Yara Charry talks about the importance of black actors in soap operas: ‘It inspires a lot’

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Brazil has radically changed the life of actress Yara Charry, 26, who has lived in the country for six years. The former fashion design student, daughter of a French realtor and a Brazilian model, discovered the profession of actress in Brazilian lands and, after some work, ended up leaving Paris for Rio de Janeiro.

But she admits that her heart is still divided between the two countries and that, when she is in France, she keeps thinking how nice it would be to be enjoying the beaches and the sun in Brazil. “Nowadays, I can say that I have two houses: France and Brazil,” she says. “I really like living in Rio de Janeiro, it’s a city that welcomed me”, says the Franco-Brazilian, with a bit of a Carioca accent.

About her career in television, she says that she had never thought about being an actress before being invited, in 2016, to audition for the soap opera “Velho Chico” (Globo). She was discovered on Facebook by casting producers who were looking for a person with her characteristics to play Sophie, the French girlfriend of Miguel’s (Gabriel Leone) character in the plot.

She says that she was lucky to work with big names in dramaturgy in “Velho Chico” and that she has a lot to thank them for, who helped her discover the profession of actress – which she fell in love with. As a result, she switched from her fashion course in Paris to acting at the Casa de Artes das Laranjeiras, in Rio de Janeiro, where part of her maternal family lives.

Yara, who is not famous in her native country, intends in the future to seek opportunities as an actress abroad, performing in French or English – two languages ​​in which she is fluent. “I’ve never acted in France and I didn’t develop this career there. Nowadays I’ve been thinking about trying a career [no meu país] because I ended up establishing myself as an actress [no Brasil] and found that this is what I really love to do.”

On the air in the soap opera “Todos as Flores” (Globoplay), the actress stated that she identifies a lot with the character Joy because, like her, the character is the daughter of a white father and a black mother. Avoiding spoilers, she said that the administrative manager of Rhodes has a mystery that will be revealed and that should grow a lot in the plot. But she made a point of denying the rumors that the character is borderline for taking the matter seriously. “The attitudes and feelings that lead her to have this behavior will be discovered in the course of the plot.”

Yara also highlighted the importance of the diversity of the cast of João Emanuel Carneiro’s telenovela, with blacks playing important characters – not just secondary or extras. “I think that’s wonderful. For me, as a black person, it’s very important to see us in these relevant roles in a plot.”

The fact that she ended up becoming a reference for other blacks was also commented on by her. “I think black people see themselves on television, in a series… This inspires a lot, and I’m very happy to be able to be part of that inspiration for other people. [nas novelas] who have black who have money.”

The actress revealed that she never went through situations of explicit racism, but she has seen many friends around her suffer prejudice. She claims to perceive a very strong prejudice in Brazil with black people, but says that there are racist people all over the world. “I, Yara, don’t let myself be shaken by prejudice, because I know who I am. I love myself the way I am and I always will.”

She stated that, when she notices that a person looks at her in a different way because of her color, she returns the look, implying that the problem is the other’s. For her, the way people deal with racism is also important to fight it. “If it upsets you, you should tell the person that it offended you and retaliate in the sense of saying that you didn’t like it.”

Outside of television and streaming, Yara has shown on social media and YouTube another professional side: that of a singer. The actress, who delighted the audience and judges on the musical reality PopStar (Globo), in 2019, has been posting videos for almost a year singing reinterpretations of songs in Portuguese, English and French.

Netizens praised the French version of the song “Você Me Vira a Cabeça”, by Alcione, shared 11 months ago on the actress’ channel. “Yara, this song needs to go to Spotify! I can’t get tired of listening to it, the interpretation was magnificent!”, praised an internet user.

The actress says that she has projects to invest in music and that she sang for many years in the Paris Choir. She also recalled names in the international art scene that reconcile the careers of actress and singer, such as Jennifer Lopez and Lady Gaga. “Acting and music go hand in hand for me, and I have some music projects in the works for 2023,” she anticipates.

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