Fernanda Torres has apologised for wearing Blackface in a decades-old comedy sketch that resurfaced following her first-time Oscar nomination for her performance in Walter Salles’ I’m Still Here.
The actor, 59, is the second Brazilian star ever to be nominated for the Best Actress Oscar – her mother, Fernanda Montenegro, 95, was the first for her role in Salles’ Central Station in 1998.
Torres performed the offensive skit when appearing on the Brazilian TV show Fantástico, which still airs weekly on Sunday nights on the TV Globo channel.
In a statement to Deadline, Torres said of the resurfaced footage: “Almost 20 years ago, I appeared in Blackface in a comedy sketch from a Brazilian TV show. I am very sorry for this. I’m making this statement as it is important for me to address this swiftly to avoid further pain and confusion.”
The actor continued: “At that time, despite the efforts of Black movements and organizations, the awareness of the racist history and symbolism of blackface hadn’t yet entered the mainstream public consciousness in Brazil.
“Thanks to better cultural understanding and important but incomplete achievements in this century, it’s very clear now in our country and everywhere that blackface is never acceptable,” she added.
“This is an important conversation we must continue to have with one another in order to prevent the normalization of racist practices then and now,” Torres concluded.
“As an artist and global citizen, and from my open heart, I remain attentive and committed to the pursuit of vital changes needed to live in a world free from inequality and racism.”
The sketch titled “The Opposite Sex: The Family (Father Vs. Mother)” starred Torres and a male actor as multiple characters who questioned whether mothers or fathers are most important to families, per Deadline.
In one scene, Torres reportedly plays a mother called Solange who says she wants a divorce. Her husband, Luis Carlos, claims she’s just exhausted and suggests they hire a maid to make her life easier.
Torres also plays the housekeeper and wears a layer of dark makeup to take on the role. The cleaner says she is also tired, so Solange goes ahead with the divorce and gives half the proceeds to the housekeeper.
It comes shortly after Torres made history by becoming the first Brazilian female actor to win the award for Best Actress in a Drama at the Golden Globes for her role in I’m Still Here earlier this month.
In Salles political drama, Torres plays Eunice Paiva, the wife of a former Brazilian congressman who is “disappeared” during the country’s military dictatorship, which ran from 1964 to 1985.
Torres’s category was considered a competitive one, with other nominees including Pamela Anderson for The Last Showgirl, Angelina Jolie for Maria, Nicole Kidman for Babygirl, Tilda Swinton for The Room Next Door, and Kate Winslet for Lee.
A Best Actress Oscar nomination followed last week, with Torres recognised alongside Cynthia Erivo for Wicked, Karla Sofía Gascón for Emilia Pérez, Mikey Madison for Anora, and Demi Moore for The Substance.
You can read a full list of this year’s Oscar nominations here.
