Juan Pablo Di Pace is getting into a little mischief, and he’s doing it en español…
The 42-year-old Argentine actor and singer has joined the cast of Travesuras de la Niña Mala for the TelevisaUnivision streaming service ViX+.
He’ll star opposite Macarena Achaga in the role of Ricardo Somocurcio.
Production is currently underway in Paris and London.
“It is a privilege to portray Ricardo Somocurcio, perhaps Mario Vargas Llosa’s most idealistic hero when it comes to love. A translator whose undying love for ‘the bad girl’ will transcend time and space,” Di Pace tells Deadline. “It is very exciting to portray him from the age of 25 to 55 – from the 1960s to the 1980s – in Paris, London, Mexico, Madrid and Tokyo and to speak Spanish, English, and French. From one country to the next, she will drive him crazy but he’ll always follow. The series is a first in many ways and I am so proud to be working on it with the brilliant ViX+. It’s an absolute dream job.”
Travesuras de la Niña Mala tells the epic love story between Arlette (Achaga), a nonconformist and adventurous woman, and her once teenage love, Ricardo, a man trapped in a predictable routine. Thanks to Arlette, he slowly learns to get out of his comfort zone.
These two characters’ lives will intertwine over forty years, through reunions across Lima, Paris, Madrid, Tokyo, London, and more.
María López Castaño wrote the series based on the acclaimed novel of the same name by Nobel Prize winner Mario Vargas Llosa. Alejandro Bazzano will direct the ViX+ Original series, in production by W Studios. David Azcano joins the production as the show’s cinematographer.
“Watching the first scenes of this unique series filmed in Paris is a dream come true,” said Patricio Wills, president of W Studios. “With ViX+ we are producing this incredible series based on Mario Vargas Llosa’s beautiful book. We are not only filming in the original European locations but are accurately able to depict an era that marked a dramatic change in world culture.”
“I am thrilled and thankful to be able to direct a series based on one of my favorite novels by Mario Vargas Llosa,” Bazzano said. “Recreating the convulsive universe of this stormy love story is an exciting challenge and I am confident it will be a great success.”
Di Pace is most notably known for flexing his comedic chops on the Netflix series Fuller House in the role of Kimmy Gibbler’s (Andrea Barber) husband Fernando Hernandez-Guerrero-Fernandez-Guerrero.
His other television credits include the role of Jesus Christ in A.D. The Bible Continues and Nicolas Treviño in TNT’s Dallas.
On the big screen, he played Petros in the 2008 smash musical feature, Mamma Mia! opposite Meryl Streep, Colin Firth and Amanda Seyfried, among others.
