With a star-studded cast and a script adapted to the 21st century, Telemundo today premieres Velvet, The New Empire, the American version of the hit Spanish series Velvet . Yon González and Samantha Siqueiros star, with Danilo Carrera and Carolina Miranda as antagonists.
"My Don Alberto is a very serious guy, but at the same time he has his mind made up," González told ENSTARZ ¡Latino! and the Latin Times . In an interview with his partner and co-star, González explained that he had never seen the Spanish version, in which his character was played by Miguel Ángel Silvestre, but that he feels "very proud to fly the flag for such a successful project in the United States. I've worked very hard on it," he stated.
Siqueiros, who is taking on her first leading role, says that her Ana is "a strong woman, but very troubled by the pressures. She cries a lot because she's focused on doing the right thing," she said. It was, in fact, the most difficult for her. "Leaving so many tears behind to return to real life was quite a challenge," she confessed.
Challenges abounded, and not just in front of the cameras. Both González and Siqueiros temporarily moved to Miami to participate in the project. So did veterans of Spanish-language television, such as Mexican actors Humberto Zurita, Chantal Andere, Itatí Cantoral, and Venezuelan Henry Zakka.
For their part, Carrera and Miranda played their first villains, with different results.
"It was interesting to expand my acting skills and experience, but I didn't like being a villain," Carrera confessed on the red carpet at the premiere, which we attended. "I prefer to be the good guy and not have to deal with the morality of the character."
In contrast, Miranda thoroughly enjoyed it. "Those who say it's more fun are right," he said.
Andere, for her part, who embodies the essential character of Doña Blanca, began to miss the villains who have made her the quintessential antagonist of Mexican soap operas. "I've only had to slap someone in the face once, and I enjoyed it to the fullest," she said with a laugh. The truth is, she maintains that it's the "most painful" role she's ever played, and the one that has made her suffer the most, as it has kept her away from her family for four months.
Like the Spanish version, Velvet: The New Empire centers around the owners and employees of a fashionable clothing department store. Unlike the original, this one is set in present-day New York City, rather than the 1950s Madrid of the original.
The first episode airs at 9 p.m. ET and PT, 8 p.m. C. Telemundo has gone all out on the cast and production, with Sonya Smith, Luciano D'Alessandro, Lupita Ferrer, Aylín Mujica, and many more in pivotal roles.
