Taís Araújo (1978- ) is a Brazilian television actress from Rio. She was the first black actress ever to get a lead part in a telenovela, first on Rede Manchete, one of Brazil’s lesser television networks, and then on Globo, the largest in Brazil and the third largest in the world. Has any black actress in North America done anything like that?
She made her name in 1996 at age 17 playing Xica da Silva, a true story about a slave who became the richest woman in Brazil. On the day she turned 18 Araujo was shown on television bathing naked in a river.
On one telenovela, “Cobras e Lagartos”, she started out as one of the lesser characters but then she came to overshadow even the main ones. On that show the character played by Lazaro Ramos fell in love with her. Later Ramos himself married her.
She has also been a model, a television presenter and has acted in film and on stage. She is known in the Spanish-speaking world and even in Poland. People magazine in Spanish once picked her as one of the 50 most beautiful people in the world.
She loves acting and works very hard. She has talent, beauty and presence. She often works on a television show and a film at the same time, working seven days a week.
She laughs and cries easily and her love and hate is strong. She looks and acts like a princess.
She started acting at age 11 when she and some of her friends in her building started putting on plays. She fell in love with acting.
At 13 she once went to get her hair done. When the owner of the beauty salon set eyes on her she knew at once that she could be a model and helped her to become one.
Once she was sent to model for an ice cream company, but was sent back because she was black. She said, “What? Blacks don’t eat ice cream?”
She continued with her acting. She wanted to become an actress, but her father wanted her to learn a profession, like her older sister who became a doctor. So she studied journalism because she loves to read.
She did not get her degree: she got three quarters of the way through but then left school to do acting full-time. She hopes to complete her degree in 2008.
The producers of Xica da Silva did not want to use her for the lead character at first: they felt she was ten years too young. But they could not find someone better in time, so they gave her the part. She thought they were mad, but it made her name.
The press loves to take her picture and write largely made-up stories about her love life. Like that she is separating from her husband based on pictures of her alone and he with another woman. To put an end to these stories a friend of hers put pictures on her blog of Araujo and Ramos kissing.
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salut comment va tu
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a tais é um anjo que anda perdida na terra , mas um dia vai voltar no ceu porque ela é tao linda eu me inspiro muito nela é uma atris espetacular para além de ser linda
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She is beautiful!
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Taís não é negra. Ela é mestiça, como boa parte da população brasileira. E também é linda, inteligente e talentosa.
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I understand that she is seen as mixed in Brazil. I call her black according to the general English meaning of that word – since I am writing in English. Also note that in what she said about ice cream she said negra, if I remember correctly.
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hi tais how are u,u are verey beautiful tha t i wanted u to be my wife,pliz send som of yor picture where u ar in string
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she is hot.
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hi.
is nice metin u, pls i never meant to embrass you ok. i saw u and like u i decided to say my mind, babe i saw u and i like pls kindly my friend ok. more about me and my pics when nxt i read from u.
till then pls do take good care of urself.
bye.
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Hello beautiful,
How are you. Tais is my first time seeing a picture of you. I do like what a see. It would be nice if i can see you in person, or if not we can swap pictures. I live in New Orleans Louisiana. The Mardi Gras is in Febuary. When is it there? I would like to always keep in contact with you. Keep Sweet
Greg
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in like ur job lady! can i be ur friend please? i real like ur company. am Arican lady from Tanzania. plz Reply.
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yuo are good lady keep it up! bult i would like much to be your Friend please is it possible? am African girl from Tanzania.
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Dear Abagond, Thanks so very much for this article on Brasilian actress Tais Araujo (my all time favorite by the way), who’s now starring in the novela ‘Viver a Vida’ (Living the Life).
I’ve come to learn that people (even those in her home country by the way) have been saying some very negative things about this versatile young women, but thank God she just keeps on rolling with the bunches, and the majority of the time ignores what she hears.
Also, just in case you’re interested, her novela ‘Da Cor Do Pecado’ is now the “most watched novela in history” to date, and those of us who’re fans of Tais are waiting for a sequel to this special novela, that blew us all away.
Tais has visited the U.S., mainly New York City several times in the past. The Brazil Film Festival and the Brazil Day Parade are two such events that she’s gone to, I’m so sorry I haven’t gotten the chance to see her yet. I’m hoping (and praying) that she’ll visit our city again very soon (we so want to hear her speak english).
Lastly, while there seems to be some controversy that follows her appearances in certain novelas, when she appears as the ‘protagonista’ (lead character), this fades into existance once she appears on the screen as she is the ‘only’ afro-brasilian actress to get a lead part in all of Brasil. We’re still waiting for others (Adriana Lessa, etc.) to get their chance too. Thanks once again for recognizing Tais’ talents.
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Tais is a very attractive young woman, but a talented actress she ain’t.
Sorry.
Anyone who saw her in “Xica da Silva” can attest to this.
I didn’t know Xica suffered from Parkinson’s disease…. 😀
…we so want to hear her speak english…
Believe me, most of us are awaiting this revelation with baited breath, too. 😉
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ilike the lady she is so beutyfull plz give a contant iam from TZ
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Thad, “Tais is a very attractive woman, but a talented actress she aint”. To each their own opinion (thank God/Jesus there’s usually more than one).
My prayers go out to her, because in my opinion, she gets better as time goes on. Thad, walk in Tais’ shoes by being the ‘only’ one in your industry, who’s called upon to be an example of the dominate race in your country, then come back to me.
One of two black actresses in her country, who’ve taken the “lead” role in a novela, and Tais was given the ‘night’ time slot with the highter viewership ratings. Say what you want to about her, she’s held her own this long, and with God/Jesus’ help she’ll go even further.
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My prayers go out to her, because in my opinion, she gets better as time goes on.
Let’s hope so. Usually that’s the case when you practice a profession, neh?
Usually.
Thad, walk in Tais’ shoes by being the ‘only’ one in your industry, who’s called upon to be an example of the dominate race in your country, then come back to me.
Bea, come back when you’ve learned a little bit more about Brazil and talk to me. Thais is hardly the only black woman in the Brazilian entertainment industry, despite what you’ve read in the gringo press.
One of two black actresses in her country, who’ve taken the “lead” role in a novela, and Tais was given the ‘night’ time slot with the highter viewership ratings. Say what you want to about her, she’s held her own this long, and with God/Jesus’ help she’ll go even further.
Nichole Nichols was one of the first black women on American T.V. That doesn’t make her a good actress.
What’s sad about this, Bea, is that you obviously feel good about yourself because you know Thais exists. There are, however, plenty of black female actresses in Brazil who are more talented than her. Do you know about them?
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Is that picture at the top from the Chica da Silva movie? If so, I guess Brazilians in the 1700s were wearing the same getup as American and British elites were.
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“I understand that she is seen as mixed in Brazil. I call her black according to the general English meaning of that word – since I am writing in English. Also note that in what she said about ice cream she said negra, if I remember correctly.”
Maybe it has to do with what Thad said about race being contextual in Brazil. She may have been considered too dark to model for the ice cream company so she was black in that context but at other times may think of herself as a mestica.
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Is that picture at the top from the Chica da Silva movie? If so, I guess Brazilians in the 1700s were wearing the same getup as American and British elites were.
I wouldn’t take a Rede Globo reconstruction of the 1700s as necessarily hostorically accurate, FG. It’s likely that the props department over at Globo got their ideas on proper attire from watching English-language period pics.
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I’ve seen tais in Shades of Sin and i truly like what i saw- beauty and Talent.
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Tais is about to become a ‘mother’ in June with her husband Lazaro, and they’ve already told the world it’s a boy. She’s also learning ‘english’ and I’ve been wondering if that’s to finally do some work in America?
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Tias hi, i cnt believ i got a chance to say smthng to u.Gal, i lov u.i hav seen u on shades of sin and seize the day soapies.i lov u gal i lov.u r beutiful.hay, i heared u r pregnat wth a babe boy.congradulations.i wnt to c u in person.one day i wil i promise u tha.enjoy yo day. im from lesotho.
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it is beautifull to see this woman she is so sexy attractive and my heart has gone from when i saw her !!! ooooh my God i dont believe TAIS IS super natural!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Hi Tais! I have seen u in ‘shades of sin’ and ‘seize the day’. My goodness how attractive and talented u are. U leave me breathless each time i see u on the screen. My dream is to meet u one day. I send u all my love.
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Tais Araujo is very beautiful beean watching afavorita in Kenya and i am….would like to invite her sometime.
Regards,
Adams
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she is vrry pretty althrouth her name is preta
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i enjoy her films so much.from watching the film she played as preta and helena i wish i watch more of her movies every day,she is wonderfull
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son nouveau look pour 2013 est terrible: http://br.omg.yahoo.com/blogs/notas-omg/ta%C3%ADs-ara%C3%BAjo-corta-madeixas-e-exibe-visual-jo%C3%A3ozinho-145331498.html
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hai tais,you are beautiful come visit us at namibia please
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I love this actress in the soap opera “Da cor do pecado”, she’s beautiful!
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She is really beautiful,and awesome in her career.
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lagartos good telenovela.
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