IN CONVERSATION WITH BRUNA MARQUEZINE

Interview by Jana Letonja @janaletonja

Brazilian actress Bruna Marquezine can be seen as the lead actress in Warner Bros and DC Film’s ‘Blue Beetle’, which marks her first Hollywood feature film role. ‘Blue Beetle’ is making history as the first live-action DC Comics Latino superhero feature and premiered on 18th August.

Bruna, you are starring in Warner Bros and DC Film’s ‘Blue Beetle’. What can you share with us about this ground-breaking DC Comics superhero film?

It’s a great movie. It’s a movie not only for the Latino audience, but for everyone. It has a soul, it has heart. It gets me really emotional cause there’s a lot of family in it, there’s a lot of my culture in it and it’s something that I’m really proud and honored to be a part of. It’s a beautiful story and it’s a beautiful representation of our culture. I’m really excited for the world to see it.

In the film, you play the role of Jenny, Jaime’s love interest. What was the most exciting part about portraying Jenny and starring in this film?

I really like Jenny, I would love to be friends with her. She’s someone that I really admire as a woman. She’s not the love interest we usually see. She has great values and is a really strong woman. She’s a young woman in a power position. I was really excited to play a woman like her and with such an important role for the movie.

‘Blue Beetle’ is making history as the first live-action DC Comics superhero feature. How exciting and important is it to be seeing this historical moment in the DC family?

Even if I wasn’t a part of this, I would be so excited for this moment and happy for the Latino community. But to be in it, it’s crazy, it’s another level. I feel kind of bad that it took us this long to have a Latino superhero. 

One of the cast members, Belissa, said something that really touched me. We’ve always been superheroes, but this is the first time that the world gets to see us as superheroes. It’s a big moment for the entire community, but the entire world gains something from it.

The film also marks your first Hollywood feature role. Tell us more about your reaction when you found out you got cast on ‘Blue Beetle’?

It involved a lot of crying. Growing up in Brazil as an actor, that was always a dream I never allowed myself to dream, but I did it anyways. It would be something I would always dream about, but also knowing it’s impossible.

Every day in this whole process, I’m still allowing myself to accept that this is happening to me and that I’ve worked hard to deserve that. I’m still allowing myself to enjoy this, to celebrate this. And I’m hopeful that this is not going to happen just for me, but for many young actresses in Brazil and Latin America. I’m hopeful they’re going to feel inspired by it. I still don’t know how it happened, but I do know exactly what it took me to get here.

How was your experience of being on set of a Hollywood production after being in the acting industry in Brazil for so many years before that?

We have big and incredible productions, but not this big. We don’t do superhero movies in Brazil, so this was something else. The first person I met on set was our director. He’s a really special human being and he’s from Puerto Rico. That made a big difference cause I always felt like home when I was around him. On day one, I was terrified, I was shaking, crying, really happy, really excited, really euphoric, but at the same time really worried about my performance, about everything. And as soon as we started to talk, I felt like I know this guy, like he’s from my family and that was the vibe the entire time. 

You started acting at the age of five. How did that come about at such an early age? And how did it then develop into your professional career?

The entire family was watching a cousin of mine when she was doing a runway kind of class and she had a presentation at the end of it. I wanted to do this and was just asking for some attention from my parents. For them, it was just another activity for me. The best students would get this kind of scholarship at the agency. When I was already part of this agency, they started asking me if I wanted to do auditions for TV commercials and stuff like that. I started doing TV commercials and the director that I worked with called my parents and told them they should let me do it cause I loved it. 

It’s really hard to find a kid that is so comfortable in front of a camera at the age of five. And then two years later, I was doing my first soap opera and I never stopped after that. When I was a kid, I couldn’t see it as a job, it was just playing. And then at some point I realized that could be a career, but I was already completely in love with it. I’m glad I started at a young age and I feel it’s one of the reasons that I’m where I’m at now because of it.

full look CHANEL

How do you deal with fame, both locally and globally? And of course with the social media fandom?

I feel because I grew up in this industry, it was something that I took my time to learn how to deal with. It’s just a consequence of what I chose for myself, so I try not to overthink it because then it’s kind of scary. There’s a lot of responsibility that comes with it, but I try to enjoy and connect with people. 

How do you feel about fashion, what does it mean and represent to you? 

I love fashion. I have a lot of fun with fashion. Fashion helped me to get to know myself and explore versions of me, so I really enjoy it and am passionate about it.

Growing up, I used to hate it cause it was just something else I needed to worry about. I was already trying to figure out who I was, so to be worried about the clothes was something that was so superficial to me and it was just a lot of pressure. But then at one point, I realized it was art and I’m really passionate about everything that is related to art. 

After ‘Blue Beetle’, what’s next for you? 

I’m working on a rom-com for Star, which is the equivalent of Hulu for Latin America. It’s a project I’m really passionate about. And then after that, hopefully vacation cause I just need some time for myself.

THIS PHOTOSHOOT & INTERVIEW WERE CONDUCTED BEFORE THE SAG-AFTRA STRIKE!

talent BRUNA MARQUEZINE @brunamarquezine
photography AGATA SERGE @agataserge
styling SARAH GORE REEVES @sarahgorereeves
makeup AKIKO OWADA @ The Wall Group @akikoowada @thewallgroup
hair TAKUYA YAMAGUCHI @ The Wall Group @tak8133 @thewallgroup
styling assistants MIA RAPOPORT & FRIDA GARCIA @miarapoport @fridagarccia
video SZYMON GOSLAWSKI @gypsy.bastard
producer on site LUCIA NIEMIR @nie_lucia
lab COLOR RESOURCE CENTER @crc.nyc
editor TIMI LETONJA @timiletonja
cover design ARTHUR ROELOFFZEN @arthurroeloffzen