The Day I Met One Of The People Who Most Influenced My Life, And She Didn’t Remember Me

When I was very young, I was still in high school; I studied with a girl. She was my friend from the eighth grade to the third high school — four years — we sat next to each other. We weren’t best friends or anything, but we were friends.

When I entered ECA, USP’s School of Communications and Arts, I met her in the halls: she was at EAD, School of Dramatic Arts, which was in the building next door. We talked a lot, and she told me that she dreamed of being a soap opera actress. I thought, “Poor thing… Only aliens can do this” — that’s what I thought at the time — . And, to my surprise, six months later, SHE WAS AT ONE OF THE MAIN SOAP OPERAS HERE IN BRAZIL!

This friend of mine was the first big impulse for me to become an actor. She made me realize that yes, a “normal” person like her or me could work on television. So her importance in my life, even if indirect, was enormous!

After a few years, my high school class decided to get together to “remember the old days.” I decided to call to invite her. We talked for almost an hour. She was in Rio, she could not attend the meeting, but was very grateful for the invitation and said she missed me.

Years after this call, I ended up becoming a television actor. But I never met her in any production. I always thought how cool it would be to see each other after all this; after all, she was one of the reasons I became an actor… Until about twelve…