15+ Actors Who Transformed To Play Women And Gave Us A Lot Of Talent

The life of artists is always a surrender. In order to live the most diverse characters, these professionals accept to change their appearance, give up vanity (or start to give more importance to it) and, in some cases, even need to dive into an unknown universe, such as the opposite gender.

In Brazil there is no shortage of examples, from drama to comedy, of actors who sought to understand the female soul, understood the pains and delights of being a woman and shined playing characters who made history in soap operas, films and series.

That’s why we, from awesome.club, we went looking for the best examples of actors who sought to understand the female soul and helped to break taboos and address important issues, giving life to characters that stayed in our hearts. Check it out with us!

As a teenager, actor Kayky Brito faced the challenge of playing a girl. Despite incorporating more sudden and untimely movements to the character, the actor had to live with the wardrobe, makeup and hair routine, typical of actresses.

Jezebel’s adopted daughter (played by Elizabeth Savala), was the central character of one of the soap opera’s mysteries. Chocolate with pepperwhich takes place in the 1920s. As he did not know how to be a boy, he was conflicted about wanting to play football and having a secret crush on his best friend.

The truth was only revealed on the eve of Bernadette’s wedding, which had been arranged by her mother. After the discovery, the young man was called Bernardo, cut his hair, adopted men’s clothing and declared himself to his beloved Cássia (Luiza Curvo).

Ana Girafa was a challenge in the career of actor Luís Salem. To play the character in the soap opera Quem Beijo, he was inspired by a real-life figure. During preparation for the recordings, Salem visited a community where he met a trans woman with a life story very similar to Ana Girafa’s.

The character, who was abandoned by her mother, was a hairdresser and still acted in shows dubbing famous singers. Throughout the telenovela, the actor insisted on bringing a touch of love and femininity to the performance, avoiding the caricatured interpretation. Salem’s intention was to show the human side, with the full feelings of a struggling woman.

The abandoned son of Maruschka (Marília Pêra) put aside his sorrows and was always at the side of his friends when needed. The role was important in the actor’s career, who still receives the affection of fans for his performance as Ana Girafa.

Nothing forgives the negligence of the character Élcio, played by Otaviano Costa in the telenovela bite and blow🇧🇷 However, it was because he owed a pension to his three ex-wives that the trickster moved to another city and assumed a new identity.

By bringing Elaine (Élcio’s disguise) to life, the actor discovered what a woman’s routine is like, in all its difficulties. The character’s preparation work included silicone prostheses, makeup and a wig, but mainly, something that goes beyond physical changes: understanding the female soul to give credibility to the character.

Even though it was a comic plot, Elaine had to learn how to dodge harassment to escape embarrassing situations, showing men — and women — how important it is to value the female presence.

It was supposed to be a comic series, but Weaker Sex managed to go further. Based on the difficulties of four friends in understanding women (mothers, sisters or girlfriends), the production taught women’s empowerment at an important moment of achievement for women.

Lázaro Ramos played Fred and his sister Priscila. The preparation routine was not limited to the choice of costumes, wigs and accessories. There were hours of vocal training, body language and even waxing!

The result was a character that stayed in our hearts. So much so that, 15 years later, we were able to miss this diva in a special participation in the series Mr Braustarring Lázaro and his wife, Taís Araújo.

Another member of Weaker SexWagner Moura experienced the episodes in a double dose, in the skin of Edu and Magali, a Bahian woman with a very high IQ — and super attuned to universal laws — who goes to Rio de Janeiro in search of a place in the sun (or rather, in the sun). shadow!).

Magali brings lightness to the plot and shows that a woman can be both vain and intelligent. And, even more, back in the early 2000s, the character was already showing that it was the woman who set the rules, whether in romantic relationships, at home or at work.

Bruno Garcia was also one of the protagonists of the program, playing Alex and Vilminha. Dedicated and always looking to be more understanding, the wife of Beto, played by Lúcio Mauro Filho, is the one who gives rise to most of the doubts and questions of the four friends.

like the idea of Weaker Sex it was precisely to break the stereotype that women are more fragile than men, this is the character who establishes a counterpoint between the supposed maturity and the fragility of the husband, always dependent on the opinions and attitudes of women.

In Weaker SexLúcio Mauro Filho played Beto and did his best to maintain good relations between his wife Vilminha, played by Bruno Garcia, and his mother, Dona Gertrudes, played by the actor himself.

Super protective and practically an enemy of the daughter-in-law, the character demonstrates that mothers continue to have an influence on their children’s lives, even after they are adults. She is a test of Vilminha’s patience and who triggers the couple’s biggest conflicts.

The program marked an era, shedding light on female strength and opening space for important dialogues. The hours of manicure and make-up were just part of the preparation of the actors, who needed to understand the female universe in order to deal with fundamental issues such as rights, freedom and respect.

A classic of Brazilian television, the telenovela The Queen of Scrap opened the 90s by addressing themes of a society in transformation. From social ascendancy to prejudices against foreigners, the plot was surrounded by subjects that were beginning to gain evidence at that time.

One of the highlights of the production was the comic core of the serial — the iconic Dona Armenia, played by Aracy Balabanian, and “her three little daughters”, as the character said. So much so that the family returned to the screen years later, in the telenovela God help us.

Therefore, when the author Sílvio de Abreu decided to address respect for diversity, he brought one of the sons of Dona Armenia, Gino, in a new condition. Played by actor Jandir Ferrari, the character understood his identity and became a trans woman: Gina.

The author managed, decades ago, with lightness and sensitivity, to deal with a subject that is still very delicate and controversial. In moments full of fraternity and understanding Gina is accepted and continues to be among “mama’s little girls”.

And speaking of taboos and transformation, imagine playing a character of the opposite gender in the middle of the 1970s… It was like this with Ziembinski, a renowned Brazilian theater actor, who played a woman in the telenovela the bofe🇧🇷

In the plot, he was Stanislava, mother of the protagonist Guiomar, played by Betty Faria. The old lady had peculiar quirks and dreamed of an enchanted prince. Everything to normalize that all people have the right to happiness.

Despite not being a public success, the telenovela marked the history of Brazilian telenovela by featuring, for the first time, an actor as a genuine female character.

The Mystery of Irma Vap was a watershed in the Brazilian performing arts. The show brought nearly three million people to the theater and ran for over 11 years. So much so that it entered the Book of Records in 2003.

The play had as one of the protagonists the actor Marco Nanini, in the role of Lady Enid, among other characters he played. Incidentally, the entire plot was conducted by just two actors: Nanini and Ney Latorraca.

In the production, which was a satire of the most varied theatrical genres, Nanini enchanted the audience with her interpretation.

Years after leaving the poster, Vap Sister again attracted the public. This time in a new plot, for the cinema. Also on the big screen, the satirical interpretation made Marco Nanini shine once again.

The film Irma Vap — The Return was starred by the same actors. The play itself becomes the argument for another story that unfolds throughout the film, and Nanini’s performance was an authentic homage to what Vap Sister meant in his personal life and in his professional trajectory.

And these were not the actor’s first performances in female skin. In 1985, Nanini played Florisbela, in the telenovela One More Dream🇧🇷 In reality, he was Mosca, Volpone’s faithful squire, played by Ney Latorraca.

In the plot, the character Volpone gets involved in confusion and needs to assume a disguise, so he chooses to characterize himself as a woman. To give strength to his friend, Mosca also adopts a female identity. This is how Florisbela appears.

An important detail is that in the three works just mentioned, in which Marco Nanini played women, his scene partner was exactly the same: Ney Latorraca. Let’s meet your characters now!

Chameleon would be a good nickname for Ney Latorraca. Whether in cinema, theater or TV, the actor has played the most diverse characters, including some women. The Mystery of Irma Vap it was just one of the works in which he lent his body to the female soul.

In all these cases, it is possible to perceive the affection and attention in the construction of each character. That’s what happened with the housekeeper Jane, who received all the care from the author so that she wouldn’t be exaggerated and excessively caricatured.

Even in this extremely satirical montage, Ney Latorraca managed to act with respect for women.

In this photo, the actor is in the skin of Dona Darcy, in the film Irma Vap — The Return🇧🇷 The production resumed the success of the play and nailed it.

In 2006, the film won the Crystal Lens award and was nominated in three categories at the Grande Prêmio Brasil Cinema, including best adapted screenplay.

Like his faithful acting partner, Ney Latorraca had his first female character in the telenovela. One more dream🇧🇷 He was the protagonist of the serial and played no less than six roles.

The most striking and perhaps controversial for the time was the demure secretary Anabela. The girl was, in fact, a disguise for Volpone, a fugitive from justice. The care with the acting is given in every detail and the actor had to learn a lot about the female world so that Volpone could transmit truthfulness to his new identity.

Beiçola, just like everyone else…