‘To this day I’m fine financially because of the soap opera’

At the age of 50, Cláudio Heinrich speaks with excitement about “Uga uga”, a soap opera shown in 2000, which has just arrived at Globoplay. In the plot, the actor plays Tatuapu, a young man raised among indigenous people who tries to adapt to the big city. In the cast of two new films, “War and peace”, by Alexandre Avancini, and “Socorro”, by Cibele Amaral, Cláudio is now also a private jiu-jitsu teacher and produces adventure content for his YouTube channel. Karl’s father, aged 7, recalls in this interview the backstage of “Uga uga” and tells what it was like to record it wearing only a thong.

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Do you like reviewing your work? Are you going to follow “Uga uga”?

Tatuapu marked my career. I’ve had other works, such as “Malhação” (1995), reprized on Viva. But the fans demanded the return of “Uga uga”. I watched the first chapter. At the time, I recorded a lot and couldn’t keep up on TV. I even slept twice at Globo because I recorded late and started working very early.

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How was the preparation for the character? Were you inhibited by wearing only a thong on stage?

That makeup was a lot of work. It took over an hour to get it ready and another hour to take it off. Our intention was not to sexualize the character. He is naive despite being naked. I had already been naked in a sex scene, but nothing showed. What helped me to get naked in “Uga uga” was going to the Xingu. I saw how nudity is a natural issue there. Before the soap opera, I was a little embarrassed even when I wore swimming trunks. Due to his character, he wore a thong almost naked.

Did you pass perrengue on the recordings? Remember something funny?

There was a time when I started recording at 5 am in a waterfall, in Lumiar (RJ). I had to pretend I wasn’t frozen (laughs). In another scene in Enseada de Botafogo, I was running and jumping on top of a car. I kneaded the ceiling. Oh, and Tatuapu was always touching Danielle Winits’ chest!

Has your son seen you in soap operas?

My son didn’t care when he saw me in “Uga uga” (laughs). He gave more importance when he saw me with Renato Aragão in the movie “Didi wants to be a child” (2004).

Would you like to go back to soap operas?

I love doing soap operas and I don’t have the protagonist syndrome. I want to be called to good characters. I made the YouTube channel to miss the fans and have another source of income. But until today I’m fine financially because of “Uga uga”. I shot a lot of commercials at the time and I learned not to spend it all.

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