3. It’s Got Seasoned Actors
Boricuas Jeimy Osorio and Modesto Lacén, who play Celia and her husband Pedro Knight in their youth, are vets. Osorio has been on the telenovela circuit not to mention American film for year (Fast Five and Maid in Manhattan). Lacén gave this role life once before. He co-starred in the theatrical production “The Life and Music of Celia Cruz” that ran for nearly two years.
4. It Doesn’t Shy Away from the Big Issues
Celia came to fame in pre-revolutionary Cuba as the lead singer of La Sonora Matancera, a mostly black orchestra. The music and entertainment scene at that time was not only male dominated but mostly white as well. Telemundo didn’t shy away from the racism or sexism that Celia faced on her way to the top.