That’s when Cucu "Gordita" Castelli and her family fled Santo Domingo to start afresh in Miami, Florida. The show captures the highs and lows of a long-distance transfer, including making new friends, adjusting to a new culture, and re-imagining the American dream.
The series features Cucu's marketing executive father Victor (Juan Javier Cardenas), her talkative and vivacious mother Adela (Diana Maria Riva), and her status-obsessed elder sister Emilia (Savannah Nicole Ruiz). Olivia Gonclaves plays smart, devoted, inquisitive, and entertaining Cucu "Gordita" Castelli .
In the series trailer, we get glimpses of the Castellis in action, with a rearview mirror mishap, a clothing argument, and the origin of Gordita's name. It gives all the flavor of 1980s Miami with wide-shouldered clothes, teased hair, and bright colors. The new show tells the tale of a family going through change with that same upbeat tone.
Cucu struggles with typical adolescent issues like fitting in and body image. Conclaves thinks young girls will understand the show's message.
"Being comfortable in your own skin is wonderful. You shouldn't think that being thin will make you appear a specific way, she said. " Even if I might occasionally think, 'I wish I was tiny,' or 'I would have looked so good in that dress,'... That mental idea is no good.”
Check out the Gordita Chronicles trailer below:
The show is produced by Cinestar Pictures and Zoe Saldana's Osprey Productions. Eva Longoria directed and executive produces the pilot. Claudia Forestieri wrote and produced the Gordita Chronicles pilot. Noah Rico, Cosette Hauer, and Dascha Polanco co-star. Loni Love and Patrick Fabian are the series' guest stars.
Saldana loves her show, and deeply believes that it elevates Latinx narratives. She hopes all immigrants can relate to her tale and that it would broaden viewers' horizons.
Longoria says it's important to have Latinas and women in this series.
"A press junket rarely has so many brown faces. “It was really important that we had not only Latinos in front of the camera, but behind the camera,” she added.
Josh Berman of Drop Dead Diva and CSI also executive produces. Brigitte Munoz-Liebowitz is showrunner. She's also executive producer of Bons Mots Emporium.
