Hail to the Chief: A Latinx star is rising on Disney Plus
By Sabrina Reed
On January 17, Disney Plus will be adding a Latinx president to its roster of lovable characters and endless possibilities.
The future of the presidency is Latinx on Disney Plus. Diary of a Future President will be gracing subscribers’ screens this month, showcasing a United States where the nation’s highest office is occupied by a Latina named Elena Cañero-Reed.
Diary of a Future President is primed to take viewers on a journey that recounts President Cañero-Reed’s (played by Gina Rodriguez) life during her pre-teen years, when she was simply Elena (played by Tess Romero). Her concerns were surviving middle school, getting the boy she liked to notice her, adjusting to her mother dating, and dealing with the changes in her world.
Watch the trailer for Diary of a Future President here:
The diary Elena started in the 6th grade is a day-to-day account of how she made her way to the presidency as a young girl who had a lot to say. It’s through the support of her family and friends that Elena deals with the challenges in her life straight on, and as she says, “Every challenge we face, we face together. Every step forward we take, we take together. And we are just getting started.”
According to series creator Ilana Peña, “This show represents limitless possibility — not just for young girls or Latinx families who may not have seen themselves on screen before, but for anyone who’s experienced the vulnerable, glorious journey of growing up.”
Diary of a Future President is a love letter to every great leader who went through middle school which Peña describes as a “messy, universal experience.” And as the trailer points out, if you can survive growing up, you can do anything.
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