Joao Fernandes, who stayed away from Globo’s screens since his last appearance in “Malhação – Toda Forma de Amar”, is back as Justino in “Perfect Love”. The actor, who has more than 12 years of career, has played several challenging characters, since his debut in “Caminho das Índias”, passing through successes such as “Cordel Encantado” and “Avenida Brasil”. At the age of 24, João is the sole father of a 3-year-old boy and, despite his experience as an actor, he reveals that he prepared intensely for the role of Justino, seeking to escape the commonplace.
To live the character, João relied on the preparation of the talented Ana Kfouri and Iris da Costa, and now he celebrates the success of the new production. In addition, he is about to debut his first protagonist in the Globoplay series, “O Jogo Que Mudou A História”, which portrays the origin of the drug war in Rio de Janeiro. And the opportunities do not stop there, in 2022, João participated in two unreleased films: “A Vilã Das Nove” by Teo Poppovic and “Tô de Graça”, an adaptation of the series of the same name with Rodrigo Santana, directed by César Rodrigues. Check out the interview!
Returning from a hiatus since 2019 on television, when you participated in “Malhação”, today you are back in the cast of “Amor Perfeito”, a new soap opera by Rede Globo. How has it been to return to the studios and especially what can we expect from Justino?
Lots of laughter and suffering! Justino will still suffer in Sonia’s hands, but always with a good mood and a lot of lightness. He will conquer Brazil even more.
You even spoke in a statement that at the turn of 2021 to 2022, you ended up dreaming of returning to a soap opera, even though you had done other projects during that year. Looking at it that way, which do you believe is what most attracts you to television?
Rede Globo launched me on the market, bet and trusted me, since then our relationship is increasingly intimate, I hope it lasts for a long time. I find the cultural power that television stations have magical, a lot of people watching and changing, that’s too special.
His new character brings a perfect combination of sweetness and charisma in his personality, however, one of his strongest points is his morals and character that governed him during the plot. How has the preparation process been to bring it to life?
One of the most important parts for an actor is understanding the text. These days I talked to Duca and she is really enjoying the result, so I believe it has worked! My preparation process is almost always based on the psyche of the character, so this moral gives me a very interesting north to interpret.
In addition to theater, you now share your life with something even more important – fatherhood, being a single father at the age of 24. What else changed in your life after the arrival of your child and what is it like to reconcile these two worlds?
Run! You have to take it seriously. Acting and taking care of my puppy are two of the things I love most in life, so I do them with pleasure. Without a doubt, the biggest change that occurred in me after Nico chose me as a father was the notion of responsibilities and the world actually became more interesting, because my goal was increasingly clear: My little one’s happiness and achievements. Nothing else matters.
“Justino”, the character he will play in “Perfect Love”, will be the great turning point in his career. Can you tell us a little about this character and how you prepared for it?
He is a very passionate young man. For life, for animals and without a doubt, Sonia. Your best friend and true love. A hard worker, he also spends a lot of time at the precinct, working with and judging the boss, Albuquerque.
You started your career in “Caminho das Índias” and since then you’ve had great successes like “Cordel Encantado” and “Avenida Brasil”. What was the most challenging role you’ve played and why?
Until then, from what I’ve experienced on screen, I believe that it was “One against all”, it was a very strong project. A sensitive series about family and a guy who has gone through hardships, and working with Julinho is a huge responsibility. Accompanying Téo’s growth, the disappointments, frustrations, and the relationship with a father who experiences such atypical things, was very important for me.
In addition to the telenovela, you will be experiencing your first protagonist in Globoplay’s “O Jogo Que Mudou a História” series, which will tell the story of the drug trafficking war in Rio de Janeiro. How is it being to represent in fiction something that unfortunately has been terrorizing society for so long?
It is necessary to talk about it. Projects like this are needed even to re-educate society on the subject. We need to understand how, when and why things happened. It was a real gift for me, a surreal achievement, which I needed. I left the series much more confident as an artist.
Last year, you filmed two feature films that are yet to be released, namely “A Vilã das Nove”, by Teo Poppovic and “Tô de Graça”, by director César Rodrigues. How are the expectations for these news?
I’m very curious! It’s funny that on television we record and in less than two weeks it’s already on the air. At the cinema, you wait at least a year, so the longing for the sets and the expectations are growing day by day. In Teo’s film, I only do one scene, but it was delicious to shoot with Karine Teles, a great actress and friend. We laugh a lot. And in “I’m for free” I already do the entire film, and because it was a production that I jumped right into, from one day to the next, I ended up with few records of how it was turning out, I’m dying to watch it. Rodrigo is surreal and intelligent, a lot of improvisation. It was beautiful!
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*With Regina Soares