I became a human being again, says Lucas Penteado on his return to cinemas after ‘rehab’

Lucas Penteado was in Porto Alegre when the floods caused by intense rains began across the state of Rio Grande do Sul. He had just finished filming “A Banda”, a film by Marcela Mariz, directed by Hsu Chien Hsin, with Luísa Perissé, Lucas Salles, Mônica Carvalho and Werner Schünneman.

At the end of recording, the actor and his wife, Nayara Zabelê, found themselves trapped in a hotel room, unable to return to Rio de Janeiro.

On a trip to the pharmacy, Lucas witnessed a woman receiving the news of the death of family members. “The impact of losses hit me before television. I am a former drug addict and former depressive. I find it easy to feel bad about the news,” he said in an interview with F5. “My psychologist and my psychiatrist called me and kept asking me to come back, because, psychologically, I was in no condition at that time and I needed to be close to them,” she said.

That’s why, he explains, he didn’t actively participate in helping homeless people from Rio Grande do Sul. He returned to his home, in Rio de Janeiro, mainly to maintain his sobriety. Lucas managed to kick his addiction to alcohol and drugs seven months ago, when he was admitted to a psychiatric clinic to deal with a crisis. “A Banda” was his first invitation to the cinema after leaving the clinic in December.

Lucas went through periods of depression after giving up on BBB 21, when he got involved in fights with Karol Conká, Nego Di and Projota. He also faced periods of drug addiction, which led him to seek help at a psychiatric clinic for a few months.

The actor said that the crises are driven by family problems with his parents and did not mention his ex-girlfriend, who accused him of aggression and violence, and whose investigation was closed by the courts.

Now, sober, he complains about the difficulty of returning to work, whether in cinema, theater or on TV: “The market doesn’t understand that people get sick. It’s the third year in a row that I’m facing cancellation.”

Before the crisis in October, he was on cinema screens with ” Nosso Sonho “, the story of Claudinho and Bochecha, which was successful and is now available on streaming. The film was filmed during a period of sobriety.

“What’s the point of us making policies against drugs, when we don’t care about people who are sick, with illnesses directly linked to drugs, psychological illnesses? Who are prevented from working and, when they recover, we don’t help with their professional reintegration ?” asks the actor.

Globo, with whom he has had an acting and presentation contract since 2020, would be an example of this. He said that the broadcaster has supported him in his treatment all this time, but the work is good, for what it’s worth, nothing.

“Rede Globo gave me great support through the health plan and psychiatric support. I’m waiting to find out what the next product will be that people will put me to work on.” Lucas told F5 that the invitation to “A Banda” made him feel like “a human being again”. He wants to be an example for other people who struggle with chemical dependency.

“The person who is at home, who is watching television and sees news about the film ‘Our Dream’ and knows that Lucas Penteado is a recovering addict, sees that he has recovered and that he can work, that he ok, married and happy, this is hope, this is a way out of this dark place that is the solitude of psychological illnesses”.

The actor was awarded for his performance in ” Nosso Sonho ” at the Los Angeles Brazilian Film Festival (LABRFF) in October, when he was still admitted to the psychiatric clinic. He hopes to be able to celebrate the release of “A Banda”, which will take place soon.