Sun in ‘Vai na fé’, Sheron Menezzes celebrates the first protagonist after 25 years of career: ‘It took a while, but it arrived’

There are those who say that Brazilians never give up. And, to face the day-to-day ills, we “go in faith”, an expression that gives its name to the new seven o’clock soap opera on Globo, which conquered the public in its first chapters. One of the reasons is Sol, the role of Sheron Menezzes, who certainly has a story similar to that of many women in the country. Married, mother of two daughters, Christian, making an effort to support the house… And, at 40, she sees an old desire knocking on her door, that of singing and dancing. A year younger than the character and with a 25-year career, Sheron was also waiting for a dream to come true: to play her first protagonist. The opportunity finally arrived, and it has earned praise for the actress, from Porto Alegre.

— Sun is my icing on the cake. A cake that, for some years now, I’ve been cooking, molding, frosting, making it really pretty. She came to show me that he was ready. I think about it a lot. I’ve always had really good roles. But the title of protagonist took a while to arrive. I was just here waiting for the right moment. But it arrived! – she celebrates.

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The actress sees positive points in the conquest beyond a personal desire. “Vai na fé”, plot by Rosane Svartman, is the second telenovela of seven consecutive times on Globo to have a black protagonist. When commenting on the fact, Sheron is emphatic:

— Did I hear an amen (laughs)? The world has changed, people are changing with it. And they do. Those who do not change are outdated. This was supposed to have been done, but they’re chasing it now and I think it’s very important. I didn’t grow up identifying myself (with soap opera protagonists). It is very important, yes, that blacks are in extremely prominent roles, so that all black girls and boys who are growing up can see themselves there. It’s for building our children’s self-esteem.

Like the young lady and 90% of the population of our country, according to the latest IBGE census, Sheron is a woman of faith. Sol attends the evangelical church and is part of the congregation’s choir. The actress says that she has tried a little of everything.

“I couldn’t be happier to have the chance to play this extremely charismatic and sunny character. It fit. I needed Sol, and Sol needed me. Maybe it’s God’s timing. Faith is what moves my life. Brazil is a country where if you don’t have faith, you can’t even get out of bed. But I believe in people, in the good things in life — says the actress, who adds: — I grew up in a Catholic school, so the Bible has always been part of my life. I’ve attended mass, I’ve been to worship, to the center (spiritist), I’ve been through some religions and I like everything. Really, I identify with what’s good. If someone tells me: “Take a shower to feel better”, I do. “Light a candle and pray”, I light and pray. I do whatever. And I’m also loving the gospel music in the soap opera. I found myself again, I reconnected with the praises. I think it is beautiful. I pay attention to the lyrics, to everything that is said, it catches me in a place… I’m always very emotional. I sing and almost cry.

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Sol and Sheron are similar in age but have very different lives. While the actress has been doing her work for years, the character will only start to have that taste at 40. For the artist, one of the delights of playing the young lady is precisely talking to women who may be going through the same moment.

— Sol and I meet in some places, like that optimism of getting up, getting on with life, the day, always trying to see the glass as half full. She does everything for her children and returns home exhausted. She puts everything she is feeling in storage so that the house is in harmony. I relate to this and I believe many people will too. It’s really cool to talk about these mothers, these women who put their dreams in a box to put a family on its feet — highlights the actress, who adds: — It’s never too late for us to go after our dreams. It’s very important that women can stop and think that it’s time to take care of them and everything they left behind.

The actress will complete Sol’s age in November this year, but says she still hasn’t been hit by the ageism that affects many women. She also says that she does not do aesthetic procedures, although she is not against it. To take care of herself, she resorts to physical exercises. But, with the rush of the soap opera, finding time to work out is difficult…

— I’ve always said that I really like working out, being with my body in motion. It’s something that makes me feel good, it was never much for aesthetics, no. But at this point in my life, it’s something I’m not able to do. Even though I run all day from one studio to another… This is my exercise (laughs). But when I can, I run away to the gym, of course. I take care of myself to be well, especially mentally. I always try to meditate – points out.

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In the plot, Sol is most successful after appearing singing and dancing alongside Lui Lorenzo (José Loreto). And anyone who sees her so confident in the role doesn’t even imagine that Sheron is shy. Despite having already participated, for example, in the painting “Dança dos Celebrities”, on “Domingão”, she says that showing her dancer side is still a challenge.

“Underneath it all, there is a shyness. People don’t think I’m shy, but I am. I’m ashamed to sing, dance, even looser as Sol dances. In “Dança dos Celebrities”, I rehearsed the choreography, which gives me confidence. I didn’t necessarily know how to dance to the rhythm — she explains, who hadn’t danced in a long time: — I did zouk for many years and I love ballroom dancing. Already dancing separately is a problem. You won’t find a TikTok of mine (laughs).

The singer side of the actress few people knew. She, who came to play an axé artist in the Netflix series “Maldivas”, was more used to releasing her voice only at home. But working on that talent was something Sheron already wanted.

— If I could be born again with a gift, it would be to sing. I would love not to be ashamed and release the voice beautifully like those black women in the American church, you know? — reveals the actress, who had the help of a vocal coach, a dance teacher and a speech therapist for the role in “Vai na fé”: — Sol sings praise, in the show, selling warm… It’s really my voice, it’s not something done in a studio. When I go to record, I’m always very nervous. But when I start… It’s like when someone goes to karaoke and says they won’t sing anything. Then it’s like: “Just one more, shall we go with that one?” (laughs). I die of shame, but I love it.

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Dancing and singing shamelessly alone with her son, Benjamin, 5 years old, the fruit of her marriage to fighter Saulo Bernard. The first artist in the family, Sheron praises her mother, Veralinda Menezes, for the creation in which she always had high self-esteem. Something she intends to pass on to little Benji:

— My mother always made sure that I had a very well cared for self-esteem. She always made a point of showing how beautiful I was inside and out. I do this with my son. Every time I praise him. I’m always pushing him and I want him to find out how he likes to be. Because there is no one there! Nobody holds a person who is aware of who he is.

Together for 11 years, Sheron and Saulo were officially married last year. In order to dedicate herself to her first protagonist, the actress highlights the partnership with her husband and fills him with praise:

— I went to do (the seven o’clock soap opera) aware of how much time it would take me. I think the most important thing is to say that I can only be Sol in this way because I have a very strong base at home. I have an amazing husband. He’s there holding the bar, caring, playing the role of a father, while I’m here dedicating my time to the character. When I get home, they’re there waiting for me to catch up on what they’ve done. And then we enjoy our moment together. I can only do my job calmly because I have him (Saulo) by my side.

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