On March 8, 1999, I had the pleasure of interviewing Fernanda Montenegro in the gardens of the Beverly Hills Hotel—one of the most traditional and iconic landmarks of old Hollywood. Built in 1912, the hotel has hosted stars such as John Lennon, Marilyn Monroe, and Lauren Bacall. It is said that the ghosts of Clark Gable and his wife, Carole Lombard, still linger there.
The interview was broadcast on TV Cultura, where I was working as their correspondent in Los Angeles for the programs Vitrine and Metrópolis. Fernanda was in town promoting the film Central Station, which was nominated for Best Foreign Language Film, and she herself was nominated for Best Actress, alongside English-language stars such as Gwyneth Paltrow, Cate Blanchett, Meryl Streep, and Emily Watson.
After the interview, Fernanda invited me to lunch at a Chinese restaurant. I accepted, thrilled by the invitation.
While we ate, she told me something that moved me even more. Both she and her husband, the actor Fernando Torres, were close friends of my parents, Moysés and Rosa Weltman.
The most surprising revelation was that the very first person my father told about his engagement to my mother was Fernanda herself.
To help you revisit and enjoy the Central Station saga and Fernanda’s journey at the 1999 Oscars, here are excerpts from that interview.
Wladimir Weltman – Fernanda, how do you see the competition in this final stretch?
Fernanda Montenegro – The fact that Roberto Benigni’s film is nominated in two categories increases our chances. If it had been nominated only for Best Foreign Language Film, it would be much more difficult. And, apparently, his film had a $25 million advertising campaign. Central Station didn’t have those millions to promote itself.
Wladimir Weltman – And in your category, how do you see the race?
Fernanda Montenegro – I’m facing a much more intense and competitive environment, where the investments are far greater. I’m a South American actress, from a film that cost three million reais. I’m in this race, and I’m amazed. What are my chances? If they vote based on investment, I have none. They may vote for the younger actresses—they are the ones. They’re wonderful, extremely capable, and they represent the future of Hollywood. Meryl Streep is already a very established name; she’s nominated almost every year. I’m an outsider. And the language is the biggest barrier.
Wladimir Weltman – What do you think of the American press?
Fernanda Montenegro – They’re very curious about me. They find it intriguing that a woman who is no longer young suddenly arrives in the United States and competes for an award of this magnitude. I gave a two-hour interview to a journalist from Los Angeles, and he told me the spirit of the article would be this: the Fernanda Montenegro phenomenon, the surprise of a non-American, not young, known only in her own country, who appeared out of nowhere to compete for an Oscar. So you see, I’ve become a phenomenon (laughs).
Wladimir Weltman – But it was your peers, the actors, members of the Academy, who nominated you…
Fernanda Montenegro – That’s very beautiful. In Los Angeles, everyone, famous or not, is an actor or works in something related to the performing arts. And I’ve been received very warmly here. The other day, after an interview on an American TV network, the show’s producer came to greet me. She said, “I never leave my office to shake anyone’s hand, no matter who the guest is. But I wanted to come and tell you how wonderful your film is and how great your work is.” And she showered me with compliments. It’s been like that everywhere.
Wladimir Weltman – And what would you like to say to Brazilian fans?
Fernanda Montenegro – I think we’ll at least win the Oscar for the film. But if we don’t win anything, no collective depression. As extraordinary as it is, this is still just a film award. From Kazakhstan to Berlin, we’ve won more than thirty awards, but because it’s the Oscar, people forget all the others. The film remains the same, and our work will remain forever recorded in it. That alone is already a great achievement. It’s our gift to the Brazilian people.
