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Macarena Achaga Figueroa (; born March 5, 1992), known professionally as Macarena Achaga, is an Argentine model, actress, singer, and television hostess. In 2012, she debuted as an actress on the Mexican television series '' Miss XV'' and was a member of the Mexican-Argentine pop group, Eme 15, from 2011 to 2014. She is also best known for portraying the character Valentina Carvajal in the television series Love to Death.


Early life

Macarena Achaga Figueroa was born in
Mar del Plata Mar del Plata is a city on the coast of the Argentine Sea, Atlantic Ocean, in Buenos Aires Province, Argentina. It is the seat of General Pueyrredón Partido, General Pueyrredón district. Mar del Plata is the second largest city in Buenos Aires ...
,
Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...
. Her parents are architects. She is the oldest child and has a brother named Santiago, who is eight years younger. At 15, Achaga began her career as a model, travelling up to five hours every week by bus from
Mar del Plata Mar del Plata is a city on the coast of the Argentine Sea, Atlantic Ocean, in Buenos Aires Province, Argentina. It is the seat of General Pueyrredón Partido, General Pueyrredón district. Mar del Plata is the second largest city in Buenos Aires ...
to
Buenos Aires Buenos Aires, controlled by the government of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Argentina. It is located on the southwest of the Río de la Plata. Buenos Aires is classified as an Alpha− glob ...
for jobs. She signed with Pink Model Management in
Buenos Aires Buenos Aires, controlled by the government of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Argentina. It is located on the southwest of the Río de la Plata. Buenos Aires is classified as an Alpha− glob ...
. Eventually, she signed with Mulittalient Agency, also located in
Buenos Aires Buenos Aires, controlled by the government of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Argentina. It is located on the southwest of the Río de la Plata. Buenos Aires is classified as an Alpha− glob ...
. At 18, she moved to
Buenos Aires Buenos Aires, controlled by the government of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Argentina. It is located on the southwest of the Río de la Plata. Buenos Aires is classified as an Alpha− glob ...
to further pursue her modeling career.


Modeling career

Achaga began her career at 15 as a print model with Pink Models Management based in
Buenos Aires Buenos Aires, controlled by the government of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Argentina. It is located on the southwest of the Río de la Plata. Buenos Aires is classified as an Alpha− glob ...
. She later entered into a contract with Multitalent Agency, also in Buenos Aires. She has modeled for various Argentine clothing brands including ''Sweet Victorians'', ''Doll Fins'' and ''Muaaa''. Other modeling work included a 2010 commercial for ''Marinela'' cookies, and appearances in the magazines ''ParaTeens,'' ''Código Teen'', ''Joy'' and ''Para Ti'' in 2011. At 18, she worked briefly in modelling jobs in Mexico and France. In August 2009, she did editorial work for '' Cosmopolitan Argentina'' and appeared in the Spring/Summer 2012 print campaign for handbags for the brand ''CLOĒ'' in Mexico. In August 2011 and 2013, she appeared in an editorial for '' InStyle Mexico''. In October 2013, she appeared in a breast cancer awareness ad campaign in Mexico for Tommy Hilfiger handbags. She also appeared in a web mini-series ad for ''Nescafé Dolce Cafe'', promoting the brand alongside '' Gossip Girl: Acapulco'' in Mexico. Achaga appeared on the cover and in an editorial spread modeling bridal dresses for ''Hola'' magazine's special "Novias" edition in November 2014. In October 2015, Achaga and actor Gonzalo Garcia Vivanco appeared in an autumn print campaign for
Banana Republic In political science, the term ''banana republic'' describes a politically and economically unstable country with an economy dependent upon the export of natural resource.A banana republic is a country with an economy of state capitalism, where th ...
in Mexico.


Television career


Early career

Achaga's first television job was co-hosting the Argentine version of the
MTV Latin America MTV is a Latin American pay television network that was launched on 1 October 1993 as the Hispanic American version of MTV. It is owned by Paramount Networks Americas, a subsidiary of Paramount Global. The channel broadcasts music videos as ...
music show ''Los 10+ Pedidos'' with Gabo Ramos in 2010. She left the show in 2011, following her casting in the
Nickelodeon Latin America Nickelodeon is a Hispanic/Latin American pay television channel, counterpart of the American network of the same name. It is owned by Paramount Networks Americas and was launched on 20 December 1996. Aside from airing Nick and Nick Jr. content ...
and Canal 5 television series '' Miss XV''.


2011 to 2013

Achaga continued working as a model in Mexico throughout 2011. In June 2011, she was in Mexico City attending workshop at
Televisa San Ángel Televisa San Ángel (originally Estudios y Laboratorios San Ángel, S.A.) is a film and television studio located in Mexico City. It was originally built by Jorge Stahl as a motion picture studio, and in the 1970s would be sold to the Azcárraga ...
, where she was spotted by producer,
Pedro Damián Pedro Muñoz Romero (born 29 November 1952), known as Pedro Damián, is a Mexican television producer, actor, director and executive producer of popular teen telenovelas. His works include '' Clase 406, Lola, Érase Una Vez, Mis XV,'' ''Rebe ...
, in the cafeteria. Damián invited her to audition for '' Miss XV'', the network's new tween-oriented musical television series. Achaga was one of eight actresses considered in the final castings for the role of the antagonist, "Leonora". In August 2011, Achaga was confirmed as the female antagonist, "Leonora Martínez", for '' Miss XV''. Achaga is the only Argentine cast member in the ensemble. Filming for the television series required Achaga to make the permanent move to Mexico City where production on the show lasted from October 2011 to June 2012. The show premiered on Nickelodeon Latin America on April 16, 2012. On Canal 5, the show began airing episodes on May 14, 2012, for Latin America. In spite of its success in Mexico, the show was not renewed for a second season. In January 2013, Achaga was officially confirmed as "Jenny Parra" in '' Gossip Girl: Acapulco'', the Mexican remake of the hit United States television show, ''
Gossip Girl ''Gossip Girl'' is an American teen drama television series created and developed by Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage and based on the series of novels of the same name by Cecily von Ziegesar. It follows a group of students on Manhattan's ...
''. In order to be cast on the show, co-producer Andrés Tovar, required Achaga to get rid of her Argentine accent by taking speech lessons in order to more accurately portray a Mexican character. Mexican producer Pedro Torres co-produced the show along with a collaboration from Warner Channel International and Mexican production agency El Mall. Filming for the series began in late January in
Acapulco Acapulco de Juárez (), commonly called Acapulco ( , ; ), is a city and Port of Acapulco, major seaport in the Political divisions of Mexico, state of Guerrero on the Pacific Coast of Mexico, south of Mexico City. Located on a deep, semicirc ...
, Mexico and ended in May 2013. The show premiered on August 5, 2013, for the channel Golden Premiere in Mexico. The series began airing on the Mexican television stations Telehit in September; it aired in the U.S. on UniMas. It began airing on Canal 5 on November 11, 2013. On January 14, 2014, producer Pedro Torres announced that '' Gossip Girl: Acapulco'' was cancelled. In July 2013, Achaga filmed ''El Librito Rojo'', a short film in which she stars as the protagonist, in
Guanajuato Guanajuato, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Guanajuato, is one of the 32 states that make up the Political divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into Municipalities of Guanajuato, 46 municipalities and its cap ...
, Mexico. Filming was conducted in two days.


2014 to 2015

In January 2014, she filmed ''Páginas Negras'', a horror themed television series starring
Alfonso Herrera Alfonso Herrera Rodríguez (, born 28 August 1983) is a Mexican actor and singer. Born in Mexico City, Herrera made his television debut in ''Clase 406'' in 2002. In the same year, he made his film debut in ''Amar te duele'' and won a MTV Movi ...
in
Buenos Aires Buenos Aires, controlled by the government of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Argentina. It is located on the southwest of the Río de la Plata. Buenos Aires is classified as an Alpha− glob ...
. A trailer for the show was released on
Vimeo Vimeo ( ) is an American Online video platform, video hosting, sharing, and services provider founded in 2004 and headquartered in New York City. Vimeo focuses on the delivery of high-definition video across a range of devices and operates on a ...
in July of that same year. A release date has not been set, but it is slated to air on the Argentine network,
Space Space is a three-dimensional continuum containing positions and directions. In classical physics, physical space is often conceived in three linear dimensions. Modern physicists usually consider it, with time, to be part of a boundless ...
in Latin America. She filmed a role in the critically acclaimed Peruvian drama film, '' Magallanes'', in 2014. The film later screened internationally, and is scheduled for a showing at the
Miami International Film Festival The Miami Film Festival, formerly Miami International Film Festival, is an annual film festival held in Miami, Florida, each March. Since 2015 the festival also runs a smaller Fall Festival, known as the Miami Film Festival GEMS, which presents ...
on March 13, 2016. In late March 2014, Achaga traveled to Pucón, Chile to begin rehearsals for ''Sitiados'', a new historical drama television series co-produced by the Chilean network TVN and FOX International Channels. Set from 1598 to 1601, the series is inspired by the true account of a group of
Mapuche The Mapuche ( , ) also known as Araucanians are a group of Indigenous peoples of the Americas, Indigenous inhabitants of south-central Chile and southwestern Argentina, including parts of Patagonia. The collective term refers to a wide-ranging e ...
who held 500 Spanish prisoners in Villarrica,
Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in western South America. It is the southernmost country in the world and the closest to Antarctica, stretching along a narrow strip of land between the Andes, Andes Mountains and the Paci ...
during the
Arauco War The Arauco War was a long-running conflict between colonial Spaniards and the Mapuche people, mostly fought in the Araucanía region of Chile. The conflict began at first as a reaction to the Spanish conquerors attempting to establish cities a ...
. Production began on April 8, 2014 in
Pucón Pucón (Mapudungun: "entrance to the cordillera") is a Chilean city and commune administered by the municipality of Pucón. It is located in the Province of Cautín, Araucanía Region, 100 km to the southeast of Temuco and 780 km to ...
. Filming concluded in July 2014 after nearly 4 months. The series premiered exclusively on May 2, 2015 on the subscription service, FOXPlay+, in Latin America. One week later, it premiered on television on Fox Latin America on May 10, 2015. From October 2014 to April 2015, she filmed the third season of the Fox Latin America television musical drama, ''Cumbia Ninja'', in
Bogotá Bogotá (, also , , ), officially Bogotá, Distrito Capital, abbreviated Bogotá, D.C., and formerly known as Santa Fe de Bogotá (; ) during the Spanish Imperial period and between 1991 and 2000, is the capital city, capital and largest city ...
,
Colombia Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country primarily located in South America with Insular region of Colombia, insular regions in North America. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Venezuel ...
. The third and final season of ''Cumbia Ninja'', consisting of 17 episodes, premiered in Latin America on October 29, 2015 for Fox Latin America. In early October 2015, Achaga travelled to
Lima Lima ( ; ), founded in 1535 as the Ciudad de los Reyes (, Spanish for "City of Biblical Magi, Kings"), is the capital and largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón River, Chillón, Rímac River, Rímac and Lurín Rive ...
,
Peru Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...
to begin filming the television drama, ''El regreso de Lucas''. The show is a collaboration produced by both the Argentine network,
Telefe Telefe (acronym for Televisión Federal) is a television station located in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The station is owned and operated by Paramount Global through Televisión Federal S.A. Telefe is also one of Argentina's six national televisio ...
and the Peruvian network, América Televisión. A total of 60 episodes were filmed. The show premiered on November 9, 2016 in Peru.


2016 to present

In mid-2016, Achaga returned to Mexico City and began filming the television show, ''La piloto'', which later aired in 2017. The first season has 80 episodes which aired on Univision in the US. In July 2017, Achaga was cast in the television drama series, ''La bella y las bestias'', which began filming in Mexico City for three months. The show will have 80 episodes and is expected to air sometime in 2018. ''La piloto'' was renewed for a second season and filming began in late January 2018. Achaga suffered a knee injury and later left the show; her role of Olivia in the series was recast and Achaga was replaced by Mexican actress, Oka Giner, her former ''Gossip Girl: Acapulco'' co-star. In November 2018 she began to play the role of Valentina Carvajal in ''Amar a muerte''. The storyline features a lesbian relationship between Valentina and Juliana Valdés, played by actress Bárbara López. The couple, nicknamed "Juliantina", quickly grew to a worldwide audience. It was the first significant lesbian storyline in the history of prime time Mexican television, channel Televisa. In 2019, it was announced that a spin off series and film are due to be made.


Music career


Eme 15

In the summer of 2011, Macarena attended the final castings for '' Miss XV'' in
Mexico City Mexico City is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Mexico, largest city of Mexico, as well as the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North America. It is one of the most important cultural and finan ...
. Originally, the producers were not looking for a sixth member, but decided to hold a casting search in July 2011 to find a third female member. In August 2011, she was confirmed as the cast's final female member. As a member of the ensemble cast, Macarena also joined the pop group Eme 15 as the sixth and final band member. The remaining five members were Paulina Goto, Elezar Gómez, Natasha Dupeyrón, Yago Muñoz, and Jack Duarte. The band released their first music video, "Wonderland", on April 4, 2012. The video was filmed in October 2011 at
Las Pozas Las Pozas ("the Pools") is a surrealistic group of structures created by Edward James, more than above sea level, in a subtropical rainforest in the Sierra Gorda mountains of Mexico. It includes more than of natural waterfalls and pools interlac ...
, a garden in Xilitla, San Luis Potosí. "Wonderland" was officially released for digital download on iTunes in Mexico on April 24, 2012. The band separated following their final concert on January 5, 2014, in
Acapulco Acapulco de Juárez (), commonly called Acapulco ( , ; ), is a city and Port of Acapulco, major seaport in the Political divisions of Mexico, state of Guerrero on the Pacific Coast of Mexico, south of Mexico City. Located on a deep, semicirc ...
, Mexico.


Personal life

Following her casting in '' Miss XV'' in August 2011, Achaga moved to Mexico City where she currently resides. In March 2013, she became a vegetarian. Achaga's relationship with Mexican actor, Sebastian Zurita, was confirmed in February 2014. The couple separated at the end of 2014. She met Juanpa Zurita on set while shooting ''Luis Miguel: La Serie 2'' and confirmed a romantic relationship with him in 2021.


Filmography


Discography


Singles


Music videos


References


External links

*
Multitalent Modeling Agency ProfileActing Agency Profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Achaga, Macarena 1992 births Living people 21st-century Argentine women singers Argentine telenovela actresses Argentine television actresses Argentine female models People from Mar del Plata Argentine expatriates in Mexico Eme 15 members