29 Mar MILLSTREET FILMS ANNOUNCES KEY CAST FOR MÁXIMA DRAMA SERIES
MILLSTREET FILMS ANNOUNCES KEY CAST FOR MÁXIMA DRAMA SERIES
The Argentinian actress Delfina Chaves will play the lead role of Máxima, and Martijn Lakemeier that of prince Willem-Alexander.
The drama series tells the fascinating life story of the Dutch Queen Máxima. Principal shooting in Argentina, New York, Spain, Belgium and the Netherlands will start in June. Millstreet Films is the producer and will handle international sales. RTL commissioned the series for the Netherlands.
Delfina Chaves is best known for her roles in ‘Ringo’ (Star+), ‘The Secret of the Greco Family’ (Netflix), ‘Rap Battlefield’ (HBO Max) and ‘Edha’ (Netflix). Chaves on playing Máxima: ‘When Máxima set foot on Dutch soil people referred to her as the derivative of two men. Who she was and what she wanted from life were attributed by the outside world to first her father and after that her prince. I really love that the series now tells her story, from her point of view.’
Dutch actor Martijn Lakemeier from ‘The East’, ‘Marie Antoinette’ (BBC 2) ‘Sonny Boy’ and ‘Winter in Wartime’: ‘I had no doubts at all about taking on the role of Willem-Alexander. I consider it an honour and a challenge to bring this fascinating and daring love story, which took place outside the view of the media, to life.’
Producer Rachel van Bommel: ‘Millstreet Films explores the complexity of female characters, and that’s what makes Máxima interesting for us: she has a complex, versatile personality but remains a cheerful and positive person for herself.’
About ‘Máxima’
From the moment Máxima Zorreguieta appears at the Dutch crown prince’s side, she finds herself in the spotlight. When Willem-Alexander asks her to marry him, the past catches up with her. Heated discussion erupts about her father’s political career in the Videla regime – a discussion she never faced in her own circles. What allows this Argentine to finally thrive at an old European court? And how can Máxima stay true to herself without giving up her family – or do these things not go together?
Máxima’s story will be told in six 50-minute episodes which kick off with a present-day storyline, starting in 1999 in Seville, when Máxima and Willem-Alexander meet for the first time. Turning to a second storyline set in the past, we see how Máxima was actually prepared for this step her entire life. When the press catches wind of her relationship with the crown prince, the pair find themselves on a rollercoaster, that only slows down with the announcement of their engagement in 2001.
The series is being produced by Rachel van Bommel of Millstreet Films. Head writers for the series are Marnie Blok and Ilse Ott, and ‘Máxima’ will be directed by Saskia Diesing, Joosje Duk and Iván López Núñez. The original book Máxima Zorreguieta: Motherland by Marcia Luyten was published by De Bezige Bij in the Netherlands. An Argentinian edition was published by Planeta in Buenos Aires in December 2022.
About Millstreet Films
Millstreet Films produces high-quality feature films and drama series from a contemporary female perspective for a wide audience, with strong female leads or female film makers. Millstreet Films is known for productions such as ‘ANNE+’, the ‘Sophie’-films & series, ‘Single Street’, ‘Loft’, ‘Amsterdam Vice’ and ‘The Neighbours’, which were all successful both domestically and abroad.