Ellen Medeiros: The Rising Star of Brazilian Cinema
Ellen Medeiros is a Brazilian actress who has been making waves in the film industry with her versatile and captivating performances. She is best known for her roles in Bacurau, The Second Mother, and Aquarius, among others. In this article, we will explore her career, achievements, and personal life.
Early Life and Education
Ellen Medeiros was born on June 20, 1986, in Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil. She grew up in a middle-class family with a passion for arts and culture. She started acting in theater at the age of 12 and later joined a local drama group. She also studied journalism at the Federal University of Pernambuco, but dropped out to pursue her acting career.
Career Highlights
Ellen Medeiros made her film debut in 2007 with the short film The Happy Cricket, directed by Walbercy Ribas. She then appeared in several other short films and TV shows, such as Fora de Controle, A Grande FamÃlia, and Tropa de Elite 2. Her breakthrough came in 2015, when she starred in the critically acclaimed drama The Second Mother, directed by Anna Muylaert. She played the role of Jessica, the daughter of a housemaid who challenges the social hierarchy of her employer’s family. The film won several awards, including the Special Jury Award for Acting at the Sundance Film Festival and the Audience Award at the Berlin International Film Festival. Ellen Medeiros was also nominated for the Best Actress award at the Cinema Brazil Grand Prize.
In 2016, she co-starred with Sonia Braga in Aquarius, directed by Kleber Mendonça Filho. She played the role of Clara’s niece, who supports her aunt’s fight against a corrupt real estate company that wants to demolish her apartment building. The film was selected as the Brazilian entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the Academy Awards, but was not nominated. It received rave reviews from critics and audiences alike, and was considered one of the best films of the year by several publications.
In 2019, she appeared in another film by Kleber Mendonça Filho, Bacurau, co-directed by Juliano Dornelles. She played the role of Teresa, a doctor who returns to her hometown of Bacurau, a fictional village in the Brazilian outback that is under attack by mysterious invaders. The film was a genre-bending mix of western, sci-fi, horror, and political satire, and won the Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival. It was also a box office hit in Brazil and abroad.
Personal Life and Future Projects
Ellen Medeiros is married to actor Daniel de Oliveira, whom she met on the set of Tropa de Elite 2. They have two children together: Raul, born in 2014, and Moisés, born in 2017. She is also a vocal supporter of social causes, such as feminism, LGBTQ+ rights, and environmentalism. She has participated in several protests and campaigns against racism, sexism, homophobia, and deforestation.
Ellen Medeiros is currently working on several new projects, such as The First Temptation of Christ, a comedy film by Porta dos Fundos; The Invisible Life of EurÃdice Gusmão, a drama film by Karim Aïnouz; and The Hanged Man, a thriller series by Netflix. She is also set to star in The Woman Who Killed The Fish, a biopic of Clarice Lispector, one of Brazil’s most celebrated writers.