Cristián de la Fuente is switching things up…

The 47-year-old Chilean actor, model and presenter will star in Switch Up, an indie romantic comedy that will serve as the feature directing debut of Tara Pirnia.

de la Fuente will star opposite Julieth Restrepo, Jeff Fahey and Sal Velez Jr. in the film, which is expected to begin production in Texas this coming January.

Written by Pamela Beach and Felice Heather Monteith from Pirnia’s original story, the film centers on popular Miami talk show host Ricardo De La Cruz (de la Fuente), whose world gets turned upside down when a scheming rival sets him up for a scandalous fall. Destitute, Ricardo finds himself stranded at a homeless shelter he once featured on his show, where he meets a young widow (Restrepo) who finds it hard to move on. As Ricardo begins to fall in love, he comes to understand how helping others is the true path to finding happiness.

“This story sheds light on the issue of homelessness which is often overlooked,” Pirnia said. “We are hoping to remind audiences that homelessness is still happening and how some people try to cope, in an entertaining manner.”

Elizabeth Avellán, Marcela Ronquillo Hinojosa, de la Fuente, Melissa Bickerton, Angela Blair, Peter Bandera and Pirnia are producing the film, which will shoot in Brownsville and South Padre Island.

Richard Garza, Steve Owens, Susan Michaels, Larry Krask, Andrea Marquez, Pedro Armando Gutierrez and Pierre Romain are executive producers. Tina Randolph Contogenis of Eris Entertainment is as an executive consultant in conjunction with Golden Apple Productions.

De La Fuente’s previous credits include In Plain Sight, Devious Maids and Driven.