Played by Taís Araújo in Vive a Vida, the character was an internationally successful model
Founded in 1965, TV Globo had its first black protagonist in an 8 o’clock soap opera only on September 14, 2009 – for decades, broadcasters did not usually give notoriety spaces to artists who were not white. It was Helena by Manoel Carlos, a renowned author who died this Saturday (10), at the age of 92. On that occasion, the role was played by Taís Araújo, in Viver a Vida. The author, however, did not believe that the fact deserved so much attention. “I could be Japanese, it wouldn’t make any difference to me,” he said at the time.
In an interview with Estadão, published on September 11, 2009, three days before the premiere of the plot, he was asked about the question: “For the first time, Helena is young and black. How important do you give these two pieces of information?” The answer: “I only care about the fact that she’s young. It’s natural for everyone to think that the main thing is that she’s black, but she’s not.”
Manoel Carlos revealed that his initial idea was for a Helena “single, between 25 and 30 years old, who was successful in her profession and traveled a lot”. He considered an actress, but thought the best path would be a model. “So it doesn’t matter that she is black. The most important thing is that she convinces as a top model, and Taís, who has international beauty, convinces.”
The author was asked again: “So, the novel doesn’t raise the banner of racial rights?” “No, nothing. It could even come up, because I have other black characters. But it’s definitely not a flag”, he replied.
Manoel Carlos still reflected on the issue: “Artists escape this. No one talks about a black actor giving race first. Denzel Washington? Excellent actor – no one says ‘a great black actor’. I wanted a profession that was above any racial connotation. Now, it is clear that when the news came out that Taís would be Helena, everyone associated it – ‘it will be the first black Helena’. No, it will be the first young Helena. It could be Japanese, for me it wouldn’t do difference.”
In an interview with Estadão in 2019, on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the soap opera’s release, Taís Araújo commented on the author’s statements: “I understand Maneco. This desire, at the time, was also a desire of mine – Look how crazy!”
“My naivety was so great about Brazil that, at the time, I thought Brazil was that cordial that was sold to us our whole lives. A naivety that ‘you don’t need to touch on this subject’. And no, it does need to touch on this subject. We can’t let issues be ignored while there are things to be resolved.”
Helena by Manoel Carlos in Viver a Vida
Played by Taís Araújo, the character was an internationally successful model. She married Marcos (José Mayer), but was not well accepted by her husband’s family, especially his ex-wife, Teresa (Lília Cabral) and her daughter, Luciana (Alinne Moraes). Later in the plot, he also got involved with the photographer Bruno (Thiago Lacerda) – who was later revealed to be Marcos’ son.
Helena also starred alongside her mother, Edite (Lica Oliveira), her father, Oswaldo (Laércio de Freitas), her sister, Sandrinha (Aparecida Petrowki), her brother, Paulo (Michel Gomes) and her friend Ellen (Daniele Suzuki).
In an interview with Fantástico, in 2025, Taís Araújo revealed that he cried because of the character’s negative repercussions, but appreciated: “Helena wasn’t just ‘a’ job, it was ‘the’ job. It wasn’t the ghost I painted. On the contrary, it was transformative for many women. The number of women I meet who say: ‘I let my hair get frizzy because I saw you in the soap opera’…”
Taís Araújo is also considered the first black actress to lead a Brazilian soap opera, including all broadcasters, when she played Xica da Silva, in 1996, on Rede Manchete. In 2003, she was the first black protagonist of a Globo soap opera, Da Cor do Pecado, at 7am.
*With information from Estadão Conteúdo
