Silvana Pombal – “I wouldn’t exist without the stage”

An actress who built herself on stage, but who became a face that “fills up” screens. We see her give life to N’teasse in “Nhinguitimo” and to Yara Tivane in “Maida”. But the stage is still the place where she wants to belong.

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▶ After starting with cinema, you begin to experiment with television in “Nhinguitimo” by Licínio de Azevedo. A second career act or a natural path?

It’s a natural ”evolution” that is expected of someone who is dedicated to acting. But I embrace these adventures as a new chapter in my career resulting from a crisis, given the fact that my transition to television took place in 2020 when we were going through COVID-19.

▶ Will you ever return to the stage?

It’s where I’ve always wanted to belong, I wouldn’t exist without it. I need it to be heard even more.

▶ Theater actresses always look suspiciously at television. How was this transition for you?

The first invitation came to me from Hermelinda Simela and she was present both in theater and in cinema, which helped reassure me. Fortunately, the television projects I’ve been involved in somehow intersect with my career goals. I must confess that I was afraid of not fitting in. On screen, everything attracts a lot of attention, both positive and negative. But, now, I see it as a lab, we don’t have professional TV acting schools, so I blossom and mature with each step. More than to appear or be seen, what I want is to learn. I’m scared of the spotlight, you need guts to handle it.

▶ You’re part of a generation that invested in training to do drama, when we were used to actors and actresses who made themselves in their daily work.

We learned a lot from the actors ”who made themselves in their daily work”, they know the circuit and know how to survive in it. In fact, we have to realize that we came as a response to a series of needs that contribute to a better positioning of the class and to give continuity to the movement.

▶ To be an actress means to be a variety of persona. Where do you find the voices for the characters?

Observations and coexistence allow me to make use of memories in order to (re)use and even recreate lives that I have to live or that I would even like to live. We all want to be something, I’ve been many things and of course I still want to be more. As Lenna Bahule sings: “I want to be sound, I want to be light, I want to be colour”.

▶ You grew up watching long queues outside the Xenon Cinema. Did that experience shape your decision to become an actress?

The Xenon Cinema provided me with unique moments such as the billboard being set up at the top of a ladder that was moved from one side to the other like a juggling act, movie posters being put up with the films on display, the glamour of the red carpet that was rolled out at the premieres of national films, the same one where I saw Will Smith walk down. People greeting each other while waiting for the movie, the fresh reactions on the audience’s faces when leaving, already giving me an idea if the film was worth watching or not, always as an observer from the balcony at home. Everything maybe boosted my observation skills, but I don’t remember seeing myself walking down that red carpet.

▶ HIGHLIGHTS

“More than to appear or be seen, what I want is to learn. I’m scared of the spotlight.”

“As Lenna Bahule sings: “I want to be sound, I want to be light, I want to be color”.”

Edição 77 Jan/Fev| Download.