Series about Anderson Silva portrays racism and the importance of the family base – 11/29/2023 – Sport

It doesn’t usually happen like this, but this time, Tatiana Tibúrcio and Seu Jorge were able to dedicate themselves exclusively to interpreting the characters in their most recent work, the Anderson Spider Silva series.

As black actors, most of the time, in addition to acting, they need to worry about how their roles are created to avoid reproducing stereotypes and racist statements.

In the work that presents the fighter’s life, from his childhood in Curitiba until he became one of the biggest names in the world of MMA (from the English acronym mixed martial arts, or mixed martial arts), this concern was the responsibility of Deborah Medeiros, director of diversity and inclusion, and her assistant, Delza Santos.

“The presence of these professionals is essential to relieve us of this role”, Tatiana told Sheet. According to the actress with more than 20 years of career, this is a recent introduction to Brazilian audiovisual. “As black actors, before we had to be actors, artists, psychologists, counselors, speakers…”

Debohah and Delza were responsible for reviewing the script and scenes so that the series could convey the message desired by its creators, about how important the family base was for Anderson Silva to learn to deal with racism while fighting for your objectives.

There are several passages in the series where this is quite noticeable, such as in the dialogues between Anderson, played in his adolescence by actor Bruno Vinicius and in adulthood by William Nascimento, and his uncles Edith and Benedito, characters played by Tatiana and Seu Jorge.

In a memorable moment in the fighter’s life, when his cousin Sandra, played by Jeniffer Dias, is attacked shortly before presenting a project at school, Anderson expresses his desire to leave the place to retaliate against the attack later. Edith convinces him to deal with the situation differently.

“They attacked one of us, Anderson, and when that happens they attack everyone. And how do we face this? Running away? No, my son. We have to face this head on. Together. Because no one in this family fights alone” , she says in the scene.

The line is one of the examples of lessons that Anderson learned in life and that he now tries to convey through the series. “My aunt was always very incisive in educating us in the correct way. She said: ‘You are a black boy who has all the rights that a white boy has’. Respect everyone, but demand that people respect you”, said the fighter.

“She spoke with knowledge of the facts. When our people begin to acquire knowledge of the facts and understand where they belong, they begin to behave differently”, he added.

For Tatiana, the champion’s success is a direct result of the family base. “This guy is only who he is because of those around him. With all those who came before him,” she said.

“Before, we [pessoas negras] We were portrayed as if we were hatchery children. As if he had no ancestry, no descendants, an artificial toy that appeared out of nowhere. [Mas o Anderson] has family, pride, righteousness, a principle of dignity and a collective consciousness.”

The idea that the fighter, owner of a record of 17 wins and ten consecutive title defenses over a decade in the UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship), does not fight alone is permeated throughout the five chapters of the series, produced by the Paramount+ platform. in partnership with Pródigo Filmes and released this month.

Uncle Benito, for example, is the one who teaches him discipline. “This uncle believes in discipline, he believes in seriousness, he believes in hard work. He believes in God, in being serious in his work. And, for what Anderson chose, he took a little of that. He took all the effort into his work “, explained Seu Jorge.

“To reach his victories, he had a vigorous and virtuous family”, added the actor and musician, who also voices one of the tracks on the work’s soundtrack, performing “Ain’t No Sunshine”, Spider’s traditional entrance theme. in the UFC.

For actress Larissa Nunes, who plays Dayane, Anderson Silva’s wife, the production also has the merit of showing how the women who are part of the fighter’s life played a fundamental role in his success, but without remaining in his shadow.

“We were able to portray particularities of each woman in the moments in which they were essential for her story to happen”, said Larissa.

Dayane and Anderson’s relationship was not always harmonious, mainly due to the fact that the fighter was absent from his family for long periods, during his trips to fights and business commitments. But the series tries to show that, in the fighter’s moments of greatest adversity, such as when he suffered a serious injury in 2013 and when he was caught in a doping test in 2018, it was fundamental.

“The series identifies with other women, especially black women, who have a person in the family with a dream that mobilizes the whole world to make it happen”, observed the actress.

DATASHEET

Executive production – Anderson Silva, Juan “JC” Acosta, Maria Angela de Jesus, Tereza Gonzalez, Federico Cuervo, Fernando Gastón, Jose “Fidji” Viggiano, Beto Gauss, Francesco Civita, Caito Ortiz, Renata Grynszpan, Lupisa Adegas and Thalize Sayegh

Creation – Marton Olympio

Road map – Susan Kalik, Eliana Alves Cruz, Marton Olympio, Nathalia Cruz, Raul Perez and Álvaro Campos, with collaboration by Luiz Guilherme Assis

Direction – Caito Ortiz

Production – Prodigal Films

Original music – Antonio Pinto

Art direction – Billy Castilho

Photography Direction – Adrian Teijido, ABC