‘It didn’t take up space in the bed’, says ex-wife of Jô Soares

Invited by Jô Soares to act in a play he would direct in 1979, Sylvia Bandeira refused. At the time, still a beginner in the profession of actress, she did not feel ready to interpret with the Portuguese accent that the work would require.

Months later, the two met at the 40th birthday party of journalist Carlos Leonam, in Lagoa (west of Rio). That’s when she confided to the actor, comedian, writer, presenter and director: “Today, if you asked me to do a play, I would accept”.

The next day, she got a call from him with a new invitation. She debuted in theater in 1980 in “Brasil da Censura à Apertura”, written by him and in which she played opposite Marília Pêra and Marco Nanini. Between one essay and another, she fell in love with the author and director, with whom she was married until 1982 — today, she has been married for 38 years to engineer Carlos Eduardo Souza Dantas Ferreira.

This Friday (5), Sylvia Bandeira commented on the death of her ex-husband. “It’s a national loss,” she said. “He was an extremely charismatic, intelligent person, with a fine sense of humor, able to say things to people he disagreed with without rudeness. He could bring a person down without them being able to respond to anything.”

The actress says that while they didn’t remain close friends after the split, they maintained admiration and met occasionally. She has passed the couch of her talk show on several occasions.

In addition to the special humor and generosity, she highlights the lightness of the artist, who never let himself be defined by the physical body. “He was a magical person, who changed many things in my life, even in terms of prejudices”, she said.

She recalls that on her stage debut, she and other actors were nervous about having to show off too much of their own bodies. “We were skinny at the time, we’re talking about more than 40 years ago, but there was that young thing, of thinking there’s a little something extra here and there”, she says.

“Jô took off his shirt, twirled around the stage, with those beautiful curls — he looked like a little baroque angel — and said: ‘Because I think I’m beautiful'”, added the actress, pointing out that he already had a speech in favor of the freedom of bodies and against fatphobia long before it was an issue for society.

“We were together for 3 very intense years, and I saw that it was not lip service”, he says. “He loved his body, he loved to dress up and perfume himself. He didn’t have the slightest problem with his shape.”

Not even the large body was able to take away this grace from the artist. “He was a light fat guy. Jô didn’t take up space in the bed, he wasn’t big”, says Sylvia. “He had a greatness, but he wasn’t the physique that imposed that. What he’s going to leave is that lightness.”