Cast of Tierra de Amor y Coraje Highlights Production Quality, Abundance of Outdoor Locations and Hispanic Elements of the Story

Tierra de Amor y Coraje, TelevisaUnivision’s adaptation of the Brazilian series Irmãos Coragem, premiered first in the U.S. on ViX on Friday, Aug. 7, and will premiere in September on Univision and ViX Mexico. It will later air on Las Estrellas in Mexico. The telenovela was filmed largely on location in Tucson, Tubac and Phoenix, Arizona. PRODU spoke with the main cast in Tanque Verde in Tucson, a location next to Saguaro National Park that served as one of the settings for Tierra de Amor y Coraje.

For actor Emmanuel Palomares, who plays Juan Coraje, this is his third consecutive project with producer José Alberto “El Güero” Castro. “If there is one thing we know, and he has demonstrated over all these years, it is that he is a great producer. He creates great stories, and audiences connect with them,” he said. He also highlighted the fact that the series premiered first on ViX in the U.S. “I think it speaks to the future we are already living in and are part of. We have to evolve; it is the platform we need to strengthen. And it gives people a range of possibilities for watching it wherever they want. It can be on ViX, or if they prefer traditional TV, they can watch it there as well.”

“I think the beautiful thing about this whole experience is that, obviously, Tucson has spectacular locations and sunsets, but I also think it is about the production value being given to this story. This is the first telenovela to be filmed literally almost 80% outdoors, because practically all the exterior scenes were shot in Tucson, Tubac and Phoenix, while very little was filmed in Mexico, mostly on soundstages. I think that gives it significant value, and we are also grateful to TelevisaUnivision for taking the risk and giving us the opportunity to go outside and providing us with all the resources,” added actress Sofía Castro, who plays Clara Barrios.

GREAT OPPORTUNITY

For actor Brandon Peniche, who plays Jerónimo Coraje, the telenovela was a great opportunity for them as actors. “First and foremost, it allows us to convey a very Hispanic message because it is about a family that came from Mexico to pursue the American dream and build the ranches they dreamed of, with horses—in this case, Rancho Coraje. It also opens borders for us and gives us the opportunity to move beyond the soundstages, take our work to spectacular settings and reach other places,” he said.

For Emilio Osorio, who plays Lalo, the youngest of the Coraje brothers, it was a new experience. “It was very rewarding at my age to travel this way, see new places and take on the challenge. I trusted not only El Güero and his team tremendously, but also my co-stars Sofi, Emmanuel and Brandon, especially because they looked after me not only like a younger brother, but also like a friend and colleague. And I think when you feel that supported, what better way to travel, work and do what you love? And it’s really ‘chingón’ to arrive somewhere and realize that Mexico is present wherever it wants to be,” he said.