Actor Guilherme Rodio debuts in the docudrama series Pico dos Marins: The Case of Scout Marco Aurélio, available on Globoplay from May 12th, in a production that revisits one of the most emblematic disappearances in the country. Playing the scout leader in the story, the artist is part of a project that blends investigation, memory, and social impact. In an interview, Rodio talks about the challenge of bringing a true story to life, the responsibility involved in the narrative, and this transformative moment in his artistic career.
In “Pico dos Marins: The Case of Scout Marco Aurélio,” you play a character embedded in a true story that remains unanswered for 40 years. What was it like, emotionally, to enter a project permeated by so much pain, memory, and responsibility?
Before being invited to play Chief Juan, I had already been impacted by the podcast, which deeply affected me. A disappearance story is always very dramatic because it leaves those involved in a kind of suspense, a waiting period for a resolution that is moving. The challenge for me was to try to understand the human being behind the decisions he made and justify them internally, without judging him through the lens of someone who already knows what came next. I tried to find the Juan of that moment, from 1986, the energetic, passionate, and respected scout leader. I also feel that filming at Pico dos Marins, with all the mysticism and grandeur of the place, brought to me and the entire team a feeling of being inside a living story, of asking permission to participate and contribute.
You said that creating this character was a “turning point” in your perspective on the profession. What did this experience help you understand more deeply about art and its social function?
Whether in more commercial or more personal projects, I always strive to deliver performances that provoke thought, that go beyond the obvious, that entertain. In the case of Chief Juan, because it’s a real and “open” case, I felt a different layer, a kind of “direct connection” between the work and an impact on objective reality. Who knows, by watching the series, someone might speak up, some hidden truth might come to light. There was a feeling on the set, with the crew, with Marcelo, the series director, that we were there on a kind of mission: to use our tools as storytellers to reconstruct this story from 40 years ago in search of a conclusion.
In portraying Juan, the scout leader, in a narrative inspired by such an emblematic case, what kind of care did you take to ensure that the character was not merely a dramatic representation, but someone with human truth?
I talked a lot with Marcelo about Juan during pre-production and rehearsals. We also had preparation with two scouts who taught us a lot about the values, conduct, and codes of this very specific group of people.
As he is a central character in the story, my goal was always to try to understand his way of thinking, how he made the decisions he made, and how he withstood the pressures he faced. Some people who knew Juan personally provided details and information that also helped in the process, especially regarding his behavior, certain mannerisms, and how they felt when they were in the same environment as him. The main thing was to find his motivations and impulses without falling into the trap of turning him into a hero or a villain.
Your career has spanned television, streaming, theater, self-directed short films, and now also projects where you write and produce. How have all these experiences shaped the artist you are today?
What motivates me, even before I was an actor, since adolescence, are good stories and good characters. When I’m invited to a project, I give my body, my feelings, to a story created by someone else. Little by little I discovered that I could do the reverse: Starting from a character I imagined and created with passion, I could tell a story, create a narrative, a universe. I did this in the short film “A Volta Para Casa” (The Return Home), in which I act with Lima Duarte, and which is available on YouTube, and now in two more short films and a feature film that are in development.
There’s something very beautiful in the way you talk about filmmaking as a collaborative effort, almost a human dream machine. Where does this fascination with the set and the collective process of audiovisual creation come from?
I think it happened around 2015, when I did my first job on a large audiovisual production, another docudrama for the History Channel called Giants of Brazil. I was surprised and delighted by the way a large group of over 100 people makes a project happen, each respecting the other’s space and doing their best so that their colleagues can do the same. Seeing a technical team, cast, support staff, all working together, is beautiful. I fell in love with it.
You also have a very strong connection to building complex characters, influenced by studying Stella Adler’s technique and working with Milton Justice. How does this deeper immersion in the craft transform your acting style?
This is my passion. To transform myself physically and emotionally into a human being full of ambiguities, someone different from myself. Stella Adler was a great acting teacher who believed that the actor needs to disappear for the human being to emerge. Before studying and incorporating her working method, I had an intuitive relationship with the work, but with the technique, I was able to go much deeper into character creation.
Besides acting, you write, produce, and are now preparing to teach acting courses. At what point did this desire to also share what you’ve learned with other actors arise?
Since returning to Brazil with notebooks and notebooks full of notes, I imagined that one day I could share this knowledge. During the pandemic, between 2020 and 2021, I developed a course and began offering it sporadically in places like B_arco, CPT, and independently on platforms like Zoom. Since then, several actors have contacted me for individual training and mentoring.
You said you enjoy telling stories of ordinary characters facing epic dilemmas. What is it about these silent, profoundly human conflicts that so attracts you as an artist and creator?
I believe we are micro-universes full of contradictions and paradoxes, and that our individual worlds collide with others through the relationships we establish. My quest as an actor and storyteller is to experience and express this complexity through behavior, unspoken details, and subtle nuances. I want to connect with the diversity of human experience so I can give that back to the audience, fostering reflection and empathy.
Follow Guilherme Rodio onInstagram
