15+ Facts about Babu Santana, who had her career rebuilt thanks to BBB 20

Many people, even talented ones, go through stages in life when they have to face very difficult challenges. At these times, you need to seize any opportunity to test your skills to try to overcome obstacles and get back on your feet.

Well, at least that’s what “big daddy” Babu Santana did, when he accepted the invitation to participate in the 20th edition of Big Brother Brasil. Even with a past of successes and awards, the actor was going through a difficult time, but managed to regain control of his life.

Inspired by your persistence, we at awesome.club we remember the peak of Babu Santana’s career, talk about his difficulties and celebrate his resumption.

Alexandre da Silva Santana, known today as Babu, was born and raised in Morro do Vidigal, in the city of Rio de Janeiro. He worked from an early age in a tent on the beach and also as a cleaner and even for a samba school. The nickname came in his teens, because he was kind of nervous. Years later, the actor resignified that nickname to make it his stage name. His father worked at Teatro Fênix, which Globo used to record some productions, and Babu sometimes participated in the auditorium.

Incidentally, Babu told on the Encontro com Fátima Bernardes program that the nickname was a way of mocking the students at the school where he studied. His uncles advised him not to accept that, so he decided to adopt that name in retaliation. Babu discovered that his father was also called that, but in reference to the Jeannie is a Genius series. That’s how his nickname became his stage name.

These trips to Globo programs at his father’s work marked Babu’s life. He watched programs from Chacrinha, Xuxa and Trapalhões live. In addition, his uncles encouraged the boy to consume culture. These factors sparked his interest in an artistic career and he began to be part of a theater group when he was about 18 years old, in 1997. Papa Babu proudly supported his son’s career, stopping artists in the corridors to ask for an opportunity to participate.

Pursuing the goal of becoming an actor was not easy for Babu. He once quit his job at a bookstore and explained to his boss that he was auditioning for an actor. The audition was for Nós No Morro, a social project in Morro do Vidigal that trains actors. His boss mocked saying that a person with his appearance would never be an actor. It wasn’t easy hearing those words, but he was determined to prove otherwise.

The effort paid off: Babu passed the test for Nós No Morro and shortly afterwards got his first roles. First with a participation in the soap opera Malhação in 2001 and in a short film called Um Jeito Brasileiro de Ser Português, in the same year. In 2002, she debuted in cinema with three films, one of them being the great success City of God. With more than 3 million viewers and four Oscar nominations, the film is considered a milestone in Brazilian cinema.

Babu then began to participate in various productions, including TV series and soap operas, as well as short films and films. It didn’t take long for recognition to emerge. In 2007, for his role as Bujiú in the film Estômago, he won three awards for Best Supporting Actor. Of course, after those awards came more TV appearances, and more film roles. One of them was in the movie O Meu Nome Não é Johnny, starring Selton Mello and Cléo Pires.

All the roles that Babu got in the cinema were very stereotyped, but the actor did not settle. On the contrary, in his performance he sought to give depth to the character, giving him more humanity. That way, he was able to break the stereotype he was given of always playing similar roles. Until in 2014 he got his first lead role, and quite different from what they used to give him. The film was Tim Maia, and Babu lived the singer in his adult phase.

Interpreting Tim Maia may have been one of the highlights of his career, as he achieved recognition and praise from critics and the public. So much so that the artist won two awards as Best Actor that year: one at the SESC Film Festival and another at the Grande Prêmio do Cinema Brasileiro — known as the Grande Otelo Award — the latter of which was also awarded to Tony Ramos. Babu was so popular that, in the same year, he was nominated for Best Supporting Actor for the film Júlio Sumiu.

In an interview with Gshow, Tatiane Melo, Babu’s girlfriend at the time, made some revelations about the artist’s personality. According to her, he is emotional, affectionate, expressive and cries easily. In addition, he is very attached to his children, Laura, Carlinhos and Piná. Tatiane also stated that he is a big daddy, friend and boyfriend, who defends his friends and shares what he has with everyone. “A person with a very big heart”.

Friend and ex-brother-in-law Jefferson Machado confirms Tatiane’s assertions by telling an inspiring story. Jefferson was only 14 years old when Babu started dating his sister. Since then, the artist has been like a father to him. Even when Jefferson needed a place to live and Babu welcomed him with open arms. Today, even with the end of the relationship, Jefferson says: “He is a great friend, a good father, affectionate and crybaby (…) that’s how I consider him: a father”

Even with so many awards and recognitions, life was still difficult for Babu. He was even scheduled to star in another biopic, that of the fighter Maguila, and began to prepare for the role. To get a physique more like that of the fighter, he lost weight and started to train boxing. However, due to lack of resources, the film Welcome Maguila ended up being cancelled. The actor then went back to looking for other jobs.

It shouldn’t be difficult, since, at that point, he already had dozens of soap operas and films under his belt, not to mention the various awards. But the truth is that the actor was only scheduled for occasional appearances in soap operas and miniseries. At that time, he lived ten kilometers from Vidigal, on Ilha de Gigoia, with his girlfriend, children and another friend who helped pay the rent and expenses. The fees for small stakes were not enough.

In this complicated situation, aged 40 and with debts incurred in recent years, Babu received the call that could change his life again. It was the production of BBB 20, which had a novelty: for the first time there would be anonymous and famous participants competing for the prize. Seeing the opportunity to leverage his career, Babu accepted the invitation and joined the program. Inside, for his affectionate way of dealing with competitors, he earned the nickname Paizão.

On the second wall of the program, with Petrix, Pyong, and Babu Santana, the actor decided to appeal to viewers and opened up about his situation outside. In an emotional confession, with more than 40 films in his 15-year career, Babu exposed the situation of actors like him in the country and asked: “Brazil, I only ask that you help an unemployed artist, father of three, who just needs to pass one more time here”. The request worked, as the actor stayed almost until the end of the program.

Babu was, until then, the one who most participated in walls in the history of the BBB, adding up to ten. It was even in the tenth that he was eliminated with 57.15% of the votes. The actor ended the reality show in fourth place. When he left, thanks to his success on the show, several news awaited him, and he soon posted the best of them on his Instagram: “In difficult times like the one we are going through, it is a privilege to tell you that: Daddy is no longer unemployed”.

That’s because, when he was still confined at the BBB’s house, Babu released two singles: Sou Babu and Soul Africa. Additionally, several producers have signaled that they would like to sign him. Babu was hired for the cast of the telenovela Salve-se Quem Puder and the project for the biopic Welcome Maguila was resumed. He also acted in the feature film Intervention, on Netflix, and presented Trace Trends on Globoplay. Babu thanks, moved: “Gratitude to Globo and to all of you, who cheered and cheered for me”.

With the shift in his financial reality, thanks to advertising contracts and with soap operas and cinema, Babu can now breathe a sigh of relief and enjoys the new moment with his family. In 2021, he created the phonographic label Paizão Records, in order to give greater visibility to funk, rap and trap artists. The artist considers that his participation in the program brought positive results, in addition to personal and professional growth.

Actor Babu Santana has inspired many people with his persistence and the care he shows towards his family and career. Tell us what, for you, was Babu’s most inspiring moment? What other artist has inspired you through their career or personal life? Tell us in the comments!