Bella Campos and the Power of Brazilian Art
Bella Campos’s journey reflects an important transformation in Brazilian storytelling: the expansion of opportunities for Black actresses and the stories they bring to the screen. A Brazilian actress born in Cuiabá, in the state of Mato Grosso, Bella rose to national prominence with Pantanal and Vale Tudo, two telenovelas broadcast by TV Globo, Latin America’s largest television network, in a country where this format holds a central place in popular culture. Now, she is expanding her work into cinema with Cinco Tipos de Medo, her first feature film, which has received awards in Brazil and the United States, while beginning to establish herself on the international fashion scene.
Directed by Bruno Bini and inspired by a real case that took place in Cuiabá, Cinco Tipos de Medo stars Bella as Marlene, a nurse involved in a dangerous relationship with Sapinho, a character played by Xamã. In 2025, the film received four Kikitos at the Gramado Film Festival, including Best Film from the Official Jury, and won four additional awards at the Inffinito Brazilian Film Festival in Miami. The production features Viola Davis as an executive producer.
Bella’s growing prominence also highlights an important issue in Brazilian audiovisual media: the need to expand the presence of Black women in leading roles and offer them stories that go beyond recurring representations. For the actress, this means allowing Black characters to have desires, contradictions, and diverse experiences, taking center stage in stories about love, ambition, and humor. “Representation, to me, means showing how many different paths exist,” she says.
In September 2026, Bella made her debut at Le Défilé L’Oréal Paris during Paris Fashion Week, alongside names such as Viola Davis, Jane Fonda, and Kendall Jenner. Her encounter with Davis held special significance: the American actress’s autobiography, Finding Me, left a lasting impression on Bella by recounting a journey that reached extraordinary heights without losing sight of its roots. Years later, meeting Davis as the executive producer of her first film made that connection even more meaningful.
With Cinco Tipos de Medo, a story born in Cuiabá reaches audiences far beyond its place of origin. There is something particularly meaningful about this journey: when new voices find the space to tell their own stories, the Brazil that appears on screen becomes larger than its geography. And new ways of seeing, feeling, and imagining the country begin to find their place in the world.
FEATURE INTERVIEW:
What criteria have become more important to you when choosing a character?
Today, I look for characters who challenge me. When I read a script and think, “I don’t know exactly how to do this,” I feel like I’m on the right track. I also need to find humanity in the character, even when she makes choices that are difficult to understand. I like women who are both strong and vulnerable, who make mistakes, have desires, and contradict themselves, just like anyone else.
Another important factor is who I’ll be telling the story with. Learning from different directors, acting coaches, and fellow actors is one of the things I enjoy most about this profession. I also want to step outside the obvious and explore comedy, thrillers, romance, and characters who are very different from me. To me, a story is worth telling when it takes me out of my comfort zone and brings someone to the screen whom we haven’t really seen before.
How do you see the current state of Brazilian storytelling, and what changes would you like to see?
I think we’re at a moment of openness, and I’m grateful for what television has given me. It was there that audiences first got to know me. At the same time, it’s still rare to see Black actresses in leading roles with real complexity, and that’s the space I want to help expand.
What I’d like to see in the coming years are fully realized Black female characters. Women who are in love, funny, ambitious, vain, confused, powerful, and who live stories about love, work, travel, and the little absurdities of life. There are so many possible narratives beyond the ones we already know, and I want that to happen behind the camera, too, with more Black writers, directors, and producers telling these stories. Representation, to me, means showing how many different paths exist.
How are you experiencing the reception of your first feature film? What does this recognition mean to you?
It’s been an emotional experience because cinema has always been a dream of mine, and I’m only just getting started. Receiving four Kikitos at Gramado and then four Crystal Lens Awards in Miami brings me enormous happiness, and I make a point of sharing that with the entire team because filmmaking is a collective effort.
It also gives me a wonderful sense of validation. I put so much of myself into this film, and seeing it reach different audiences and receive recognition in such different places makes me even more curious. If this is the first chapter, I’m really eager to see what comes next.
What did it mean to return to your roots to bring Marlene to life and take this reality to international audiences?
It was very symbolic. When you grow up outside the Rio–São Paulo axis, becoming an actress can seem like a distant possibility, so returning to Cuiabá as an actress, to film in my hometown, was an honor. I felt very comfortable with the accent, the people, and the settings that are part of who I am.
The story is based on a real case, and that made me approach Marlene with care and respect. My job was to understand her without judgment, looking at what she wanted and what she was afraid of losing. Knowing that this reality, which is so close to me and not always seen on screen, is now crossing borders is incredibly beautiful.
What did it mean to meet Viola Davis in person in Paris?
It was one of those moments when you have to take a deep breath to believe it. Viola is an artist I’ve admired for a long time, and her book, Finding Me, moved me because it shows how someone who started far from any center of opportunity can occupy enormous spaces without losing their own truth. I saw myself in that story in many different ways.
Having her be part of my first film as an executive producer is one of those beautiful coincidences in life. Meeting her in Paris and realizing that someone who is such an important reference for me is connected to the beginning of my journey in cinema left me emotional, and also made me even more eager to do work worthy of that inspiration.
How are you experiencing this moment as your career gains international visibility across different fields?
With a lot of joy and, I confess, quite a few butterflies in my stomach! Walking in Le Défilé L’Oréal Paris was an incredible experience, and I tried to enjoy every second because it’s not every day that you get to experience something like that.
For me, fashion and beauty are also forms of expression and identity. I’ve worn braids, wigs, and short hair, and I love the freedom to experiment with different versions of myself. Being in this space is a result of a career that has grown, and I want to experience it with a sense of lightness, without losing sight of the same Bella who loves to laugh, learn, and have fun along the way.
TEAM CREDITS:
Editor-in-Chief: Prince Chenoa
Feature Editor: Taylor Winter Wilson (@taylorwinter)
Brazil Editor: Leonardo Loreto (@leonardoloreto)
Writer: Gillian Caetano (@gilliancaetano)
Photographer: Unkle Clarence(@unkleclarence)
Wardrobe Stylist: Suyane Ynaya (@suzane_ynaya)
Makeup Artist: LAÍS PIUBEL (@laispiubel)
BTS: (@cleosun.jpg)
