Is Caramelo’s story real? Meet the protagonist dog

Anyone who has already watched the film Caramelo, which premiered on Netflix last Wednesday (8), was certainly enchanted by the protagonist — and we’re not talking about Rafael Vitti. The main star’s real name is Peanut.

The story narrates the friendship between a caramel mutt and a perfectionist chef; the relationship between the two intensifies when Pedro (Vitti) needs to deal with a big and serious issue in his personal life. The little dog was chosen to represent what has become one of the greatest Brazilian symbols — caramel, now, is pedigree.

In the film, the puppy is messy and a glutton, but also a faithful and fun companion. In real life, he was adopted by general animal trainer Luis Estrelas, who was already part of the production, just a few months before filming began.

While they were looking for the perfect dog to play Caramelo, Amendoim simply appeared on Luis and his brother Jehovah’s farm when he was around four months old.

How Peanuts Became Caramel

In an interview with the Metrópoles website, Luis said that he only needed a few tests to realize that Amendoim was the ideal candidate to star in the Netflix film, as he seemed very connected and always wanted to show off some trick. The fact that he was a puppy also had an impact, as there were many messy scenes — and he really spent a lot of energy recording them.

Now that he has become a star, Amendoim divides his time between a peaceful life on the farm, with Jehovah, and a busy life in the city of São Paulo, with Luis.

Check out the film’s trailer below: