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Two young members of the Yaqui Tribe from the state of Sonora have been selected to participate in a series on the streaming platform. To conduct the casting, the production company visited the eight Yaqui villages, and more than 2,000 boys and girls participated.
Jorge Arballo and Juanito Anguamea are two names that will be present on television screens across Mexico on August 16th when the first episodes of the series “El Elegido” are released on Netflix. The young actors, aged 16 and 12 respectively, are originally from Ciudad Obregón, Sonora, and are part of the cast of this new production.
This series is being produced by Redrum, the production company that took the initiative to visit the eight Yaqui villages in search of the young actors who will portray the roles in the story. Rafael Evans, who was the director of the auditions, mentioned that Jorge landed one of the most important roles in the series, although many other children from the community participated in the production as well.
El elegido: a series in which young members of the Yaqui tribe will participate.
This story was categorized by Netflix within the fantasy genre. It follows the story of Jodie, a 12-year-old boy who lives in Santa Rosalía, Baja California Sur, and one day discovers that he has powers like those of Jesus Christ, such as turning water into wine and even resurrecting the dead. In the platform’s general summary, it poses the question to subscribers, “Will he answer the call and fulfill his destiny?” This is something that will be revealed in a few months.
The main actors who make up the cast, alongside Jorge and Juanito, include Dianna Agron, who will portray Sarah; Tenoch Huerta, who will play the role of Lemuel; Carlos Bardem, as Pastor Cruz, and Bobby Luhnow, who will take on the lead role as Jodie.
The series is based on the graphic novel by Mark Millar and Peter Gross, “American Jesus,” which is also a trilogy. This production was adapted and written by Jorge Dorantes, Kevin Rodríguez, Iturri Sosa, Tina de la Torre, Everardo Gout, and Leopoldo Gout, who took on the task of writing and translating this entertaining story into Mexican culture.
The filming of the series took place in natural locations in the state of Baja California Sur, especially in Santa Rosalía, a destination that adds local elements and traditions in a very original way, giving the original story even more charisma.
Jorge Arballo and Juanito Anguamea did a great job
In the auditions, the young actors first became part of the thousands who auditioned, then they were among the 22 finalists. Later, the number was reduced to 11, and finally, 4 were chosen to travel to Mexico City for an in-person audition, where the young individuals from the town of Vícam were selected.
“Jorge has a great interpretive ability, the capacity to understand the text and convey it through his body, his naturalness in front of the camera, and his portrayal, especially in how he handles the grammatical weight that the scene requires,” commented Evans about one of the Yaqui tribe actors.
Alongside the protagonist, there are five other young individuals who accompany him on his adventures, and Jorge Arballo will portray Hipolito. At just 16 years old and with natural talent for acting, as mentioned by Rafael Evans, these young individuals will showcase the talent from the northwest region in a remarkable way.
“It represents a lot of hope for the Yaqui tribe, and it opens doors and opportunities for many young individuals to pursue acting, art, and cinema, a path that will now be easier or more visible,” emphasized the casting director.
Are you ready to watch “El Elegido” with the young members of the Yaqui Tribe?
Sources: Infoson, Sopiler, Uniradio Informa, El Sol de Hermosillo
