Meet Brenda Aguiar | Actress

We had the good fortune of connecting with Brenda Aguiar and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Brenda, have you ever found yourself in a spot where you had to decide whether to give up or keep going? How did you make the choice?
I always follow my intuition. If there’s one thing I’ve learned over a decade studying performing arts, it’s that you don’t need validation from others to undertake a project, start a course, or even know where you should be or what you’d like to do.

Every time I thought about giving up, I asked myself if I was following my heart or the voices of people who didn’t live my reality, my feelings, my thoughts, goals, so how would they understand me?

When we’re doing what we love, our bodies feel it, no matter how much fear we face. When I allow myself to be free from my own judgments and those of others, my performance is different; there’s a sense of belonging and total surrender of body and soul in that moment on stage, and the audience knows it.
You can even try to fake the surrender, but they know. There’s a connection between the actor and the audience that only happens through that surrender in that present and unique moment. It’s a rare feeling that fills me; I feel lucky to have a body capable of passing on such beautiful stories to future generations, people from different cultures, different languages. It’s magical

Now, if while you’re doing your job your body is telling you to escape from that place and break free, do it. Quit. Look for what moves your heart, what gives you energy, what gives more meaning to your life on earth.

I know I’m still young and, although I come from a generation that demands too much of itself to achieve success as quickly as possible, I understand that building a solid career requires time, dedication, and care. It’s a long road to travel, but life has taught me that we don’t have all the time in the world either; we don’t know what tomorrow will bring.

Take advantage of your health and vitality and invest them in what makes you happy.

Remember always: my dreams are mine only, so I’m the one responsible for making them come true.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
My mother took me to the theater from a very young age, so I always wanted to take classes. I was a very distant and imaginative child, and theater was my refuge. I still remember perfectly the smell of popcorn and cotton candy, and the oath the director would ask the children in the audience to make, promising to behave during the play. I also remember seeing child actors like me on television and discovering that the studios were here in Los Angeles. That’s how I chose this art — or was I chosen by it? If I wasn’t, I am at least very stubborn for holding onto this dream until now with 23 years old and I’m proud of that.

I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder at 13 after losing my sister in a car accident. Psychologists recommended theater to help with my depression and shyness; it was a good activity to develop my social skills and support my mental health. I was terrible at school — the medications were strong and greatly affected my cognition and learning. But as soon as I started the course, I was invited to join the theater company. That gave me hope. I didn’t know I could be good at something.

In Brazil, the arts are not valued in schools unfortunately. Either you had good grades, or you would be “no one” in life, according to my teachers at the time. That’s why I’m grateful to my theater teachers — they saw something in me before anyone else did. That gave me hope, and I held onto my life through this dream: “I will graduate and I will become an artist, because it’s the only thing that makes me happy. I will inspire people like me and bring them a little faith in themselves when the world has already convinced them otherwise.”

As soon as I graduated, I went to New York to study English and enrolled in the professional conservatory at the Art of Acting Studio in Los Angeles.
I had the chance of being part of their production of “as you like it” by william Shakespeare. I write my own solo show about Carmen Miranda “Americanized” about her journey from Brazil to USA and everything she experienced as a latina women in hollywood.
I write a short fim about self esteem and how hard beauty standards are for women in our society.
And for the first time in my life I was cast for a part that I chose for my audition in “The play about the baby” written by Edward Albee. Which I could play a young mother in grief.

I had the best training and emotional support from the staff, some of my teachers knew stella adler in person, some of them were part of the production in movies that were oscar nominated and even teach some of the “best actor” oscar winners, it’s really a dream come true and honor for a girl like me that had no one in family or social circle working with acting outside my city in Brasil.

What breaks my heart is seeing my friends from my hometown — such talented and deserving artists — giving up on their careers because of the lack of opportunities. Many performing arts colleges in my city have gone bankrupt, our National Theatre was closed for a decade. Meanwhile, Brazil has been receiving standing ovations from Hollywood lately. All I ever wanted was for my country to recognize and invest in its artists and its art the same way the international community has been recognizing us. The resilience and love for art shown by artists such as Fernanda Montenegro, Fernanda Torres, Walter Salles, Wagner Moura, and so many others is a very inspiring coincidence right now.

The line of work and philosophy that I found at Stella Adler which the most important thing for the actor is to work with his own mind, aiming at the growth of the actor and as a human being as synonyms, perfectly complements how acting teaches me to think and feel the world in other ways, making my horizons broader and consequently the construction of my self in constant reflections that allow me to seek internal development and also towards my surroundings every day.
If theater as a spectator and as a practitioner saved me and continues to save me today, it is capable of doing the same for other people and I want to participate in this path of transformation for them, as other actors and teachers did and still do in my life.
I believe that although our human condition is naturally flawed, I have a hope, albeit realistic, that through our type of work and vocation towards art we can change the way people interact with the world, solving dilemmas, seeing new cultures, realities and combating prejudices.
The narratives we create or pass on bring life lessons and advice that give society the chance to reflect on who we were in the past, how we see ourselves today and who we want to be in the future, thus forming more conscious, educated, and sensible people to a construction of a more humanist and fair collective.
Realizing that our society is constantly changing, I believe that as actors of this generation, we have a duty to carefully observe our current situation, in order to not only report, record and discuss its events, but also create new stories using ideas and reflections that flow from the present moment, as our tools. In this way, our experience today will also be passed on as a source of information and inspiration.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
When I’m close to the ocean that’s where I recharge my energy, so I would take them to the Santa Monica Pier, Redondo Beach, or El Porto, which have charming restaurants and outdoor activities.

Of course, I would also take them to the Pantages Theatre and the TCL Chinese Theatre, since they’re classics for anyone who loves the theatre/cinema

And definitely Disneyland Park, Six Flags Magic Mountain, and Universal Studios Hollywood — because I love roller coasters!

I’d also include the Chateau Marmont and The Hollywood Roosevelt, for dinner or brunch because I love that Old Hollywood vibe.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My family; my father and mother in Brazil, and my beautiful sister and grandmother in heaven.

Besides all my acting teachers, without exception, they are my inspiration. before any other artists.

Website: https://brendavictoria.carrd.co/

Instagram: brenda_.aguiar

Other: brenda.aguiar.actress@gmail.com

Image Credits
First headshot:

instagram: @pcatoday by Miguel Perez