Brazilian actor and Oscar nominee Fernanda Torres, who won her first Golden Globe for her role in the drama film I’m Still Here, has apologized for wearing blackface in a comedy skit from the Brazilian TV show Fantástico that has now resurfaced on the internet.
Fernanda Torres speaks out over controversial blackface skit
“Almost twenty years ago, I appeared in blackface in a comedy sketch from a Brazilian TV show,” Torres, 59, said in a statement to Deadline. “I am very sorry for this. I’m making this statement as it is important for me to address this swiftly to avoid further pain and confusion.”
She continued, “At that time, despite the efforts of Black movements and organizations, the awareness of the racist history and symbolism of blackface hadn’t yet entered the mainstream public consciousness in Brazil. Thanks to better cultural understanding and important but incomplete achievements in this century, it’s very clear now in our country and everywhere that blackface is never acceptable.”
The sketch originally aired 17 years ago
“This is an important conversation we must continue to have with one another in order to prevent the normalization of racist practices then and now. As an artist and global citizen, and from my open heart, I remain attentive and committed to the pursuit of vital changes needed to live in a world free from inequality and racism,” Torres concluded.
Fantástico, a popular weekly comedy show in Brazil, has aired on Sunday for 50 years. The controversial sketch featuring Torres, “The Opposite Sex: The Family (Father vs. Mother),” originally aired 17 years ago. According to Deadline, Torres and a male actor portrayed multiple roles in the skit, exploring whether mothers or fathers play a more crucial role in their families. Torres plays a mother named Solange, who wants a divorce from her husband, Luis Carlos, but he insists that she is tired and hires a housekeeper, Dalva (also played by Torres in blackface), to help her.
Torres was the second Brazilian star to be an Oscar nominee
The news comes after Torres was nominated for an Academy Award for her role in Walter Salles’ 2024 film I’m Still Here. She is the second Brazilian star ever to be nominated for Best Actress Oscar — her mother, Fernanda Montenegro, 95, was the first for her role in Salles’ Central Station in 1998.
