For Pietro, 20, and twins Sofia and Antônia, 15, she is simply a mother. But for Brazil, Giovanna Antonelli is an icon of television drama that spans generations. Still, it is in the eyes of her children that she finds her most faithful mirror and her most constant learning.
In a phase of professional renewal and effervescence, the actress tells CNN Brazil how the autonomy of the three has allowed her to rediscover your own freedomwithout giving up the presence that .
As they grow and follow their own paths, she reorganizes herself, maintaining the essence of what she believes to be the role of mother. For her, time does not diminish the intensity of the bond.
“I could never stop. So they start to gain autonomy, and I start to reorganize myself. I remain present, but I continue to build and live intensely. It’s really good to balance. Especially because everything changes all the time. But it’s nice to follow my children very closely”, he says.
When asked if “being a mother” has changed its weight or gained new spaces in the routine compared to a decade ago, she is emphatic: no. “Being a mother has never changed places for me. What changes is the way, because they grow, but the presence remains the same. I remain close, involved and following. The place is the same, it just matures with me”, she guarantees.
The “zen” in entrepreneurial hustle
Even with the intense recording routine and her entrepreneurial side at full steam, Giovanna has sought in self-knowledge the necessary breath to keep moving. This search for a more spiritual life does not cancel out your natural agitation, it just organizes it.
“The spiritual saves me, directs me, balances me so I can continue moving, with more and more intention and purpose”, he reveals.
For her, spirituality also works as a practical personal management tool: “I organize my energy. I’m agitated, I create, I work a lot… that’s mine. But I also pause and listen to myself. I’m more aware of what I’m doing.”
Memories that span generations
Starring in the new campaign for Monte Carlo jewelry, she sees the pieces as extensions of the stories she lives alongside her own children.
“I see jewelry as a time marker. It records a moment, a phase, a relationship… and this crosses generations in a very powerful way”, he guarantees.
She also reveals that the fate of her personal jewelry has already been determined. “I have pieces that marked important moments in my life, and I know that this will reach them in some way.”
The “filter” of 50? Freedom and intuition
Upon turning 50 in March, Antonelli describes a significant internal change in the way he relates to the outside world. Maturity brought a kind of emotional sieve that she didn’t have at the beginning of her career.
“In the beginning, we try to live up to many things, expectations, the looks of others. Over time, this drops. Today I value what represents me, what has intention and truth. I like to be more aligned with myself”, she says.
Today, Giovanna is not tied to age labels. The five decades just adjusted their filter. “I listen less to outside noise and more to what I take with me. The expectations of others will always exist — it’s a human evil (laughs) —, but it no longer has weight. My freedom is a choice.”
In this process, she also left a lot behind. “I no longer carry boring people, people who don’t want to learn, grow. I’m more selective with my time. I like to be close to those who add value, those who move.”
Protagonism in practice
After great successes on open TV, Giovanna began to explore new paths. In addition to starring in “Beleza Fatal”, on HBO Max, and shooting the feature film “Rio de Sangue”, she was also confirmed in the second season of “Tremembé”, on Prime Video, a series that portrays the lives of some of the country’s biggest prisoners.
For her, this new phase expands the narrative possibilities. “I’m loving telling good stories, building characters. That interests me. I like to provoke myself, to leave my comfortable place. These new formats pull me towards that. In the end, what moves me is a story that touches me and a character that challenges me.”
“What seduces me today is what takes me out of the ordinary. It can be a long or short work — what has changed is my criteria. Today I do what I choose and fall in love with it”, he says.
While she dedicates herself to giving lectures on female protagonism, at home she believes that the best education comes from example.
“I don’t give speeches at home. They learn much more by watching than listening. I show in practice what independence is, what it means to pursue and support choices. I talk about responsibility, knowing how to position yourself and, above all, knowing how to say no. Protagonism is not what you say — it’s what you live every day.”
