João Emanuel Carneiro on Reuniting With ‘Brazil Avenue’ Star Adriana Esteves in ‘Crazy About You’ and ‘Unique’ Advantage of Brazilian Telenovelas (EXCLUSIVE)

variety.com:

Rafa Sales Ross Guest Contributor The soap opera, or telenovela, holds cultural power like nothing else in Brazil. And no other timeslot holds the prestige of the 9 p.m.

telenovela at Globo’s free-to-air channel, the television flagship of the biggest production force in Latin America. João Emanuel Carneiro, whose 9 p.m.

hit “Brazil Avenue” became one of the most successful 9 p.m. telenovelas in Brazil and internationally in modern history, is back at the time slot for the fifth time with “Crazy About You.” Carneiro’s latest marks a reunion with Adriana Esteves, whose “Brazil Avenue” villain Carminha still looms large in Brazilian pop culture.

In this new story, Esteves plays Mércia, a character especially written for her. “I don’t usually think of actors when writing but Adriana is different because of our creative partnership,” the author exclusively tells Variety. “I think it’s an interesting challenge for her to interpret a submissive woman, the opposite of her iconic Carminha,” he continues. “Adriana has an incredible capacity to bring depth and nuance to characters and I knew she could make Mércia a complex and fascinating woman.