INTERVIEW WITH ANTONIO FAGUNDES

Why has this collaboration with Bruno Barreto taken so long in the making?
That's true. Decades ago, when he first invited me to play Vadinho in Dona Flor, I had just formed a theatre company and it would just be too complicated to quit. I've always wanted to work with Bruno and, ever since, the Barretos and I have been wooing each other, but for various reasons the dates on our agendas never match. Since I live in São Paulo, it was not always easy to work in Rio. But I'm happy everything turned out great in BOSSA NOVA. We have a wonderful script and Bruno is a very confident director, he knows exactly what he's doing, and knows how to offer constructive criticism. I'm sure the end results will be very positive, showing a very romantic Rio, with its stunning natural beauty. It's a 'feel good' film.

How would you describe Pedro Paulo?
First and foremost, he's an old romantic. He's a successful lawyer, who works at a very important law firm, but he's been very vulnerable since his wife left him for a Tai-Chi-Chuan instructor. The situation starts to change when he meets the English teacher, Mary Ann, who, like himself, has been in love limbo for a while. They live an intense love affair in this wonderful city to the sound of the tune, Inútil Paisagem ("useless landscape").

How was shooting a romantic comedy?
The set had a very positive atmosphere. The shootings were fun, casual, which doesn't mean we didn't have to overcome several acting hurdles. Although the final film is very light, there are always several challenges to making a comedy. With a dramatic role, we have so much more to rely on, of course, at the risk of overdoing it. Pedro Paulo is an ordinary man, a big romantic, and one of the film's many merits is that of showing that love is ageless, and that true love is a subversive act. People nowadays are much more open about their sexual lives than about their love lives. And by showing a subversive love, BOSSA NOVA becomes a revolutionary film.