Maria Santos: the multitalented actress and screenwriter who conquers cinema and literature

Luca Moreira
7 Min Read
Maria Santos
Maria Santos

At 26 years old, Maria Santos is already a multifaceted creative force, with notable works as an actress, poet and screenwriter. With two plays, a book released and another on the way, she is now preparing for her film debut with “Todo mundo ainda tem problemas sexuais”. Furthermore, Maria celebrates a Latin Grammy for the Bala Quero album, and stands out in independent cinema with five films in production. Also active on the internet, she launches a new program on TikTok while studying to start directing her own films and plays.

Maria, you started in theater when you were 10 and haven’t stopped since. How did you get started in theater and what motivated you to continue on this artistic path?

Well, I was a very shy child, but I played theater with my cousins ​​when I was younger. I ended up asking my parents to join the theater, believing it was what I wanted. I was right, I ended up liking it and never stopped. Then came literature, which became another passion.

His work covers diverse areas such as theater, cinema, literature and poetry. How do you balance all these activities and how do they complement each other in your artistic vision?

What helps is having different projects that make the soul act in the most diverse ways. I think this is the coolest thing about working with different media: exploring them in their singularities. But everything ends up mixing, I’m always between scene (theatre/cinema) and poetry when doing anything.

What inspired the writing of your plays “Baú de Corações” and “Esse Peixe é Passarinho”? Could you talk a little about the creative process of these works?

“Baú” was about being able to structure the pain I felt when moving from childhood to adolescence. The “Fish” was with my intense analysis process that culminated in inventing an absurd narrative based on this analyst-analyzed relationship. Leila Meirelles and I wrote The Baú, it was a joint process, very light and fluid in which we exchanged texts and thoughts. Creating the universe we wanted. As for Peixe, I did it alone, but we soon entered the rehearsal process. Helping with the modulation of the Text.

Maria Santos
Maria Santos

You released your first book “Elise” and have another one to release. Can you tell us a little about these books and what readers can expect from your next publication?

Elise was where I debuted and it has a lot of the feel of a first book. He tries out a way that I’m already more confident in following, in “proesia” as my friend Téo Serson says. The timbres that detune and tune as the images appear. The second book are short stories that seek images of loss, family and writing, going beyond the strict limits of narrative writing.

This year you make your film debut as an actress and screenwriter in the film “Todo mundo ainda tem problemas sexuais”. What was the experience of adapting Domingos Oliveira’s work and working under the direction of Renata Paschoal?

It was wonderful to adapt Domingos’ work and be able to learn more about his cinema. He is very incredible and his work has courage and humor. Renata was my cinema godmother, leading me to enter this world head first. It’s really incredible to be able to be in the text and on the scene as an actress.

You won a Latin Grammy for Bala Quero’s album “Sim Sim Sim”. What was it like collaborating with Bruno Jablonski and seeing his poems come to life in music?

Working with Bala Quero was a wonderful challenge, I was with Bruno who is my best friend, so it was very enjoyable to work with. We discovered how to think about poetry within the sound time of the song.

Maria Santos
Maria Santos

With five films in production, as an actress, what has been your most challenging role so far and why?

It’s been really cool to make a photo-soap opera “Eurídice”, directed by Letícia Asano and Lucas Citta. Acting in a production focused on photography is crazy when it comes to acting. A character in photos.

Working in independent cinema, what are the main challenges you face and how do you overcome them?

The independent vibrates. The problem is money. We end up doing it because we believe in our work, managing as we can. The good thing is being able to go further with the experiments, but we have to find small jobs out there to have money.

Regarding the podcast ” Isso não é Noronha ” and your YouTube humor channel ” Jo do You “, how do these experiences on the internet influence your work in other media?

I’m addicted to the internet. My next work is completely focused on the internet, I like the idea of ​​immediate interaction and being able to experience crazy things openly.

You mentioned that you intend to start directing films and plays of your own. What are your expectations for this new phase of your career and what projects can we expect in the future?

I really want to direct and rethink the structure of the scene from another angle, to be able to understand the changing aspects of a text without being on the scene. I think it will be really cool!

Follow Maria Santos on Instagram

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