In 2017, March Pigossi surprised his fans, his colleagues and the press in general. After more than a decade at Globo, the actor decided not to renew his contract with the network. He preferred to trade the security of starring roles in soap operas, which were beginning to be repeated, for the uncertainty of a freer career, without being tied to any channel or streaming platform.
Nearly six years later, he admits his gamble paid off. During this period, he participated in three series of Netflixeach shot in a different country: “Tidelands”, in Australia, “Alto Mar”, in Spain, and “Invisible City”, in Brazil. He is also in the cast of “Gen-V”, a series derived from “The Boys”which arrives later this year at amazon prime Video. And he has several other projects lined up, as an actor and as a producer, in Brazil and the USA. Currently, he lives in Los Angeles.
A season two of “Invisible City”, of which he is the protagonist, premieres next Wednesday (22) on Netflix. The series shows creatures of national folklore such as Cuca, Saci-Pererê and Headless mule living among humans, hidden by secret identities. It was created by Carlos Saldanha, a Brazilian director, producer and animator who stood out in the US with animated feature films from the “Ice Age” and “Rio” franchises.
Rio de Janeiro was the setting for the first phase, but the second takes place in Belém do Pará. “There are several invisible cities, because there are several Brazils”, says Pigossi, in an interview via videoconference. “We have so much culture, so many stories, that in that sense the series can be infinite.”
Despite talking about legends that only circulate in Brazil, “Invisible City” was among the ten most watched series on Netflix in several countries around the world. “I’ve already been recognized on the street in Europe, people come to talk to me”, adds the actor. “The mythological beings in the series are 100% Brazilian, but their stories are very human and therefore universal.”
Former Globo colleagues participate in the program. Alessandra Negrini makes a Cuca sensual, very different from the alligator-like monster that appeared in the children’s series “Sítio do Picapau Amarelo”. AND Leticia Spillera novelty in the cast, appears as Matinta Perera, a sorceress who brings bad omen.
“Before the series, I only knew Brazilian folklore through the books of Monteiro Lobato“, he says. “But now we’ve gone further. Season two delves into the beliefs of indigenous peoples. We also have indigenous actors in the cast and an indigenous director. No one could tell that story better than them.”
For the first time in his career, Pigossi returns to play the same character after a hiatus of almost three years. “I had to rewatch the first season before starting to record the second, in the first half of last year. And it was amazing to meet Manu Dieguez again, who plays my daughter in the series. She was 12 when we met. Now she’s with 15, and is almost my height.”
He plays Eric in “Cidade Invisível”, an environmental policeman who, seeking to elucidate the mysterious death of his wife, ends up discovering a whole universe of fantastic creatures in the middle of Rio de Janeiro. I ask which one he would like to embody, since Eric is one of the few characters in the series who, in principle, does not have any magical powers. “Actually, I would like to be Eric from the second season. When you watch it, you will understand why”, he says, without giving away spoilers.
Pigossi is now part of the small community of Brazilian actors who moved abroad. They are also part of it Rodrigo SantoroWagner Moura, Alice Braga and Bianca Comparato. “They are all a great inspiration. And during the pandemic we got very close, because we couldn’t circulate everywhere. We ended up becoming a clique. But I never wanted to have an international career. My goal is to make good characters, tell good stories stories.”
Pigossi revealed to be homosexual in November 2021, when she posted a photo on Instagram in which she appears hand in hand with her partner, the Italian director and screenwriter Marco Calvani. “Happy Thanksgiving. PS: Shocking zero people,” the caption read.
The reaction on social media was surprisingly positive. The vast majority of comments wished the couple happiness. But there were also those who minimized the actor’s struggle for self-acceptance, for being white, cisgender and coming from the upper middle class.
“I can’t disagree with that. Really, it was much easier for me. I am fully aware that I am super privileged. I even had the privilege of not being effeminate. The privilege of the closet, because you manage to go unnoticed. Even So, it wasn’t easy. But now I want to use my privileges to help those who didn’t have any. For those who were born black, trans, in the favela. My goal is really to give a hand to these bodies that suffer so much prejudice and try to bring them in front of the camera. To show how much beauty there is in them, and that they are perfect the way they are.”
The actor has already started putting that plan into practice. He produced —and paid for it himself— the documentary “Corpolítica”, which follows four candidates LGBTQIA+ in the 2020 municipal elections. Among them, two were elected councilors, both women and for PSOL: the transsexual Erika Hiltonin São Paulo, and Monica Beniciowidow of Marielle Franco, in Rio de Janeiro. Directed by Pedro Henrique França, the film has already been shown at several festivals and should be released in theaters in June.
“‘corporeal’ it is a response to the conservative wave that we were experiencing. I’m very proud of this project. To bring a little bit of my voice to represent our community.”
Pigossi debuted on Globo in 2004, in the miniseries “Um Só Coração”. But his first prominent role on the network only came in 2009, in the telenovela “Caras e Bocas”, by Walcyr Carrasco: he was Cássio Amaral, a loud gay who always repeated the catchphrase “I’m bubblegum pink!”. At the same time, the actor struggled to keep his sexual orientation hidden.
“Life is ironic with us, isn’t it? My first great character was not a heartthrob, but an effeminate gay man. And he appealed much more than many straight characters I’ve done. For me, it was part of the process that led me to being here today speaking openly, naturally. I have a lot of affection for Cássio.”
In the first week of March, actor Rodrigo Simas revealed to the newspaper “Extra” that he is bisexual. That was enough for netizens to revive the rumor that Simas and Pigossi had a romance behind the scenes of the soap opera “Fine Print”in which both participated in 2011.
“I’m an open book”, says Pigossi. “I’ve already told you everything that had to be told about my life. This story doesn’t make the slightest sense, it has no head or tail. But it’s crazy to think that there are more people interested in this gossip than in seeing two indigenous actresses speaking Tukano in ‘Invisible City’.”
The second season of the series has two actresses from ethnicity tukano in the cast: Kay Sara, who acted in the series “Aruanas”, by Globo, and his mother, Ermelinda Yepario. “We did a lot of scenes together,” says Pigossi. “In the first rehearsal, I was already very moved by the musicality of their language, which was practically decimated”, she says.
“We grow up in Brazil without paying much attention to the cause of native peoples. When I was in Australia, I realized that the aboriginal issue is very present there. I hope ‘Invisible City’ brings a little more visibility to this issue. More attention, more discussion.”
“I was very lucky in my trajectory”, he adds. “Just the work itself, the dedication, is not enough. You need to have talent, a vocation, but you also need to be lucky.”
