Plural, Felipe Velozo breaks the barriers of the heartthrob stereotype. Far beyond the defined body, the Bahian has been drawing attention for its versatility. If you’re a Globo viewer, you’ve certainly seen Felipe on the small screen. On air as the elegant and sweet bank manager Tomás in the 6 pm serial “Mar do Sertão” and recently as Neto, the studded soccer player in “Família Paraíso”.
Marked as his first feature film, the award-winning film directed by Wagner Moura and starring names like Seu Jorge and Adriana Esteves, was shown in a miniseries format, divided into 4 episodes with never-before-seen scenes. Check out the interview!
In dramaturgy and music, for example, it is common to see artists who start very early, are already interested in the area and start their careers in childhood. You, on the other hand, studied law and only later decided to pursue an artistic career. How did you decide or find out that you wanted to be an artist?
In fact, if I’m going to follow the route of my life, art comes first. My father and my brother always played the guitar. Music has always been part of my day. My brother became a professional musician and I followed in his footsteps soon after. I did theater at church when I was a kid, I started playing professionally (percussion) at 16, and so on… So I believe I always was, I just didn’t have that in my “bio” (laughs).
The barriers of the stereotype of the heartthrob, today you have a wide range of characters in the dramaturgy, and currently, your role is Tomás in the soap opera “Mar do Sertão”, soap opera at 6 pm on Rede Globo. How has the experience been of playing this character who, while showing elegance, also brings a sweet personality?
This for me is the point that most interests me. Because it brings humanity. Every time I come across a character with exposed and hidden layers, dualities, conflict, it excites me. Life is like this! And that makes the audience approach, identify. Tomás is sweet, kind, romantic, but he also lost his mind and punched the Sheik, inside the bank, while working, which led to his dismissal. Tomás is elegant, smiling, advisor, but he also exuded sensuality, vigor and strength when he appeared shirtless. And that! Nobody is one thing.
Another production that has already been confirmed for the second season is “Família Paraíso”, which is a comedy with Leandro Hassum and that talks about the daily life of an elderly home, where you live the football player Neto. How are your expectations to continue this project?
I love this project, the cast and what it represents. Neto is “Boleirão” and brings me closer to a universe that I am passionate about: football! My story with Hassum starts twelve years ago, he was the first person who took me to Projac in my life. This reunion was very emotional. In addition, dealing with a topic as necessary as ageism, through a light, dynamic and very funny text and format. It’s back to the series is an opportunity to continue learning from so many geniuses that I call the Universidade Brasileira de Comedia.
You have worked with big names in Brazilian TV and cinema, such as Debora Bloch, Wagner Moura, Seu Jorge, among others. How does this affect your work, in terms of learning, responsibilities and even nervousness?
The artist and person that I am are a direct reflection of the colleagues, places and projects that have passed through my life. I was and continue to be very blessed in building my career. It is not only on the film set, during recording, but mainly behind the scenes, in the “backstage” that my behavior and learning are profoundly shaped. It is necessary to be attentive with eyes, ears and soul to drink from the wisdom of these great ones and grow with them at each encounter. To this day, I stop and think about the people I met, talked to, worked with and I only know how to thank God. I will never “pretend custom”!
This being one of the most impactful projects in national cinema in 2019, you were cast in the film “Marighella” by Wagner Moura, which told the story of Carlos Marighella, who fought against the dictatorship in Brazil. Could you tell us a little more about the experience of helping to tell this story that was so important to the history of our country?
Do you know when a team wins the World Cup? All athletes, technical commission, team win the same medal. That’s exactly how I feel, a champion! I played alongside the great stars of my country, I had the best coach possible, competent, attentive and generous and the whole team was always looking for a great goal from the first “action” to the last “cut”. Unforgettable to have debuted in the cinema in this way.
Can you tell us a little about the preparation process and how you were quoted for the cast of Marighella?
I memorized Mário Magalhães’s book (which gave rise to the film’s script) and from there the universe of that perverse, difficult and dark time was already forming in my head. I always wanted to do this movie. Ever! I didn’t know what, how, or where, but I knew I would be telling those stories with those people. At great cost I managed to get in touch with the casting producer, I went (uninvited) to the audition site and said I was interested. Some time later he called me and the rest is history. Or rather, it’s a movie.
In addition to this current soap opera on Rede Globo, you are the protagonist of the HBO Max series “Vale dos Esquecidos”, playing two completely different characters: an MMA fighter and a prostitute from the 18th century, where she even had to gain 10 kilos of weight. slim. In that case, would you say that the series gave you more work in the preparation process? What was it like to enter this fitness universe?
Undoubtedly. I’ve always played sports and have a healthy diet. I never smoked and had already stopped consuming alcohol when the series appeared. But, to build “Coyote”, I needed a discipline and dedication that I had never achieved. In addition to the deep study in acting, he did bodybuilding, swimming, boxing, jiu-jitsu, running, in addition to a very strict diet. I got where I wanted to, but then came the pandemic. It took eighteen months to stop, locked in the house, I had a daughter and I returned to the starting point until I resumed filming. So, I did the route twice. Protagonism is a post that requires diving into very deep waters and I came out of that process with the “thickest skin”.
The series Eleita, released in 2022, marks another work in audiovisual comedy. In the same year, it was also released in the same year, being a horror series. Which of these genres challenged you the most as an actor or was the hardest to do?
They are very different exercises, but all with very important requirements. To make “Elected”, opposite Diogo Vilela, Clarice Falcão, there are so many people who are specialists in the universe of comedy, I needed extra attention. The speed of scenes, dialogs and mainly reasoning is much, much faster. Already in the “Valley of the Forgotten”, I had an emotional demand, very dark. It was all in the eye and body. It was a series that in 10 episodes, my “spoken” text is very little. I needed to say everything without opening my mouth.”
You’ve already played characters that are quite different from each other, but is there any archetype of character that you would like to bring to life or someone that you dream of playing opposite?
I always think about making characters that challenge me. Action, period plots and the universe of music are on my radar. Now who to work with, I dream of sharing the scene (in theater, TV or cinema) with so many people who inspire me. But to list some from different generations: Fernanda Montenegro, Irandhir Santos, Júlio Andrade, Leticia Colin, Mariana Nunes, Augusto Madeira, Fabrício Boliveira and Gabriel Leoni.
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*With Regina Soares