The series’ protagonists, Ana Pérola, Fabricio Boliveira and Erika Januza
Globo TV series Subúrbia debuts November 1st.
Note: This is a followup to the original report about this series. See the first post here
TV productions can be a reflection of reality. So much so that many people can identify with what they watch and some go so far as to confuse fiction with fact. But this search for the real will be the fundamental principle of Suburbia, Globo TV’s next series, which debuts on November 1st. Directed by Luiz Fernando Carvalho, who conceived the project alongside writer Paulo Lins, the production tells the story of Conceição, played by Erika Januza.
The protagonist leaves the interior of Minas Gerais to pursue a new and better life in Rio de Janeiro, where she is taken in by a family of the suburbio.Through a documental look, the show aims to present a love trauma and social drama in eight chapters. In a Rio de Janeiro suburbio, Conceição meets Cleiton, a young man angered by the abandonment of his father and the death of his brother who was murdered by drug dealers. Attending a local dances, Cleiton is drawn Conceição’s beauty and talent for dance.
Writer of series Subúrbia Paulo Lins, who also write the award-winning book/film Cidade de Deus (City of God) from 2002, described the film this way:
“It is a drama of love and social too. (It’s) an old project of Luiz Fernando Carvalho that he invited me to participate in. We write everything in prose, a novel, and then we write the script. The series is a victory in an unequal and racist country like Brazil. We will show that through culture, family, religion and especially love, it’s possible to overcome barriers.”
Lead character Erika Januza is radiant: her long-time dream was to visit Projac, the studio of Globo TV’s productions. Now the (beautiful) girl from the state of Minas Gerais will shine on TV:
“It was the most incredible experience of my life! I had never done anything before, I worked in a school, I always wanted to be an actress and never thought it (career) would soon begin as the protagonist. It didn’t hit me until today. I even ended up recording, but it still hasn’t sunk in yet! I want to build a career and I’m studying for it.”
Fabrício Boliveiro speaks to the press about his role as Cleiton
In his role as Cleiton in series, actor Fabrício Boliveiro said: “What I use to build all my characters is compassion, we always know someone who has lived a story like that we’re telling. I’m finding it very nice the fact of having a face so Brazilian like mine in the lead role.”
In a scene from Subúrbia scene at left, recorded at the Império Serrano Samba school in Rio’s Madureira neighborhood, Conceição comes to the stage and is crowned “Queen of the Beat” in the fictional Samba school, União Carioca. As the character is a devotee of the Catholic saint, Nossa Senhora Aparecida, Conceição is dressed in a blue robe embroidered in blue, the color associated with the saint.
All of Subúrbia is being recorded on location in the state of Minas Gerais and Rio de Janeiro, without any major technological devices that can distort the representation of reality. The subúrbio, portrayed in the series, presents a real place obliged to live with violence, while at the same time being lyrical, gentle and sensual. A place of homes with spacious backyards, iron chairs on balconies, children playing on the sidewalks and the street as an extension of the houses.
 |
| Haroldo Costa and Rosa Marya Colin |
At left, the singer (and actress) Rosa Marya Colin gives a warm hug to co-star Haroldo Costa. The duo is also featured in the Luiz Fernando Carvalho series as the parents of a family that takes in the lead character played by newcomer Érika Januza.
On her character, Colin says: “The Mother Bia, my character, has a heart full of love. As she is a very mystical woman, I had to have contact with people who participate in jongo, which is a group of music and dance, almost like a religion.”
 |
| Rap group Panteras Negras in the series |
Rap group Panteras Negras (Black Panthers) (at left), Alice Coelho, Mariana Alves e Jennifer Loyola, all a part of the group Nós do Morro are also featured in the film. “We made a song with the same name of the series, which talks about the reality of the suburbs, the Movimento Negro (Brazil’s black civil rights movement)…The characters look like they were made especially for us. It’s really cool and rewarding to work in the series”, says Alice Coelho of the Panteras Negras group that perform in the series.
Young actors Alice Coelho and Arthur Bispo are brother and sister in the series
Ana Pérola portrays Jéssica, Conceição’s rival in Suburbia
Renata Tavares, André Dread, Cássio Arbues e Vanessa Corrêa: friends of the main character in the series, were discovered on Facebook.
Several candidates expressed interest in participating in Suburbiaon the series’ Facebook page for a chance at a spot in the cast. Videos explained the concept of the project and gave tips on character profiles. More than 1,500 e-mails with photos, videos and resumes were sent and of these, four were selected: Renata Tavares, André Dread, Cássio Arbues e Vanessa Corrêa.
Sources: Telinha da TV, O Fuxico, Globo
I wish I could watch it here in the U.S.