Hollywood actors might rule the silver screen, but Brazil’s path to stardom often starts under the bright lights of a television studio. Since the early 1960s, the telenovelas, or soap operas, produced by the country’s leading broadcaster TV Globo have evolved from simple daily dramas into a multi-million-dollar industry that can shape the national discourse, reaching more than 60 million of Brazil's 212 million people every week. Many Brazilian actors associated with Oscar-contending films, including “I’m Still Here” and this year’s four-category nominee “The Secret Agent,” first became household names via TV Globo. Actors like Wagner Moura and Fernanda Torres gained broad national visibility through telenovelas.
