Have you ever been to Mozambique, Ricardo?
I haven't been to Mozambique yet. I have family from Mozambique and I've been on the verge of making the trip several times; in fact, it will be one of my next ones, because as well as family, I have many friends who live in Mozambique today. So I really want to visit, to get to know it, because everybody talks wonders about it and I really want to see it.
How do you feel you are received by Mozambicans?
I can speak about all the Mozambicans I know and am friends with. They have always been very affectionate towards me. Obviously, when I go to Mozambique for the first time, I'm sure I'll have that wonderful experience too. I'm very eager to go.
I'm very happy that the work I've done throughout my career manages to reach many places, particularly the Portuguese-speaking countries, where it reaches a great deal, where it reaches in full
In fact, there is great affection for you among the Mozambican population, mainly because of the heavy consumption of Portuguese and Brazilian soap operas. How do you view the link that the Portuguese language makes possible between the various Portuguese-speaking countries?
In answer to the question, I'll even answer with a bit of a Brazilian accent – Brazilian Portuguese and European Portuguese, no doubt about it. I know that the work we do on television, whether in Portugal or in Brazil, has this ability to cross borders and, at the same time, to bring us closer together. I think that's fantastic. I'm very happy because, obviously, an artist always likes to have an audience and for their work to be seen by as many people as possible, to reach distant places, and people in other places, for the work to touch those people through a portrayal, a performance, the script, the story itself, and I'm very happy that the work I've done throughout my career manages to reach many places, particularly the Portuguese-speaking countries, where it reaches a great deal, where it reaches in full, but also other corners of the world. I think it brings us closer together, those of us in the Portuguese-speaking countries, and makes us feel we belong to a group, a common family. And when it goes to other regions, to other countries, it also makes people look at us and see how we act, perform and live art, and that's a good thing. Whether it's a film, theatre or cinema, it has this purpose of travelling and touching people wherever it goes. It's everything we want as artists.
You quickly conquered Brazil, where you have worked mainly in Rede Globo soap operas. Is it hard to reproduce the Brazilian accent during long hours of filming?
Nowadays – well, look, I'm already answering with a Brazilian Portuguese accent – it's been many years in Brazil, many years working here, and I think language and accent have to do with practice, don't they? It's the same as spending time in the USA or England and speaking English, or spending time in France or in a French-speaking country and speaking French. I think it has a lot to do with that, doesn't it? I think we end up adapting and gaining another language, don't we? Here [in Brazil], in fact, it's Portuguese, but it's Portuguese with a different accent, just like the Portuguese of Mozambique, the Portuguese of Angola, the Portuguese of Cape Verde, the Portuguese of Portugal, and that's the magic of the language. It has spread, and it's different in each place. Nowadays it's completely natural for me to have this accent, because my Portuguese, when I'm in Brazil, is Brazilian Portuguese and, when I'm in Portugal, it's European Portuguese. But of course it's already quite mixed itself, and that's also the beauty of the language. But I've had the opportunity to work and do work in French, in English, in Italian, and I really like those challenges of trying to perfect ourselves in accents, in the ability to act in different languages.
What burden comes with being considered a soap opera heartthrob?
Zero burden. I think that, besides the heartthrobs I've played, the leading roles I've played throughout my career, there is a very consistent career, with diverse work, that moves very calmly and very organically between the heartthrobs I've played, the villains I've played, and also the more different people, physically more intense, with a physically heavier look. So, for me, zero burden; they are all journeys of my artistic career that I love, each and every one of them. I love playing a heartthrob, I love living out a romantic story, just as much as I love playing a villain; it's part of our work practice, of our craft, of our opportunity to show different profiles, different approaches to building and interpreting a character. And I think that's fantastic; what I want is to be different in each job, to be different even when playing several heartthrobs, as I have done throughout my life. No two are alike, no two can be alike, so, zero burden. The burden is the burden of always wanting to deliver beautiful work and always having that initial fear, which at the same time works as a trigger, in a good sense, for us to try to get into the character. So, for that, we have to work, dedicate ourselves, watch and see a lot of things, and observe, so that we build above all a rich character, with roots, whether a heartthrob, a villain or another type of character. I like challenge, and I like the weight that things bring too; the weight is good, it keeps our feet on the ground and gives us a sense of the responsibility that is our field, our work, our craft, and that is very beautiful.
Do you consider romance to be a mandatory foundation for the success of a soap opera?
I very much consider romance to be always one of the main factors in the story of a soap opera. Love, right? I think love, in fact, is part of the story of life. Without love nothing happens; love... love is everything, so I think that, without a doubt, there must always be a love story behind a soap opera story. And love can be lived in many ways. That's the beauty, and that's where the creators, the writers, have the chance to show various ways of conveying that love, which is fantastic.
Would you like to see a greater presence of actors from the PALOP in the big soap operas?
I think it would be really great; I've been fortunate to have already done several projects with actors from many different places, from several PALOP countries, of various nationalities. I've had that opportunity, but I think we should indeed think about, create and suggest productions that involve more actors from all the Portuguese-speaking countries, because we only have something to gain from it. We will have a richer story, a stronger story, one that represents this group of countries that speak the same language more fully, so I think so. I would love to be part of those projects, whether theatre, cinema or television.
What is the future of soap operas in a world increasingly fascinated by platforms such as Netflix and HBO? Do you believe this format could be adopted by streaming platforms?
Soap operas have a very loyal audience, an audience that loves the format, that loves the product, and has that audience all over the world. The soap operas made in various places in the world, not only in Brazil but also elsewhere, such as Portugal and others, are watched all over the world and are very closely followed, very much loved. So yes, without a doubt, soap operas have a great future, there are lots of stories left to tell. We are already seeing the streaming movement in certain regions making soap-opera-type products, sometimes one more soap opera. I think we will end up having this format on some other platforms too, in the future, without a doubt. The soap opera is a product that will continue to exist; it has a very beautiful strength, it's a very beautiful way of telling a story, so that's it, a very good future for soap operas.
What are your points of reference from Mozambique in terms of cinema, literature, music or theatre?
I've been discovering and taking a lot of interest. I tried to follow the work of the artist Malangatana closely. In fact, his work as an artist goes beyond painting, doesn't it? A multifaceted artist and a very interesting body of work. In literature I'll mention Mia Couto, because I've come to know his work over the years, his work too being very rich, very diverse and very interesting. I'm a big fan.
What is your opinion of African cinema? Is Africa still overlooked at the Hollywood Oscars?
I think that today the world is paying a lot of attention to cinema from many places, and without a doubt to the cinema made in Africa, to African cinema, attentive to all regions. Hollywood – as the question implies, right? – is today, more than ever, attentive to the cinema we make all over the world. So I think it's good that we have diverse representation of this big world, which has different ways of making cinema, and different stories that have to be looked at, and have to be seen, and obviously have to have the big stages so they can be shown to as large an audience as possible. And I want to believe, and I really hope, that cinema will be more and more diverse, attentive to all the places where it is made, with cinema from everywhere shown to the greatest number of people.
What advice would you give to a young Mozambican actor?
That's a question I'm always asked, especially when I go to speak, give a talk or take part in a conference, and they ask me about the art, the craft of being an actor. I take the profession very seriously, I value it greatly, and I demand a lot of myself to always deliver my best, but when you ask me this question about a young Mozambican actor, or even one from some other place in the world, from another country, it's: if he really loves this profession, he has to follow that dream, and following that dream means, first of all, knowing how to observe, which is fundamental to our art, and then knowing how to listen, because there is always an actor, younger or older, ready to teach us, and we should learn from everyone. And then seek, yes, let's say, to train in this, and by that I mean seeking knowledge in this field so as to be better prepared, and then having humility and knowing how to recognise that life is a process and that we keep evolving throughout life. Wanting and being willing to learn, having discipline and rigour in your work, and then working hard. And working hard means dedicating yourself fully to this craft and this profession. I think these are essential tips for the work to happen and to reach the place that this person, this actor, this actress, desires, dreamed of and, in fact, wanted. That's it, step by step building something with roots, with substance.
Plans for the future?
I'm currently filming “Cara e Coragem”, a new Globo soap opera that you'll be able to watch very soon. I have a film that is also about to premiere, called Revolta, a film made in Portugal in the midst of the pandemic, a really great film, with Margarida Vila Nova, Cristóvão Campos and Teresa Tavares, faces you also know from soap operas and theatre and cinema, and a really great soap opera, a new 7 o'clock soap opera, also from Globo, and I'm reading several scripts; I have another film that I can't say much about yet. But I'm reading other theatre texts, and I actually have an idea of doing a play that passes through several Portuguese-speaking countries a little. So who knows, soon I might be on a stage there to perform for you and be able to tell you a story.
Would you like to leave a message for Mozambicans?
To the folks in Mozambique, what I really want to leave is that I hope one day, even tomorrow – it won't be possible right now because I'm filming every day – but very soon, I can visit this country that I always hear is a beautiful place, with wonderful people; I want to feel that energy. So the message I'll leave here is a really big hug, even if it's from a distance for now, and that I may also be hugged and hug back, as soon as I set foot one day – and may it be soon – on Mozambican soil. A really big kiss to all of you in your hearts, and see you soon!
