‘I heard my accent was a problem’

On the air with her first protagonist in a soap opera, Candoca from “Mar do sertão”, Isadora Cruz planned to return to Los Angeles (USA), where she lived before the soap opera, as soon as the plot came to an end. However, with the positive return of the work, the actress from Paraíba is already thinking about staying longer in Brazil. In this interview, she talks about the emotions she experiences on and off the stage, the importance of representation and long-distance dating with Elik Yagubov, a young man born in Azerbaijan who lives in Miami.

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How has the repercussion of “Mar do sertão” been?

I was recently in João Pessoa and it was very impressive. Everyone recognized me. People asked for a photo, they cried. I didn’t expect a telenovela so rich in diversity and new talent. I feel that we Northeastern women are having a voice. Lucy Alves, who is also from João Pessoa, is now in “Travessia”.

How does it feel to speak with your own accent in the soap opera?

This brings hope to Northeastern actors. My whole life I’ve been told my accent was a problem. I’ve heard: “How beautiful you are, but you have this accent”. Absurd. There is a prejudice against accents outside the RJ-SP axis.

Juliette suffered xenophobia in “BBB 21”. Did you follow?

Juliette already followed me on Instagram because I had done makeup with her before “BBB”. I was really happy when I saw her on the show and started rooting for her. People had no patience with Juliette because of her accent. But this is our way. And it’s beautiful.

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What is the responsibility of playing a protagonist?

I’m learning when I have to go deeper and when I have to take more technique. At the beginning of the novel, I didn’t know how to deal with emotions. In the death scene of Zé Paulino (Sergio Guizé), I cried so much that I woke up depressed the next day. It felt like someone had died, even though I knew I was Isadora, that my boyfriend was alive.

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What has surprised you the most so far in this job?

The three Marias — a trio formed by the characters Candoca, Lorena (Mariana Sena) and Labibe (Theresa Fonseca) — were a surprise to everyone. We were three unknown actresses and they threw us there. But we connect. They came from São Paulo, I was living in Los Angeles (USA). The three of them come from different places, from long-distance relationships… And we became very good friends in real life too. It was a meeting of souls. They helped me get through that moment.

And how is dating the distance?

We’ve been together for four years. Firm and strong!

What is the biggest difficulty of playing the young lady?

Candoca always passes on strong lessons to the other characters and this can get tiring for the audience. My challenge is not to make it too hard.

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