A few days before the premiere of another production of the play “Fausto”, in São Paulo, Leona Cavalli, 52, has been doing one of the things she likes the most: reading. Literature connects her with the pleasure of always looking for challenging work. In the show, based on the text “A Trágica História do Dr. Fausto”, by Christopher Marlowe and directed by José Celso Martinez, she plays the demon Mephisto, a character seen as “heavy” or “mystical” but who, in the view of the actress, symbolizes the power of questioning.
“We are experiencing a moment of transformation of old patterns. This concept of God versus the devil, of right and wrong, of good and evil has been rooted in humanity since the Middle Ages and this has been changing. The play shows this transformation” , says the actress to F5.
Leona, who is one of the founders of the Porta do Sol Consciousness Expansion Shamanic Studies Center, swears that she has not made any special protection to play a devil on stage. “I learned and still learn that getting out is as important as getting into character. My preparation takes place within the world of art. Absolutely in art”, recognizes Leona, who avoids talking about her spirituality.
“I avoid talking because it’s all very distorted. The spiritual part of each person is a particular thing, but I continue with my studies and following what I believe”. In 2016, Rian Brito (1991-2016), son of Nizo Neto, drowned on Quissamã beach, on the coast of Rio. He and his ex-wife, actress and singer Brita Brazil, linked the boy’s death to a change in behavior after drinking Ayahuasca tea, a substance ingested at Porta do Sol. Leona has always denied the allegations.
The actress also spoke about the series “O Rei da TV”, from Star +, which tells the backstage of the story of Silvio Santos and, consequently, of all Brazilian television. Production is expected to premiere in October. “What I find interesting is that the series brings a look at what is not seen in the media and what is publicly known about the Abravanel family. It is inspired by real events behind the scenes”, says Leona, who plays Iris Abravanel.
“I didn’t have any contact. I saw several interviews with Íris and I realized that she is a very frank and direct woman. She had some phrases and statements that left Silvio Santos disconcerted. I loved it”, she jokes, who also finished recording at the end of July. the film “A Cerca”, a feature film directed by Rogério Gomes, aka Papinha.
“We started recording at the beginning of the Covid-19 quarantine, in 2020, and we only managed to finish it now. It’s a suspense and I play a gaucho journalist who begins to investigate a land and its owners and discovers that this family has everything to do with it. with her past. I’m from Rio Grande do Sul and I’ve never done a job in my land”, reveals the actress, who is already up for a soap opera next year. But it doesn’t give spoilers.
“You know how it is, right? You can’t say anything about the project before the broadcaster’s announcement. But, that’s it. Working here, working there and living”, concludes Leona.
