Paula Lobo Antunes: The New York–born actress who became a Portuguese icon

What this episode covers

Paula Lobo Antunes is one of the most recognized Portuguese actresses, leading career-defining roles in telenovelas, series and films. She carries that decades old legacy with an unforgiving pride, as she talks about fear, motherhood, acting and growing up on instinct Paula Lobo Antunes’s recent role in the film “A Teacher’s Gift” is as memorable as her career up to this point. Whether as a villain in “Flor do Mal” or as a leading protagonist role in “Mar de Paixão”, Paula knows she made the right decision to apply for drama school while studying medicine. She opens up about her career, her life, motherhood and family. She remembers how her father, the great neurosurgeon João Lobo Antunes, operated a VIH patient at a time where no one dared to touch an infected person. Throughout this conversation with Tony Gonçalves, Paula Lobo Antunes never ceases to give this sense of never belonging, of hard work, of always trying to compete with herself. And hard work pays off. Paula also suggests a Portuguese trait that no other guest has brought up to the table yet. The always apologising stance, the “forgive me for existing” mentality. How does that affect the cultural identity of a small country with huge talent?

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