Natalia Oreiro and Facundo Arana were remembered by domestic audiences back in the distant 90s. It was then that the Argentine TV series “Wild Angel” was broadcast, which captivated our viewers with its amazing acting and interesting plot. Natalia and Facundo literally “lived” on the screen, allowing fans to think that the artists were not indifferent to each other in reality.
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Actress Natalia Oreiro
Natalia Oreiro was born in Uruguay, in the family of a salesman and a hairdresser. From early childhood, parents noticed their daughter’s artistic talents and decided to develop them to the best of their ability. The family didn’t have much money, but it was enough to live on.
At the age of 8, Natalya began attending a theater studio, where she performed well.
Filming in Uruguayan advertising can be considered the beginning of the artist’s professional career. At that time, Natalya was 12 years old. She has appeared in more than 30 commercials.
The actress took part in various castings and was once chosen to accompany the Latin American star Shushi on her tour. It is from this moment that Oreiro's fame begins. The actress began to be invited to roles in films and TV series, but her roles in the films “Rich and Famous” and “An Argentinian in New York” became truly successful. In our country, Natalya became famous after the screening of the series “Wild Angel” in 1998.
In parallel with her film career, the actress records solo albums: Natalia Oreiro (1998), Tu Veneno (2000), Turmalina (2002).
In 2011, Natalia was officially appointed Goodwill Ambassador to Argentina and Uruguay.
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A
Argentina is Natalia’s second homeland
B
“Rich and Famous” - The first series where Natalia was given the main role - the role of Valeria Garcia Mendez. Partner in the series - Diego Ramos.
IN
Valeria Lorca is Natalia's best friend. She is beautiful and smart and does not envy her more famous friend.
In “Wild Angel” she played the bitch Marta; according to the plot, Oreiro’s heroine, Millie, and Lorca’s heroine, Marta, cannot stand each other.
G
Gucci is Natalia's favorite fashion designer.
D
"Wild Angel" - The most popular Argentine telenovela of the late 90s.
A worldwide hit in 1999, which turned Natalia Oreiro into a world-class star. The number of sites on the Internet dedicated to Nati and the telenovela Wild Angel is greater than the number of sites dedicated to all Latin American stars combined.
AND
Jasmine – Natalia Oreiro's favorite flower
Z
Zodiac sign - Taurus.
AND
Ivan Noble is an Argentine rock singer with whom Nati was credited with having an affair, which allegedly caused her first breakup with Pablo Echarri.
“I have an excellent relationship with Ivan. For me, let them say that I am dating at least fifteen guys. I'm old enough and have every right to do this. But when the newspapers write about our relationship with Ivan, they have bad intentions.”
Y
Yoga - “I am very energetic and active. Yoga helps me maintain inner balance and harmony within myself.”
TO
Little Red Riding Hood and the Wolf - “Every year I give my father the same drawing. Details change from year to year, but the plot remains the same. My father himself asked me about this. This is a wolf. Have you seen the wolf from Little Red Riding Hood? I draw Little Red Riding Hood's house in the background, and in the foreground a tree with a wolf hiding behind it. You can only see his front and hind legs and his cunning face. It looks very funny. My father keeps all the drawings. He has a whole bunch of them.
L
Love - “I love my family, friends. I love the audience. I love animals, summer, and delicious food. I like to sleep long hours and not get up early in the morning. I love my memories of love.”
M
Husband: Ricardo Mollo. They got married in secret at the end of 2001.
N
“Natalia Oreiro” - The singer’s first disc. Goes on sale in October 1998. In a number of countries the disc went platinum (i.e. more than 500,000 discs sold)
And in some several times platinum
The second, “Your Poison,” was released in 2000 and has also already become platinum and gold several times.
ABOUT
Nudity - “I would probably agree to appear naked, but not on television, where an 8-year-old child can see you. In the cinema - yes. For me, the human body is always beautiful and has artistic value.”
P
Pablo Echarri - Their relationship, which lasted six years, had everything - blind love, loud breaks and quick reconciliations, living together and plans to start a family (they even bought a house).
Until the day their love faded away. 3 years ago Pablo and Natalia broke up. Now forever.
R
Ricardo Mollo - Natalia's husband. Natasha says that this love is forever. Ricardo is 20 (!) years older than Natalia.
WITH
Family - Natalia's mother's name is Mabel, her father's name is Carlos, her sister's name is Adriana, her husband's name is Ricardo.
T
Telenovelas - “I never thought that I would become a telenovela heroine, but it happened. I'm one of a kind because I don't play like Andrea del Boca. I don't like "ladies" and "porcelain dolls". I prefer a facial expression like Veronica Castro’s.”
U
Uruguay is Natalia's homeland. She grew up in a poor neighborhood.
At the age of 8 she entered acting courses.
Got my first job at 12.
At the age of 14, she was chosen as the paquita of Latin America in the most popular children's program “Xuxa”.
At the age of 16 she left for Buenos Aires: “The beginning of a career. Sometimes I wanted to give up everything and go home to Montevideo. It seemed to me that everyone around me was hostile to me, that I had no real friends. But I always knew that I wanted to be an actress and singer and that if I wasn’t brave, I wouldn’t get anything. It seems to me that I have won the duel with fate.” In the second album there is a song Rio de la plata, where she talks about how she achieved everything. The video for the song was filmed in Uruguay (Montevideo).
F
Fan Club - Natalia Oreiro's Argentine fan club "Simplemente Natalia" (the actress herself chose this name) has hundreds of members.
Club members never miss an opportunity to meet Natalia.
They know about all her steps in advance.
Russian fan club "Our Natasha". Opened about a year ago. There are already many participants. You can find all the reliable news there. There is a branch in St. Petersburg.
X
Hobbies - Listening to music and traveling.
C
Hair color is chestnut. Natalia changes both her hair color and hairstyle once a year (or even more often). During her career (starting with “Rich and Famous”), Natasha changed 5 (!) hairstyles. The most famous and extravagant hairstyle is the Bettie Page Image.
H
Cholito - Split personality of Milagros from Wild Angel. In general, this image is known more than Nati herself.
Sh
Show - Ksuksa Show. Natalia was chosen from 10,000 thousand (!) applicants. You can read more on the website in the KSUKSA SHOW section.
SCH
Puppy - To one of the concerts, a fan of the singer carried a puppy in his backpack and gave it to Natalia.
At the end of the performance, happy Nati showed everyone her new little dog, who joined the company of her two dogs and a cat.
Carlos the cat and Mabel the dog were named after her parents.
But Rampla is named after the beloved Uruguayan football club.
E
Experiments - “From an early age I was an active child. The passion for experimenting and mastering new things encouraged me to do everything at once. I studied at the same time in cutting and sewing courses, theater and singing courses.
My world is constantly changing. I always do with inspiration what I like and want...”
YU
Youth - My favorite thing to do was throw parties with friends from my backyard. I was in charge of sweets, as I have always loved confectionery.
-What about youthful pranks?
-When I was 9 years old we had a holiday. I didn’t have money for a new dress, so I took it and made it from my mother’s curtain.
-Did it turn out beautifully?
-No, it’s terrible, but I still liked it. The dress was very original, and I went to the party in it. A few years later I learned to sew.
I
Languages - Natalia's native language is Spanish.
Actor Facundo Arana
Facundo was born in 1972 in Argentina in the family of an athlete (with German roots) and a lawyer. He was a rather quiet child who loved being alone, drawing and playing the saxophone.
At the age of 14, the young man became interested in acting and quite successfully began to advance in the profession, but this came to an end due to Hodgkin's disease, which appeared at the age of 17. Arana fought the disease for 5 years and won.
Since 1992, the actor has successfully starred in one series after another. The roles are small, but memorable to the viewer. After the launch of the short story “Wild Angel” on international screens, Facundo became a world celebrity.
Series with Natalia Oreiro and Facundo Arana
Natalia Oreiro and Facundo Arana starred together in the following TV series: “High Comedy” (1991), “Wild Angel” (1998), “You are my life” (2006). The first project did not come out due to lack of funding. The remaining two were a resounding success not only in Argentina, but throughout the world. And this is the merit, first of all, of the talented actors Natalia Oreiro and Facundo Arana, who played the main roles there.
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Series "Wild Angel"
Filmed back in 1998, the series will forever remain in the hearts of fans around the world. The television project differed from the TV series of that time in its humor, authentic acting, and interesting plot, which was built around the young tomboyish girl Milagros. By force of circumstances, she ends up in the house of the rich as a servant, where she quickly earns the love of some and the hatred of others. The girl (as usual) falls in love with the owners’ son Ivo, who reciprocates her feelings, but does not consider the relationship in the long term. Their romance lasts on screen for 244 episodes, and as a result, viewers will have a happy ending.
The series, of course, contains common clichés of such telenovelas (amnesia, lost relatives, intrigues of enemies, etc.), but still it is a pleasure to watch and arouses keen interest of the viewer. Maybe it's because Oreiro took part in the development of the script, which allowed her to best present her character on screen.
Series “You are my life”
The television series tells the story of businessman Martin Quesada and boxer Esperanza Muñoz. They were brilliantly played by Natalia Oreiro and Facundo Arana. The young people meet in Quesada's office, where Cutie (the nickname of the main character) tried to get a job, but was unsuccessful. Both characters have a couple, but it’s difficult to call their lives happy. Martin recently lost his beloved wife in a car accident, and Esperanza is dating her (boxing) manager, but treats him more like a brother.
The novel develops rapidly. After the heroes realize that they want to be together, something constantly interferes with their happiness. There are disgruntled relatives, obsessive false friends, and former lovers. Despite everything, the on-screen couple will have a fairytale ending and achieve all their goals.
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For his role as Martin, Arana received many nominations and awards in his homeland. And it’s not surprising - the series became the most successful project of the Argentine TV channel “13”.
The second series, where Natalia Oreiro and Facundo Arana played lovers together, earned no less love from Russian viewers than “Wild Angel,” which started on screens 6 years earlier. This is not surprising, because the actors got into the roles so deeply that many fans got the impression that the TV stars were dating in reality.
Surfing, mountains, saxophone and theater: how Facundo Arana’s life turned out after “Wild Angel”
The Argentine TV series “Wild Angel” (Muñeca brava) was released in 1998 and became a real TV hit, especially in Russia.
More than 20 years have passed since then, but many still remember the soap opera with special trepidation and replay the words from the title song of the series Сambio Dolor in their heads. And if we still hear a lot about the leading female role, Natalia Oreiro, in the press (she regularly comes to Russia with concerts and even collaborates with Russian fashion brands), then fans know very little about her filming partner Facundo Arana. In honor of the actor’s 47th birthday, we wanted to explore how his life turned out after the resounding success of “Wild Angel.” As it turned out, the actor continues to act in TV series, raises three children with his beloved, enjoys surfing and much more! About this and much more in our material. "Wild Angel"
It is impossible to talk about the life of Facundo Arana without recalling the series “Wild Angel”, because it was thanks to him that the actor was able to gain international fame for many years. So let's go back to basics!
Facundo got a role in a TV show when he was 25 years old - since then his life has been divided into before and after.
Natalia Oreiro and Facundo Arana in the series “Wild Angel”
In "Wild Angel" Facundo played the role of Ivo Di Carlo - a spoiled young man from a rich family who never needed her for anything and was a real womanizer... exactly until the moment he fell in love with the maid Milagres (her role was played by Oreiro) - a daring beauty , a real freak who grew up in an orphanage, and a girl who is least interested in money in life.
Facundo Arana and Natalia Oreiro in the series “Wild Angel”
The audience watched with interest as Facundo’s character changed from series to series, fell in love with him and dreamed of meeting their Ivo someday. Thanks to the series, Arana became a sex symbol for many of the 90s generation: his big blue eyes (which always seemed to be wet from an overabundance of feelings) made millions of girls around the world melt.
Life after "Angel"
After the end of filming “Wild Angel,” Facundo Arana received many job offers: literally every Argentine director wanted to see the actor in his series. In 1999, he starred in the series Good Neighbors (Buenos vecinos), and in 2001 in the series Iago, dark passion (Yago, pasión morena).
In Iago, Dark Passion, Arana played passionate love not with Oreiro, but with Janella Neira. The series had crazy ratings and even won the Martin Fierro Award. After that, Facundo starred in several more projects, but none of them became as popular as “Wild Angel.”
Still from the series “Iago, Dark Passion”
The year 2002 turned out to be so busy for Facundo that he decided to take a year off and go on a big trip to Argentina - this was Arana’s first vacation in 10 years of hard work. Having returned from the trip and having accumulated energy, the actor again began acting in TV series, and at the same time took part in the theatrical production “Visiting Mr. Green”.
A new wave of success came to Facundo in 2006, when he played in the series “You are my life” (Sos Mi Vida), and again paired with Natalia Oreiro. Thanks to this on-screen pair, the TV show became the highest rated in the history of Argentine TV channel 13.
Still from the series “You are my life”Still from the series “You are my life”
From 2007 to 2011, Arana again stopped acting for a while, but then returned to television. Facundo’s latest work to date was filming the TV show “I Want to Be Close to You,” which ended in 2020.
Theater
Having taken another break from filming (for some reason we have no doubt that Arana will return to TV, and maybe even paired with Oreiro again!), Facundo devoted himself to the theater. Now the actor is busy in the play “Love Letters” (Cartas de Amor), in which he plays together with the cult Argentine actress Soledad Solveira.
The production tells the love story of Andy and Melissa, who fell in love with each other as teenagers, but were separated and spent their entire lives in a touching correspondence.
Poster for the play “Love Letters”
Facundo Arana is very inspired and proud of this performance, which is staged at a theater in the Argentine city of Mar del Plata.
We have a very beautiful play, we love each other very much, and coming here for the theater season is a real gift, especially because the Lido Theater, where we are currently playing, would be empty. Therefore, we feel blessed, we feel part of a wonderful event when another theater comes to life this season. We leave the theater and communicate with the audience, and this means experiencing the theater every minute of the day,
— the actor shared his emotions about “Love Letters” in a recent interview.
Surfing, mountains and saxophone
Facundo Arana devotes his free time from the theater to his many hobbies. For example, one of them is playing the saxophone. The actor developed a love for this musical instrument as a teenager—by the way, he spoke about this during his visit to Russia in 2020 on the “Evening Urgant” show.
I started playing the saxophone when I was 15 years old. I became an actor precisely because of this hobby - I was noticed when I played the instrument in the subway. However, acting did not erase playing the saxophone from my life. Many years ago, my friends and I formed a group and started performing various cover versions of hits,
- Arana recalled.
Now Facundo is actively touring with his group Facundo Arana & The Blue Light Orquestra: mainly in the cities of his native Argentina, but sometimes the musical group gives concerts in other countries (including Russia).
Surfing is another hobby of Arana, to which he devotes a lot of time. Moreover, the love of board skating is shared by Facundo’s wife, 42-year-old Maria Susini, and their three children. The actor skillfully combines this hobby with work: in the evening he plays on the theater stage, and during the day he surfs the waves.
For the second year in a row we are combining the beach and surfing with my theater work. Children spend the entire day in the water practicing and learning at an amazing rate. Chatting and spending time with the five of us is all I could ever dream of. Surfing as a family is a dream come true. I still can't believe it
— Arana shared his happiness in an interview.
Facundo Arana with his wife Maria
Facundo Arana with children
And while Facundo loves surfing with the whole family, he mostly travels alone with his beloved wife. So, Arana and Susini go to the mountains from time to time to have a romantic weekend.
For Maria and me, even a weekend spent together somewhere at a ski resort in Ushuaia is an event and a holiday. We do not pursue the goal of relaxing without children. On the contrary, even in these couple of days we miss them a lot. But they are still too small to keep us company everywhere,
says Facundo.
By the way, mountaineering is Arana’s real passion. He made his first ascent of the mountain back in 2003 and since then he has conquered Aconcagua, the highest peak in the Andes, twice more. It is noteworthy that on one of these expeditions the actor even made a film in which he talked about his fascinating journey.
Charity
For many years, Facundo Arana has been involved in charity work. Together with his wife, he deals with adoption issues in the country, is a member of the foundation for the fight against leukemia (as a child, the actor was cured of cancer of the lymph nodes, so he knows about this problem first-hand), helps the disadvantaged and homeless, and also encourages people around the world to replenish the donor fund. base.
By the way, it recently turned out that for seven years now Facundo has been providing one of his houses in Buenos Aires to the headquarters of the Si charitable foundation. He is involved in projects in education, housing, community development and natural disaster relief.
Personal life
Despite his status as a sex symbol, Facundo Arana was not noticed in a huge number of love affairs. The actor also never had a romantic relationship with his on-screen love Natalia Oreiro - despite the high hopes of fans in this regard, Arana and Oreiro (according to them) were always only good friends.
From 1996 to 2006, the actor dated actress Isabel Macedo, but this romance never ended in marriage. Arana met his future wife a year after breaking up with Isabel - the actor’s chosen one was TV presenter and model Maria Susini.
Facundo took his beloved down the aisle only after five years of relationship, after the birth of their three children - daughter India and twins Yaco and Moro. However, in an interview, the actor repeatedly admitted that he wanted to marry Maria from the very first day of their meeting.
I decided to marry Maria the day I looked into her eyes. And then I told myself that I would live my whole life with her. I married for life. When you get married at 40, having previously lived together for five years and having three children, you can no longer go wrong. That's why I say it's for life,
- Facundo speaks with love and tenderness about his wife.
Facundo Arana with his wife Maria
Maria Susini supports her husband in everything: they do charity work together, travel a lot, share hobbies and look in the same direction.
Facundo Arana with his wife Maria and children
Facundo Arana with children
Natalia Oreiro and Facundo Arana: a romance between movie stars
Although the loving public brought Natalia and Facundo together more than once, in life they are just good friends. Perhaps, when they met, Arana was fascinated by the actress beyond measure, but this did not develop into anything more than a warm friendship (the star admitted in an interview that he was very attracted to Natalya, but when the word “removed” was uttered, everything ended ). At the time of filming “Wild Angel,” both Oreiro and Facundo were happy with their chosen ones. Although the last couple soon broke up due to rumors and press pressure. They say Isabel Macedo, with whom Arana had a seven-year relationship, lost patience.
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Until now, watching TV series with the participation of their favorite couple, fans want to believe in the passionate romance of the actors, although many years have passed and the stars have families and children. The relationship between Natalia Oreiro and Facundo Arana is purely friendly. Sometimes they meet at public events, but nothing more.
Facundo Arana: “Natalia Oreiro and I are very close friends”
Which girl in the early 2000s didn’t run home from school to catch the next episode of “Wild Angel”? Who among them hasn’t dreamed of meeting Ivo di Carlo in reality? Rejoice, girls! Even after 15 years, cherished dreams are coming true: Facundo Arana, the leading actor in the TV series “Wild Angel”, “You are my life”, “Padre Coraje”, “Iago Dark Passion” and others, will come to Russia for the first time to perform for his Russians fans along with his band The Blue Light Orquestra. The concert will take place on November 27 at the Moscow House of Music.
Ahead of the concert, we were able to ask Facundo a few questions via email.
— Facundo, we are happy that we will soon be able to greet you in person! What made you come to Russia after so many years?
Yes, it’s incredible, but the time has finally come to visit you. And it's amazing that this will happen thanks to music. I am pleased that they are interested in my group, considering how long I have been waiting for this. Playing in Russia is just a dream. This will be an unforgettable experience for me, and, I hope, the first of many.
— What do you know about our country?
Well, I once said that we all learn a lot from the Stanislavski method. My idea of Russia is not limited to this. It is a very rich country that has become a leader in many fields over the past two centuries.
— What is the most ridiculous rumor about Russia that you may have heard at home?
Ridiculous rumor? No, I don't think I remember that.
— Do you ever plan to come here with your family?
Maria will accompany me on this tour. She always travels with me whenever possible. And she knows that this journey is very important for me.
— In general, do you often travel together?
Sometimes it's quite difficult to travel with children. But now they have grown up, and it has become a little easier.
— Will your children follow in your footsteps? Or would you rather not have them be artists?
I want them to become who they want to become. And what will make them happy is still difficult to say, since they are too small to understand it. Now they love the music of Jaco Monti and they like to play drums.
— Why did you choose the saxophone at one time?
I played it when I was a child, then other instruments became involved. But the saxophone has always been a true friend to me.
— Isn’t Maria jealous of your fans?
No, we respect and trust each other very much. Maria is not at all jealous, and she doesn’t need to become like that at all. To tell the truth, neither of the two of us is jealous: neither of our fans, nor of our film partners.
— Where do you find inspiration?
In the night, in life.
—What do you think about when you’re standing on the top of a mountain or gliding along the crest of a wave?
I think about my family and how lucky I am
- You yourself are the idol of millions. Do you have an idol?
Oh! A whole bunch! I admire many, but I can’t single out just one.
— You played many roles. But is there a role you would really like to play?
Every script is like a challenge for me. This is what it means to be an actor. I like to give life to a character. And I learn a lot from each of them.
— Do you remember your first impression of meeting Natalia Oreiro?
Natalia is my close and beloved friend. It’s like we’ve always known each other, and we love each other very much. Natalia is one of the most honest and bright people I have ever met.
— There are rumors about a sequel to “Wild Angel.” What are the chances of fans seeing you and Oreiro in the same project again?
To be honest, I don't know. But working with Natalia is always a pleasure for me.
Facundo Arana is looking forward to meeting Russian fans! Photo: Personal page of the hero of the publication on the social network
— What will surprise you at the concert? What songs will you perform?
I will be happy to meet the fans, we always keep in touch with them through social networks. Many of them have already come to Buenos Aires. I'm happy to have the opportunity to come to Russia and organize a show here. The songs that we will perform at the concert will be from the disc “Salir a tocar” (“Go out and Play,” editor’s note). These are versions of classic songs by Bob Dylan, John Lennon, Kiss, Aerosmith, etc. And some more cover versions that we are specially preparing for the concert. I hope the listeners enjoy them! See you at the show!
Interviewed by Elena Batalina Translation: Daria Getmanova, Tatyana Golubova
We would like to thank Astra Entertainment for facilitating this conversation. And that is not all! We plan to meet Facundo Arana in person when he arrives in Moscow and ask him a few more questions. Which ones? It's up to you to decide! We are announcing a competition for the most interesting question for an artist! Write your options in the comments, or send them by email before November 25 with the note “Competition”! We will ask Facundo the five most interesting and original questions on camera, and the author of the best one will receive Aran’s personalized autograph as a souvenir! Go for it! And don't forget to include your name and contact information.
