For those looking for a delicious new romance series to watch this month, look no further than a new arrival to the 2024 TV schedule, Like Water For Chocolate. Those with a Max subscription can yearn for the forbidden romance between a couple who is torn apart by an arranged marriage through this new adaptation of the classic novel by Laura Esquivel that’s produced by Salma Hayek. Speaking of the star producer, when CinemaBlend spoke to two of the series’ leads about this exciting project, they shared how Hayek welcomed them and how that led to a funny text miscommunication.
Salma Hayek’s latest producing credit leans into her Mexican roots as she has worked behind the scenes to bring a new version of Like Water For Chocolate to audiences over 30 years after the magical realism classic was turned into a movie. Andrea Chaparro, who plays Gertrudis, shared how Hayek first greeted the Spanish-language cast to the show, saying:
She texted us at the beginning of the production. She gave us a little personal message to each and one of us that would inspire us and definitely got us on the right path. And then eventually we would FaceTime every once in a while if we could. It was definitely magical. Like having a story about women with a very strong woman producing was definitely inspiring.
While it was certainly a lovely first sentiment from the producer and Hollywood star, Azul Guaita, who plays Tita, was not happy to see the text message at first glance. In her words:
I have a funny story about the text she sent us. I think I was the first to talk about this. She texted us at the same time, I think. But I did not know, so I got a text message from a United States number, and it said, ‘I’m so happy, you’re gonna do great in [Like Water For Chocolate]. You’re gonna be a great Tita.’ And I was like, I got scared. So I was like, who did I tell? I was panicking. Who else knows? I wasn’t supposed to tell anyone. Did I tell anyone? I was panicking.
Guaita was sworn to secrecy at the time regarding being cast as the Like Water For Chocolate lead, so she seriously got spooked when someone out of the blue messaged her about it. As she continued:
And then she [signed] Salma. And I said, ‘Oh my God, who’s Salma?’ Oh my God, I feel so bad. They’re gonna say something to me. And then I said it out loud and I said, who’s Salma? … And, I was like, wait, what? Salma Hayek. And then it clicked and I was like, ‘oh my God.’
You can watch Azul Guaita’s hilarious anecdote in the video at the top of the article. As she told the story, her co-star Chaparro laughed in disbelief as she didn’t know who Salma was referring to. However, for a new talent like Guaita, she probably never thought Salma Hayek would ever directly text message her.
I spoke to the cast of Like Water For Chocolate virtually from Mexico right after they reunited with Salma Hayek (also virtually) to talk about working on the new series at a press conference spoken in Spanish. Hayek called the predominantly female cast her “goddesses” upon entering the event. She shared that she loves the 1992 film, but she felt making the series gave them “more opportunity” to adapt the book more thoroughly and is “very proud” of the casting.
For those who’ve yet to read the book or movie, Like Water For Chocolate, the romance can be compared to watching the Keira Knightley Pride and Prejudice movie. It follows Tita, the youngest of three sisters who are living in early 1900s Mexico during the Mexican Revolution. Since childhood, she’s shared a bond with a man named Pedro, but when he asks for her hand, her mother shares with him that she is not allowed to marry because she had previously decided she would take care of her until she dies. Pedro agrees to instead marry her sister Rosaura to be close to Tita.
The first episode of Like Water For Chocolate is now available to stream as one of the best Max original shows. New episodes will arrive weekly on Sundays. You can check out what other upcoming book adaptations are on the way here on CinemaBlend.