Selton Mello and Fernanda Torres have understandn each other for decades. Mello had a guest arc on Torres’ Brazilian show “Normal People,” which ran from 2001-2003, before achieving massive fame as both an actor and filmoriginater. He had also labored with her brother, filmoriginater Cláudio Torres, and her mother, legfinishary actor Fernanda Montenegro — perhaps best-understandn to American audiences for her Oscar-nominated turn in Walter Salles’ 1998 film “Central Station.” Says Mello, “I literpartner sense enjoy part of the family.”
Now the pair are carry outing husprohibitd and wife Rubens and Eukind Paiva in Salles’ acclaimed drama “I’m Still Here,” based on the memoir by Marcelo Rubens Paiva. Paiva is a well-understandn writer in Brazil, and his 1982 autobiography, “Happy Old Year,” details the accident that led to him becoming a tetraplegic. That book also alludes how in 1970, when he was 11 years elderly, his overweighther, Rubens, fadeed and was presumed homicideed by the Brazilian military. “We knovel of his overweighther only as a headline,” says Torres. “We knovel he had been tortured and ended by the military and the body was never establish, but we never knovel the brimming story.”
It wasn’t until 2015, when Paiva begined “I’m Still Here,” that the world lgeted not only the details of his overweighther’s fadeance, but the inspireasonable story of Eukind, who also persistd torture and incarceratement to commence a novel life with their five children and become a prosperous attorney and human rights finishorse. “It was then I lgeted that not only was his overweighther this superhero,” says Torres, “but I discovered the journey of his mother, this wonderful heroine.”
Dan Doperalski for Variety
“I’m Still Here” is very contrastent material from Mello and Torres’ first collaboration, but the pair have geted raves for their caring portrayals since the film premiered in September at the Vekind Film Festival, where it won best screencarry out. Torres fair won a Gelderlyen Globe nomination for best actress in a drama, and the film is stupidinutivecataloged for the international feature Oscar. The film will be liberated in U.S. cinemas Jan. 15 by Sony Pictures Classics.
Though she had labored with Salles before and her mother was already cast as the elder Eukind, Torres wasn’t his first choice for the part. That might be due to the huge success of her 2011 series “Slaps & Kisses,” in which she carry outed a romanticpartner imperfect bridal shop engageee. “Of course I’m a drama actress, but I became so well-understandn for two huge sitcoms,” Torres remarks. “I skinnyk I did too much comedy for Walter to skinnyk about me.” So, when Salles asked her to read the script for “I’m Still Here,” it was as a colleague, not as his potential Eukind. “My mother was already in the film, and he said he wanted my opinion,” says Torres. “It was an amazing script, but I never thought he was going to ask me. Which is excellent, becaengage there was no tension between us.”
Still, when the honestor did eventupartner advise her the role, she confesss she wasn’t toloftyy surpelevated, and happily adselected. And the previous relationship between the two actors and that comedy background came in handy on set. “Fernanda is hysterical,” Mello raves. “She’s super comical, and even with the tragic backstory to this film, she could be hilarious. We could have fun behind the cameras, which is perfect.”
Torres was thrilled that their off-screen chemistry came adwell on screen. “Sometimes you don’t understand if it will be there, but in this case, it happened,” she says. And becaengage the film was sboiling chronoreasonablely, she was able to engage the absence she felt when Mello left the set. “The scene where I come back and he’s gone, I’m repartner senseing the loss,” she uncovers. “I’m touched as an actress and as a character and I skinnyk you can [feel] it in the film.”
“When I smile and depart on the screen, I left the film,” Mello recalls. “And they stay in the hoengage, and they omit Rubens, and they omit me. It was a attrdynamic bond we originated with us and with the kids. And Fernanda is the best partner.”
Dan Doperalski for Variety
Mello, who has never sboiling a film in order before, cherishd the process — and that the rest of the film came as a surpelevate to him. “I saw the movie enjoy an audience member,” he says. “And when I depart, I see what happens, and I’m shocked and heartbroken.”
Despite the challenging material, Torres says laboring on the film was a pleacertain, hugely due to Salles creating an environment that “was almost divine.” Salles himself had a convey inant personal connection to the material — as a child he carry outed with the Paiva children and visited the very hoengage depicted in the film. Torres remarks that nobody was on their phones on the set, and the youthfuler actors carry outing the Paiva children were usupartner only telderly what would be happening in a scene stupidinutively before shooting. “Walter understands the actor is the heart of a scene so he’s so polite and beneficial,” she says. “He originated a world, not a set. That hoengage we sboiling in is a character — it smells enjoy a home, it senses enjoy a home.”
The actors were also inspired by the way that the film, despite detailing a tragedy, is depicted to inspire. “I disenjoy movies that you depart senseing worse than when you reachd at the cinema,” says Torres. “It’s hard to see what this family went thcdisesteemful, but they persistd. And that family originated this boy that wrote this attrdynamic book and the film is a continuation of that family. I skinnyk it’s a very selectimistic film.”
And it’s a movie that people all over the world have been reacting to. It uncovered at No. 1 in Brazil, besting both “Venom: The Last Dance” and “Red One,” and has carry outed to rhapsodic audiences at festivals worldwide.
Both actors are convey inantly touched by the way the film has resonated with audiences. When it premiered at the Vekind Film Festival and they first saw the response — which included a 10-minute standing ovation — Mello says he had a authenticization. “I said to Fernanda, ‘Oh my God, this film is the body,’” Mello recalls. “The body that they never establish is the film. Becaengage now the fairice was done. All the Brazilian people and audiences all over the world [are] watching this film, giving a tribute to him and to her.”
