After several days on set for his new telenovela, William Levy has been ordered to take intensive acting classes before continuing production.
Producer Salvador Mejia ordered Levy and his co-star Ximena Navarrete to go to the Televisa acting school and take intensive classes after faulty acting on set. He stated Levy has not been able to develop his character naturally and his Spanish accent is hard to understand. Of Navarrete he said that her voice and movements did not read well on camera.
However, Mejia complimented Spanish actor Ivan Sancchez and said that although he had a Gallego accent from Spain, he was doing a great job.
"La Tempestad" has made headlines throughout the past weeks after Levy revealed his new hairdo. The actor was heavily criticized and ridiculed by the actor's large fanbase. Levy then revealed the new tattoo he got done for the series. He stated that he had gotten two but one was hidden.
Navarrete's election for the main role has also been criticized with many calling her a vampire and too ugly for Levy. She has also been called a bad actress. The former Miss Universe beat out actresses Silvia Navarro, Angelique Boyer, Sandra Echeverria and Elizabeth Gutierrez for the role of Marina.
Production has criticized the actors for the lack of chemistry and the long hours due to Navarrete's inexperience. They have also criticized Levy for his hard-to-understand Cuban accent. After numerous appearances in American television and film, production has stated that his Spanish is barely comprehensible and a complete headache. The script has been rewritten to accommodate him.
The series began shooting on Wednesday, March 6th in Veracruz and is set to move to studios after filming on location. "La Tempestad" also stars, Laura Carmine, Jessica Coch, Diana Bracho, Cesar Evora, Alfonso Herrera and Luis Manuel Avila. The series is based on the Colombian telenovela "La Tormenta" and is set to air in Mexico on May 13, 2013 on El Canal de la Estrellas.