Noa Kirel on Mírame así: “This whole project was a huge sign for me”

We speak exclusively with Noa Kirel.

For Noa Kirel, starring in Mírame así, el camino de Noa is about much more than her acting debut: in a way, it means returning to the Argentine telenovelas she watched as a child, which ultimately became part of her identity. Now, the Israeli singer is stepping onto that screen herself, taking on the role of Noa and sharing the cast with Gastón Dalmau and Agustín Bernasconi.

The artist stepped outside her comfort zone: she traveled to Argentina for the first time, acted in Spanish and immersed herself in the story of a character who, much like her, is discovering who she wants to be. In Buenos Aires, Noa found an experience that, she says, felt a little like a sign.

Chemistry from the very beginning

With Agustín Bernasconi, the chemistry was just as immediate. After an initial Zoom meeting shaped by their language differences, the two quickly found their rhythm. “Agustín is an incredible person, very kind and warm. He helped me so much and made me feel very secure,” she says. The differences in language and culture were never an obstacle.

“We had incredible chemistry from the moment we met in person and read the script. And it felt like magic,” she says. “He really is the best co-star I could have asked for.”

For Noa Kirel, starring in Mírame así, el camino de Noa has a special meaning: Argentine telenovelas were part of her childhood and shaped who she became. “I feel like they’re part of my character, part of who I am as a person,” she says.

“Sometimes I’m literally pinching myself. I look at the photos from the set and think, ‘It’s real, it’s real, it’s happening. It’s me, my name is there.’ For me, it’s a dream coming true,” she reflects.

Her admiration also comes through in Noa’s relationship with Gastón Dalmau, who plays Pablo in the series. “Working with him is a pleasure, and it’s crazy that he’s in the series with me. I’m still processing it. Working with your idol, your teenage idol, is incredible,” she says. She adds: “I love him so much. He’s very talented, very kind and very professional. Every time I call him or see him, I get this feeling in my stomach, like butterflies,” she says excitedly.

A sign that brought her to Buenos Aires

Traveling to an unfamiliar country and acting in another language was a challenge that Kirel ultimately experienced as a sign. “For me, it was a huge challenge to be far from home, in a different country that I didn’t know… It was an incredible experience, but I also feel that in my life I really believe in signs. I feel that God tells us what to do and sends us signs to follow.”

Kirel felt that Mírame así, el camino de Noa came into her life as one of those signs. “This whole project was a huge sign for me that I’m in the right place, at the right time and with the right people. It felt that way from the beginning all the way to the end, until now. It was meant to happen,” she explains.

That way of interpreting what happens around her is also something she shares with her character. “Like my character, I really believe in signs,” she admits. “But my character is more… you know, she’s a lot, but she believes in signs,” she says with a laugh, acknowledging that Noa takes that belief a little further.

A journey between fiction and reality

Noa’s journey has more than one point of connection with Kirel’s. Like her character, the singer traveled from Israel to Buenos Aires for the first time and faced the challenge of adapting to a new country, a new environment and a different language.

“In the series and in my life, I came to Buenos Aires and it was my first time there. And you know what? It felt very real because, in the series, my character is just starting to understand who she is, that she can sing, that she can be away from home, that she can do whatever she wants and follow her dreams.”

Along the way, Kirel also found something of herself in Noa and took away a lesson from her character. “My character simply taught me to listen to your heart and that you can do anything.”

The challenge of acting in Spanish

One of the biggest challenges for Noa Kirel was filming the series in Spanish. Although she was somewhat familiar with the language from growing up watching Argentine telenovelas, bringing that experience into acting was a completely different challenge. “At first I didn’t know what to do. To be honest, I was thinking, ‘How am I going to do all of this in Spanish?’ I had a foundation in the language from watching all those telenovelas, but speaking it and dealing with everything in the language is another thing,” she says.

“But I worked so, so hard. I learned all my lines, of course, and it was an incredible experience for me because I learned a new language, which is crazy.” On set, she also found a level of comfort she hadn’t expected: “And yes, on set, I don’t know why, but it felt really natural to me. Maybe it was because I grew up watching those telenovelas. I think that’s why I felt really, really comfortable.”

Music as another language

As a singer, Kirel found another way to connect with the story through music. “Music was the most fun part because, obviously, I love music so much, and I think music can help tell a story even better. And that’s how it works in this series, too.”

Recording the songs also allowed her to connect with an Argentine reference that shaped her childhood: “Recording all the songs was incredible for me. I felt like I was in Casi Ángeles.” “And I feel like it’s as if your two worlds become one. That’s incredible.”

Buenos Aires, from asado and pumpkin to spinning

Kirel also found similarities between Argentina and Israel. “I feel like Argentine culture is very similar to mine. People are very kind, enthusiastic and warm. And the food… I’m obsessed with asado and pumpkin.”

She laughs as she admits that pumpkin was actually one of her biggest discoveries during filming. “It’s crazy with the pumpkin. Every day, at every meal. Even at the farewell party we had, I ate pumpkin. Every day.”

During filming, Kirel had little time to explore Buenos Aires, but she is already planning to return and see more of the city during the premiere of El camino de Noa, Mírame así. “I wish I’d had more time to explore it. I know that now, over the next few months, I’ll be there and I’ll explore the city. Because when we filmed the series, I was basically only on set and at the hotel.”

Among her few discoveries was one activity she particularly enjoyed: “So it was the best spinning class I’ve ever done in the world. I really enjoyed it.” And she sums up her first Buenos Aires experience with a laugh: “So basically, I was at the hotel, the set and the spinning place,” she says, laughing.