Maciel and Calatré: inevitably actors

Paulo Calatré and Manuel Pureza had already tried to work together on several projects, but their schedules had never coincided before Pôr do Sol (a fictional series on RTP1). They have now aligned again for O Zé Faz 25. “I work with my eyes closed with it, I don’t even need to know exactly what it is”, guarantees Paulo Calatré about his immediate yes to the podcast — every Tuesday there is a new episode of this investigation into the disappearance of José Valbom, a 25-year-old man last seen at his own birthday party.

With our eyes closed, that was literally how the recordings for the project took place. “We were almost always standing still, in front of a microphone, so Manuel [director] didn’t have much to see, he had more to listen to. Both he and Rita Tristão [director of the actors] always had their backs to us, it seemed like they were angry.”

In the story, he plays João Durães, an inspector of the Judicial Police. There was no preparation for the role as there is usually for other characters. “It was almost an improvisational work that emerged from the conversations we had between us”, he explains to Observador.

“We laughed a lot. Especially in the first sessions, when we were feeling our way a little. As I had done dubbing, like others of us, there was a concern about having a slightly more careful diction and that sometimes made the text less interesting. We laughed about it, sometimes it seemed too fake for what we were trying to do.”

The work was seen as if it were filming a movie or a series, but the actors sometimes found themselves in ridiculous situations.

“We would go outside the studio to record in a car. Being in a car is very different from doing a scene in a car listening to the radio, fiddling with the radio, trying to find the station. If we were in the studio, it wouldn’t have anything to do with it. We would record, go up to the studio to continue and sometimes we would have to go back to the car because we were missing something. That was fun.”

[the trailer for “Joe Turns 25”:]

Everyone was excited about trying something new, and this created a sense of unity within the group. Upon hearing the final result, Paulo Calatré explained that he noticed many new aspects. Carla Maciel, who plays Sofia, the inspector's controlling wife, reveals that she had some doubts about the new format of the project — initially intended to be a series broadcast on television.

“Sometimes I’m a little bit reticent, but I was quite surprised. At the time, we always give a little bit of emotion, but we also can’t give too much so that it doesn’t become exaggerated. In my case, when Manuel [Pureza] was asking me for some changes, I thought it wouldn’t work”, the actress recalls to Observador.

However, knowing the director's work well, he let himself be carried away. “It sounded a bit false to me, but he said: 'Don't worry, the editing will be fine. The important thing is to feel this here in her'. And, in fact, the result was surprising.”

Paulo Calatré thought the same: “Suddenly it’s a whole new world because the sound effects created scenarios, created tension, there are sounds of tension in relation to the interrogations, there are sounds that take us to flashbacks , etc. We didn’t have any of that present, for us it was all much more raw. We had little sounds of leaves, of breathing and little else.”

Not long ago, Paulo and Carla starred in Légua (2024), where they also played a couple. Both from Porto, they had never met before the film.

Paulo Calatré was born in Porto on January 20, 1976, and grew up outdoors, together with his brother, who was four years older. “My parents had a butcher shop and started working very early. Especially during the holidays, I would wake up with them and, while they were working, I would go and see my friends whose parents also had businesses.”

The period he spent near the Estádio das Antas is the one he has the most fond memories of. “I’m a true tripeirinho. We made roller skates and played hide and seek. We picked up a ball and stayed outside all day. We played, built huts, went to the fruit market and stayed outside for endless hours.”

Since she was a child, Carla Maciel has been fascinated by people, stories and different lives. “I have always had enormous powers of observation. I would go to a party and already know who had speech problems, tics, etc. Then I would get home and imitate everyone. Even today, when I am somewhere, I am observing. Gonçalo [Waddington, her husband and also an actor] says to me: 'Carla, disguise yourself, please'.”

On the subway, in cafes, when he sees lights on in buildings, he imagines the lives of the people in front of him. “I’ve always been fascinated by this, that’s when I start to imagine stories.”

She — who was born in Porto on September 3, 1974 — assures us that the school gave her all the foundations to become the actress she is today. “We are talking about the public school of Águas Santas, in Rio Tinto, but in the 80s it was already way ahead of the norm. The school had everything and I tried it: dance, singing, theater and journalism.”

This year, the school’s former principal took advantage of the fact that he was retiring and invited Carla and the group of friends who are still friends after more than 30 years to visit the school. “It’s still a school of reference, where teachers ask to go. So we were truly privileged.”

Paulo Calatré became interested in acting much later. “I’m very shy and I discovered this art thing when I was a teenager. I was in a band, that helped.”