I was thinking it would be ‘probably no.’ The next day, he said, ‘Hey, I love this script.’ He came to Buenos Aires for about a week, and we made this beautiful series. It’s fantastic, just five episodes.”

“Nada,” which premiered last October on Disney’s Star+, stars Luis Brandoni as Manuel Tamayo Prats, a wealthy food critic who finds his life in turmoil after the death of his housekeeper. De Niro lends his voice as the narrative anchor and eventually steps into the plot to help his old friend in Buenos Aires.

Aranguibel and Pérez discussed how such series resonate deeply with Latin American audiences. They emphasized their aim to find “stories that reflect the DNA of the region,” pointing to their success with viewers in Mexico and Brazil who are particularly enamored with romantic comedies. Upcoming projects like “L’amour De Ma Vie,” starring Bruna Marquezine, and “Vidas Bandidas,” featuring Brazilian stars Juliana Paes, Rodrigo Simas, and Thomas Aquino, showcase this trend.

Both executives stressed the importance of connecting with audiences. “We want you to feel that our streaming service cares about you and your stories,” said Aranguibel. With their impressive library that includes Pixar, Marvel, and Star Wars, Disney’s mission is to foster a deep bond with viewers through compelling narratives and star power.

What do you think of Disney’s push into Latin America and the involvement of big stars like Robert De Niro? Share your thoughts in the comments and spread the word!

Source: Lily Ford