Former Chiquititas actor returns to the children's world as author of new national series
- Regina Campos
- Feb 19
- 3 min read
Nickelodeon premieres the national series O Menino Mais Rico do Mundo (The Richest Boy in the World) on Monday (19). The series is aimed at children and shows how little João sees the world around him and deals with the challenges of everyday life. If children are going to get involved with the story, parents should be surprised by the pedigree of the production. The scripts are by Francisco Abreu, Xá, who played the character Tatu in the first version of Chiquititas (1997).
Abreu created the story over a decade ago - first as a play. In 2015, he published the book João, the Richest Boy in the World. Now, he's finally bringing the universe he imagined to TV - for the first time, with child actors playing the main characters, João (Heitor Silva), Tina (Helena Bougleux) and Gael (Enzo Rosetti).
Speaking to Notícias da TV, he jokes that he's “relieved” to get the characters out of his mind and into the world. “That's about 15 kilos less,” he laughs. “There were a lot of people talking in my head! And then, when I see everyone out here, all this movement, it's very exciting. I've already cried a little and I'm going to cry a lot more”.
“Because we have an intention that touches our heart when we create something, right? And now, to see that this has been understood by the team, by the cast, that everyone shares the same intention, is a treasure for me,” he explains.
“When I think that this is going to [be shown] all over Brazil, all over Latin America, it's houses and more houses and more houses; in other words, hearts and more hearts,” enthuses the artist.
Although the series is called The Richest Boy in the World, João is a simple boy. In the very first scene, he tries to buy a bakery dream, but realizes he doesn't have enough money. Xá makes a point of emphasizing the metaphor to leave no doubt. “You can't buy dreams, can you?” he points out.
“And the series hammers home that kind of metaphor. Because we already know what money can buy, right? But I think the whole world wants to know how to buy happiness, quality of life, present relationships... And this work was done very well by the whole team,” says the author.
The children in the cast have learned their lesson well. In a conversation with the reporter, the young trio highlight the true riches of life. “I think it's knowing how to live, right? João, his friends and everyone in the village always try to live more lightly, more joyfully,” says Helena.
“For me, true wealth is enjoying life to the full. Playing, running, jumping, playing sports. The wealth of money comes with time, with work, with effort,” adds Enzo. “And the series shows that you can do a lot of things even if you don't have any money. You can reuse scrap metal and turn it into other objects,” recalls Heitor.
Trouble behind the scenes
Director Bete Rodrigues says that the team faced some difficulties during the shooting of the first season. “There were practically only outdoor scenes, so there were a lot of factors to take into account. In the studio you control the light, you control everything. There, we had moments when we had to stop at times when we absolutely couldn't stop,” he recalls.
“So the child cast held a very strong wave. They had a lot of text, because it's an action series, but it's all based on text. Of course, there were also moments when I had to draw attention to myself in order to stay focused. But, between scoldings and hugs, we accomplished the mission,” she says.
Produced by Na Laje Filmes, The Richest Boy in the World premieres this Monday (19/02/25), at 11:50 am, on Nickelodeon, with two episodes. The season continues from Monday to Friday, at the same time, always with two chapters a day.
Disclosure/Na Laje Filmes
Published on 19/2/2024 - 10h00
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