Isabel Teixeira returns to TV as a controversial boss, says Maria Bruaca made her read about domestic work and cites a 20-year relationship with her employee

Isabel Teixeira conquered Brazil with Maria Bruaca from “Pantanal”, a suffering housewife, mistreated by her husband, who only with time recognizes her own worth. Now, in her first work on TV after the resounding success of the character, she lives a very different reality. This Monday (6), at the beginning of the week in which International Women’s Day is celebrated, the special “Female lines — Impossible stories: episode ‘Mancha’” will air, in which the 49-year-old actress from São Paulo is Laura, mother solo of a baby who has a problematic relationship with the maid Mayara (Luellem de Castro). Anyone who has watched scenes from the show, in the teaser that has aired during breaks on TV Globo, has certainly been impacted and curious by the unfolding of the story, as the employee appears falling from a tall building while cleaning the glass of a window, hanging from the parapet:

— I started reading precisely because of Maria Bruaca, a writer called Silvia Federici. She talks a lot about housework. It is generally a low-paying job, as maids usually earn a maximum of two minimum wages. Or even unpaid, in the case of housewives. Her work is not seen, valued. Many times the woman is subjugated to her husband, who works outside and just for himself, while she takes care of everything (and everyone). There is even property abuse, because, when there is a separation, the husband says he worked, built an empire, and she did nothing.

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Isabel says she has a 20-year relationship with the maid who works at her house, Cláudia, but that over time the working partnership has been rebuilt.

— Faxina is a system that has a manual of what can be done. It’s not to get the maid to clean a hanging window. After I had a child (Flora and Diego, aged 11 and 18, respectively), Cláudia became a monthly worker, with a job contract. The Household PEC is something very recent and I wanted to do it right. It has to have limits. The objective is not to end this work, but with the way that society has always seen it — says Isabel, who adds: — When are we going to have a commercial for a product that values ​​the maid as a reference? This is a profession that needs to be valued more. It’s a luxury! It requires technique, learning. It has to become an honorable job, without shame.

About her craft, Isabel has been feeling honored. The artist, who has a long career in theater, took home the Best of the Year 2022 trophy as best soap opera actress for her work in “Pantanal”. After that, audiences looked forward to seeing her in other TV roles. And, as far as the São Paulo woman is concerned, her face will continue to shine on screens, in a relationship that, according to her, has been like a honeymoon.

— I am very passionate about (TV). I’m at the beginning of a marriage that I think will be a long one. I’m still in those years of deep passion. I haven’t done cinema yet and I can’t fall in love platonically (laughs) — she has fun, who still says, excited: — I’ve been twice to Ana Maria Braga’s program, I’m dying to go there again, stay a while! I want to make a soap opera, a TV series… If I have space, I want to occupy it.

A suspenseful story

Throughout the year, four other episodes of the “Impossible Stories” project will be aired: “Talks about the land”, “Talks about pride”, “Talks about life” and “Black talks”. This Monday (6th), “Female lines”, with the episode “Mancha”, begins after “BBB 23”. In the story, Mayara is on her last day at work. She, who passed the entrance exam and decided to invest in her study, believes that she lives with a different boss, until Laura asks the young woman to give up studying. Unsuccessful, she makes one last request: that the employee clean a stain on the glass window in the room, which changes the course of both of their stories.

— It was an intense three weeks (of recording). I put my whole heart into this work, which was very challenging. What calls my attention the most about the project is the narrative being based on suspense. We have International Women’s Day and this week we are talking about this very important issue.