5 Starz

Interview by Justin, India, Mia, Bruno, Bruna e Gonçalo

Photography Frederico Martins

Styling Francisco Reis

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It mirrors our today – transformative, unpleasant, reactionary. In 2021 the series idealized by Justin Amorim starred a public reality about the younger generation which led to the reflection that some issues we relate to age are in fact stuck within ourselves.

India Branquinho for Justin Amorim

IB – Do you feel like each 5starz character has a piece of you? I mean, are they in some way a representation of your other personalities? If not, then who are these 5 stars built on?

JA – Definitely. I think each character I develop carries a part of me. I can’t say they’re representations of my other personalities, but I can definitely find myself in them. Diego has my indecisiveness, Maria my sense of humor, Vera carries the ambition, Penelope my entrepreneurship and Rodrigo my indifference. Sometimes I give them certain qualities that I wish I had, as people I would like to become one day.

IB – What was the most remarkable critic or compliment of your career?

JA – This one is hard, I’ve heard so many reviews about my work… but I’m trying this new thing where I focus more on the compliments, leaving aside the critics. I remember one very well, an email I got from Nick Knight saying how much he had enjoyed my first movie “Millennia” from 2015… as a 21-year-old, that was a very important moment in my life. I respect his work immensely and his praise made me believe I was on the right track.

Justin Amorim for Mia Fernandes

JA – In 5starz, your character Vera works as a courier while simultaneously chasing her dream of becoming a singer. While shooting it was funny to realize how close Mia and Vera actually are. How close do you feel with her?

MF – That was one of the reasons I immediately fell in love with Vera, because of that converging but also uneven reality we share. We are both fighting for the spotlight and since very young I share that same feeling I know Vera is also experiencing. While she wants to conquer the music world, I want the acting one. Our path is similar than what I would like to admit, from ambitions to the way we fight to achieve them, I can relate to Vera’s struggle - or any artist who battles to get their place in the world - and of course, her emotional griefs.

JA – You were the first leading transgender actress in a Portuguese series. Do you feel your dreams and motivations may be limited by this industry, historically known for its normative tendency?

MF – I was super excited when I was requested to play Vera so it was an incredible honor being the first transgender actress to play a transgender role. Although it’s an extremely normative industry, especially in Portugal, we have evolved a lot diversity wise, thanks to people like you, and others, who have been amazing serving the audiovisual and cinematic world some inclusivity. Even so, we still need more diversity, not only on screens but everywhere. Only then, this industry will stop being so “exclusive” by becoming the opposite, so that we can all represent all minorities, so that all generations can learn, understand and relate to a Vera, a Maria, a Penelope, a Diego or a Rodrigo.

Bruna Magalhães for Gonçalo Cabral

BM – Which of the characters would you consider your best friend in real life?

GC – I feel torn between Rodrigo and Penelope. Rodrigo because he is the most relaxed, he can be a great shoulder to lean on, that person who listens to you when no one else will. Penelope due to the fact that if I needed something from the “candonga” she would just provide it (laughing).

BM – What do you consider a success/personal achievement?

CG – Success means working on what you love, feeling you’re on the right field to grow. I consider a success becoming a boss or getting a higher position – I’m used to work as a dancer, more as a performative interpreter, and I would like to progress as a choreographer or as stage director. Personal achievement it can be anything – some just need their hobby, which they spend time on every day, some like to travel… me, I enjoy feeling happy, sleeping with my conscience clear, being surrounded by the ones who love me, my mother, my brother, my wife and my baby who is on the way.

Bruno “Nurb” Leça for Bruna Magalhães

BL – If you could influence the whole world with your opinion/vision on one subject what would that be?

BM – I would like to talk about many, such as veganism, but my choice would be one that is not a subject nor an opinion – it’s feminism, gender equality. To me that’s not even an issue, but to many it still is, so if I could turn the whole world feminist I would.

BL – If possible, what advice would you give Maria?

BM – I can see myself in her, but younger, on my quest for validation sometimes in the wrong places or people. The piece of advice I’d give her – and I really don’t want to be misinterpreted as I respect and support any profession – would be that “easy money ends easily”, I mean, long-term, doing any job in exchange for money, won’t make you happy. That should never be the sole reason for commitment, the most important is feeling good about ourselves and healing our wounds.

Mia Fernandes for Burno “Nurb” Leça

MF – What was the best moment at the 5starz backstage?

BL – Definitely the end, the last scene. The team was happy that it ended and Justin gave me a bouquet of flowers. But overall, the best part was meeting all of these actors and the Promenade crew.

MF – If you had to quarantine with a fictional character who would it be and why?

BL – Phineas and Ferb would make my quarantine quite amusing. On holidays, they do incredible things every day, such as roller coasters, so I imagine my quarantine wouldn’t differ. I cannot pick just one, so they would both join me and I would be wearing whatever they would create for me.

Gonçalo Cabral for India Branquinho

GC – After 5starz do you still know how to roller skate or is it not like riding a bike?

IB – I had to learn how to roller skate in less than a month. Some have that natural aptitude, not me unfortunately (laughing). It’s definitely not like riding a bike, I know the right move now, although to achieve the level I was at the filming of the series I would have to practice every day. It was fun to learn, because it was a challenge, I felt a bit scared but that rapidly changed. Learning how to fall was very important.

GC – Can you see yourself, in a near future, as an ASMR artist?

IB – I enjoyed my character had that side of her, because by consequence I got hooked on ASMR videos. 2 years ago, every night, I used to listen to it to fall asleep because I was going trough I hard time where I couldn’t sleep and ASMR helped me a lot. I enjoy those with face and head massages, pretending someone is putting make up on me, meditating, hand movements… It’s sort of a visual reiki. ASMR is not something you learn, it’s feels like tingling and either you feel that on your neck or you don’t.

Becoming an ASMR artist, that I just don’t know, that’s a full-time job. When I played Penelope, I looked up some of my followed artists for reference. The self-tape I made for the series included a video of me doing ASMR for the camera. I ate pineapple, some corn cookies that make that crunch sound, drank sparkling water… If being an actress goes wrong I know I am somehow skilled on this (laughing).

Fashion

Alves/Gonçalves

José Manuel Alves fala à SOLO sobre a coleção que deu lugar à ‘farda’ dos 5Starz. Porque a melhor parte de se fazer diferente é fazer melhor. A segunda melhor parte é podermos fazer parte dela.

As vossas peças parecem trazer sempre alguma resposta ‘não óbvia’ alinhada com o presente/futuro. Quais foram as perguntas que deram o ponto de partida para a coleção FW22/23? E que pontos de interrogação quiseram deixar no ar?

Julgo que a visão de um designer (de qualquer área) tem de ser o futuro, ou pelo menos levando-o em linha de conta. Sentir a sociedade, perceber as suas necessidades, que caminhos as pessoas desejam seguir etc.

Quando falo em sociedade pode não ser num sentido geral podemos dividir a nossa atenção para nichos ou bolhas sociais muito específicas. Inconscientemente podemos de alguma maneira reflectir o caos social característico da época por que passamos, mas não foi esse o ponto de partida.

Proteção, desconstrução de ideias pré-concebidas, técnicas de construção artesanais, verniz preto a dar brilho a peças, por aí fora de métodos/visões/resultados à partida contrastantes mas que encontraram um só caminho na vossa passerelle. É de um certo ‘caos organizado’ e busca pelo invulgar que fala esta coleção? E mais?

Gostamos de usar e testar as matérias primas como forma de que daí surja algo de novo (diferente). Matérias essas que se tornam constantes no nosso trabalho. O caos é imaginário, nunca uma situação definitiva e usada na própria construção de algumas peças.

“Se nós não estivermos em sintonia com o tempo que estamos a viver e não o surpreendermos, então não vale a pena existirmos enquanto designers”, disse Manuel Alves em entrevista. De que nos fala o agora e o futuro para o mundo / a Alves Gonçalves?

Pretendemos sobretudo perceber pessoas, valores, o bonito, o feio, contradizer opiniões. Apresentar de maneira diferenciada faz parecer que existem diferentes maneiras de fazer as coisas; perder o medo do novo, do diferente criando novos confortos. Sempre tendo em conta a moda tanto no nosso exercício mental como técnico."