Can you tell us more about yourself and your journey as a Brazilian actress, writer, producer, and journalist? How did you get started in the entertainment industry?
Usually, I tell people that I was born an artist. Since a very young age I loved everything about acting, creativity and feelings in general. I am a very emotional person and it has been like this since I was a child.
Around the age of 10 I started writing my first books, with stories that my kid’s mind used to create. The stories were full of fantasy and girl power. I started acting around the same age. I was part of Theater groups and was in lots of plays during my childhood and teenager years.
I think acting and writing was super important for Ms growing up, to be able to understand who I am and what places I belong to. I used to feel I didn’t belong, I was a miss fit. But when I was acting and writing I was able to express myself in a really powerful way.
This feeling didn’t change at all growing up. But, when I was picking up my major, I decided to go for journalism. I was too afraid of entering acting school, this profession is super challenging and I was too young to trust my gut feeling.
I worked as a journalist covering politics and social security for more than 10 years in Brazil, and I am super grateful for that phase of my life. But I always knew I didn’t want to be a journalist forever.
That is why I kept saving money during my career, to be able to accomplish my dream of being an actress. I knew I needed to come to LA to do this, because the industry in Brazil is super closed and there are not that many opportunities.
When I finally had the internal strength and enough money to come to Hollywood, I did. I came to LA for the first time in 2022 and I went to the New York Film Academy (NYFA). It was so good to be around creative people again, to be able to feel how I used to feel when I was 10…
When I finished NYFA, I went back to Brazil, but something wasn’t right: I needed to come back to LA. I wasn’t done with it. So I made the major decision of coming back to LA for one more challenge. I got my suitcase, my dog and came back, this time to study at UCLA.
I finished my journey at UCLA last year and I started my OPT in December. I am super excited to put all my ideas into practice (and I am already doing it)! My first short film is coming up! We will start the shoot next month and I couldn’t be more excited!
What inspired you to pursue a career in acting, writing, producing, and journalism? Are there any specific experiences or individuals that influenced your decision?
I think that a combination of moments and people helped me to make this decision about my career. First, my mom. She is the best and always pushed my creative side and my dreamer mind. My mom is also an actress in Brazil, but she dedicated most of her life to taking care of my sister and I. She says she doesn’t regret it, but at the same time I think that, every time I accomplish my dreams, I am also accomplishing hers. It is really hard for her to be away from me (it is for me too), but she is always saying that “if I am happy, she is happy”. This helps me to cope with the longing.
Another person that was always super supportive was my grandmother Cenira. She was also a big star. She had a big personality and used to love American musicals. Her biggest idol was Shirley Temple and she always used to be so proud of me when I used to do my presentations as a child. Also, she used to tell me that I would be a writer when I grow up. She wasn’t wrong. I also think that, every time that I accomplish my dreams I make her proud and happy for me from heaven.
Another person that helped me to take the leap of faith and give my dreams a chance was my dad. He was a very sentimental person, but didn’t show that much. He used to write beautiful and deep poems when he was young. Poems that I found out about after his passing, 3 years ago. He was a very shy and reserved person and I think he wouldn’t like me to tell much about it, but I can’t stop thinking that he was another artist in my family that couldn’t accomplish his dreams because didn’t have enough money and enough strength to chase his dreams. So, I am doing this for him too. I just want to make him proud, no matter where he is.
After my dad’s passing, I realized life is too short to not take risks. Yes, everything can go wrong, but I much rather try and fail than not to try at all. My dad’s death was so unexpected and he was so young (he died at the age of 66). It made me think a lot about how I needed to please myself and my journey in this life, not anybody else’s. My dad was a beautiful person and always put other people ahead of him. I want to be a little bit more selfish than him. I wanna put my needs first and accomplish my dreams first, to be able to push other people.
I always make this analogy, because I think it is great: at the airplanes they always say that, in case of emergency, we should put the mask on ourselves first and, after that, help others. This is what I wanna do with my life.
Congratulations on finishing the preproduction of your short movie “Serial Dater.” Can you share some insights into the storyline and what motivated you to create this particular project?
Thank you! I am super excited about the movie! This is a project that is very close to my heart and I can’t wait to share it with everyone! Basically, the story of Gina (the protagonist) is my story. Of course she is a more intense version of myself, because it is a comedy. But her story is based on my own journey trying to find the love of my life.
Gina is an insecure woman that needs other people’s approval to feel like she is worth something. I was like Gina for a long period of time. It was a big journey for me to be able to love myself for who I am and understand my worth. And that is what I am trying to show in this movie.
Gina is a sweetheart, a great girl, a real catch. But she doesn’t believe in herself and needs to understand that, before she finds someone to share her life with, she needs to be ok with being by herself, she needs to understand she is already complete.
The idea of the movie, 2 years ago, when I started writing it, started as a feature. But then I realized that a short would be the best option since I need to put my name out there first as an artist. Nobody knows my work in LA and I am trying to make people get to know my work with this short first, before I start a feature film.
I am super proud of this project and that is why I wanted to put my own money into it and be the executive producer of it. I think it is a story that needs to be told, that it is a story that might help a lot of people, but, at the same time, it is a story that will make people laugh while they heal. And, in my opinion, there is nothing more powerful than that.
As a multi-talented professional, how do you balance your roles as an actress, writer, producer, and journalist?
I think one thing helps the other, to be honest. I think I am able to be a good journalist because I am super empathetic, that I am able to write well because I have the journalist training, that I am a good producer because I am completely in love with the story…
Do you find that each role complements the others in your creative process?
100%! I think that being a journalist helped even more to put myself in other people’s shoes, to be able to relate and empathize with stories completely different from my own story…
Could you discuss some challenges you faced during the preproduction of “Serial Dater” and how you overcame them? Are there any memorable moments or lessons learned that you would like to share?
Well, I think the major challenge is to produce a short film with a really small budget. It is a struggle, to be honest. You need to ask for favors, to exchange favors, to ask people to work for free. It is hard. But, at the same time it is so rewarding knowing that not everybody is in this industry because of money and that people loved the story so much that they are willing to do it either way…
Also, I found this process very eye opening about how I need to be humble. I’ve always thought that I was a humble person, but I am full of pride. And to go there and ask someone for some favors with nothing material to offer, is challenging. I know that people don’t do everything for money, but for me it is hard to believe that someone wants to work with me just because they believe in the project.
That is why I am so grateful for the crew and cast of the movie. They are all really special people. Especially the director Priscilla Runion, my right arm in this production. I am so proud of her and how she is working hard to help me to put my vision into work. She is a really beautiful soul and great professional (one of the best I’ve ever met).
What themes or messages do you hope to convey through “Serial Dater,” and how do you believe your unique background and perspective contribute to the storytelling?
I hope people can understand the message about self-love that the movie brings. It is a beautiful story about how we need to love ourselves first to be able to be in a relationship.
I think my background is very unique and helped me to tell this story in a particular way. I have been struggling with mental health issues since I was 12. I had anorexia, depression and I currently struggle with anxiety.
As people say, I am my worst enemy. But I have been trying to make peace with this inner saboteur, to make her understand we are one. So, I think these bad experiences helped me to tell this story in a very true and relatable way.
Also, I think that my approach to my mental health issues has changed recently. I used to be ashamed of it, but there is nothing to be ashamed of. It is a health issue like any other. And I think that I have a self-defense mechanism that is humor.
Humor is powerful. It can help you a lot! And it can heal really deep wounds. That is why I wanted to make it a comedy, because laughter can save people’s lives. It saved mine multiple times.
In your role as a journalist, have you covered any topics or stories that have had a significant impact on you?
Oh, for sure! I think that one of the stories that is always going to be marked in my soul was the story about a black child that used to live in a poor neighborhood in São Paulo and went to buy some cookies before lunch. He was mistaken as a criminal by police officers and was killed. He was only 14. This story is tattooed in my mind. I remember when I went to his funeral and talked to his mom. I remember seeing the other teenagers crying, needing to deal with the loss of a friend at such a young age…
I think it was very eye opening for me as a journalist and as a person in general. Reporting stories like that I realized how privileged I am and how I should use this to help myself and other people. How we are all one and how I can change people’s lives for the best if I have the right intentions. The world is not fair, but I think I can help it to be a little bit better with my art.
By the way, I would like to dedicate this article to Luan Gabriel Nogueira de Souza, the boy who was killed, and his mom, Maria Medina.
How does your journalistic work influence your creative projects in the entertainment industry?
Helping me to put myself in other people’s shoes, to be more empathetic, to understand that my perspective of the world is not the only one and that it is not always right.
Are there specific Brazilian or international filmmakers, actors, or writers who have inspired or influenced your work? How have they shaped your artistic vision?
My major inspiration as an actress is the wonderful Fernanda Montenegro. In my opinion she is the best Brazilian actor ever! Her work is so powerful and subtle. She inspires me a lot. I remember when I was only 8, seeing her at the Oscars as one of the nominees for best actress for the movie Central Station (Central do Brasil, in Portuguese)… I was so proud of her and how she was putting the name of the Brazilian film industry out there. She is amazing!
I think she inspired my artistic vision in a way that I think the whole world should get to know the Brazilian talented people! My country is beautiful, my people are creative, artistic, powerful and sweet! I am super proud of being Brazilian and I think the world should be able to see more and more about the Brazilian people, more than the stereotyped version of us.
Can you share some insights into your creative process, especially when working on a short movie? How do you approach developing characters and crafting a compelling narrative in a limited time frame?
As a journalist, I get my inspiration from real life, real people and real events. Sometimes something really weird or funny or sad happens to me and I tell myself: “it looks like a movie”.
That is how I get inspiration. I think real life can be crazier than made up stories. Sometimes, you can’t even believe something is happening in front of you. That is how I got the inspiration for Serial Dater.
I used to tell my friends about my dates and my horrible love life and they couldn’t believe that I was telling the truth. They used to be so entertained about my love life that I came to the conclusion I should use these bad experiences as fuel to make my art.
Looking ahead, what are your aspirations and goals in the entertainment industry? Are there any upcoming projects or collaborations that you’re excited about?
Well, my ultimate goal is to win an Oscar one day. And I know I will do everything in my power to get it. But talking about the things I wanna do in a short period of time is another movie based on my relationship with my dad. This one will be a drama.
I am also working on a play with my talented friend, writer and actress Milla Jansen. It might be out soon. So, keep an eye on my social media @cavi.gi on Instagram. I will be posting all about these and other projects there.
