Reasons to understand the symbolic importance of Ricardo Darín in the Argentine audiovisual universe

Abstract

Argentine actor Ricardo Darín is the one who attracts the largest audiences in each of the films he stars in. He occupies a very important symbolic place within the national star system, and even in the country’s public arena. In this article, I go back to his television career to explain how, in his long career, there were two key products that helped to consolidate his persona, and at the same time allowed him to turn it around: the sitcom Mi cuñado (Carlos Berterreix, 1993-1996) and the feature film Nueve reinas (Fabián Bielinsky, 1999). I propose that his star text was shaped by the tension between the stereotype of the chanta (the rogue) –of long tradition and popularity in Argentine arts– and the measured middle-class young man. The qualitative leap between the two occurred between the peak of his television popularity and his consolidation as a film star of international scope.