“Are you gay?”, “lack of sex,” and “do you want to come?” are just some of the messages that the well-known actor António Capelo, 69, allegedly sent to different young people through social media over the years, which were widely shared last week by various activists on Instagram.
The screenshots now revealed suggest that the messaging was persistent. Even without a response, multiple attempts were made. Some occurred within hours, others over days, weeks, months, or even years. While many were not sexual in nature, practically all published were insistent.
A young man showed Notícias ao Minuto messages dating back to 2017, when he was in his early 20s. “You can come for lunch at Paço de Arcos, my treat,” the actor allegedly wrote shortly after contacting him via Facebook.
Considering this invitation inappropriate, the young man did not respond further. However, the messages continued the following day, two days later, three days later, and so on, consistently without any reply.
There are more allegations. The artist’s approaches allegedly extended beyond screens. Some accounts report harassment in the classroom at the ACE Escola de Artes – Teatro do Bolhão, with the topic becoming the subject of bets among students. “Who will be chosen this year?” they asked annually.
One accuser states he was “one of the chosen ones.” “I received a message from him inviting me for coffee. I replied that it must be a mistake and explained that I was his student. He clarified it wasn’t a mistake and that the message was indeed for me. I was 16 years old,” he claims.
Another screenshot, shared by activist Inês Marinho, purportedly shows António Capelo’s message to another ACE student, highlighting his pool. “It’s at my house in Douro,” the actor, who is a co-founder of the drama school and served as its artistic director for years, allegedly states.
When confronted with the inappropriate nature of the messages, the actor allegedly tried to shift the narrative. Most victims fear repercussions and damage to their careers in the artistic world.
There are reportedly dozens of messages sent by António Capelo to young people, now made public by pages like ‘Mais Um Casting’ and ‘Não Tenhas Medo’.
Among them, one young man recounts that the actor “in the very first class” asked the student to “do some interpretation exercises.” “He lay on top of me and whispered: ‘Are you enjoying it? Can you feel my weight?’ Softly, because it was during a class and probably he didn’t want my classmates to hear. I was 15 years old,” he states.
There are reportedly no complaints to authorities, due mainly to fear of reprisals in the artistic field. Notícias ao Minuto contacted PSP, GNR, Polícia Judiciária (PJ), and the Public Prosecutor’s Office (MP) on the matter. Only PSP and GNR responded, reminding that they “do not provide information regarding specific citizens.”
Capelo assures: “Affectionate gestures never had any other intention”
Faced with these accusations, António Capelo stated to Notícias ao Minuto that through his lawyer, he has filed a “criminal complaint against an anonymous page on Instagram,” currently awaiting “the course of events.”
The actor further explained in an emailed comment to Notícias ao Minuto that he has been “the target of anonymous and defamatory accusations” recently, which jeopardize his “honor, professional life, and even private life.”
“I do not identify with anonymous denunciations or public lynchings, which in no way contribute to justice or truth,” he emphasizes, arguing that the accusations made against him “are serious and totally distorted from reality.”
“My behavior has always been guided by professional rigor, respect, and care for students. Gestures of closeness, affection, or support — like hugs, lending books, sharing meals, or providing shelter in times of need — never had any purpose other than to educate, support, and shape human beings and professionals,” he asserts in the same note.
For this reason, he reaffirms his “trust in truth and justice,” having already filed a criminal complaint “for defamation against those who claim to be the owners of truth.”
“I will continue, with calmness and firmness, to defend my honor, reputation, image, and the values that have always guided my life, as well as the dignity of the institution,” he concludes.
Harassment “covered up”? ACE denies accusations
Notícias ao Minuto also contacted ACE, as many students in their allegations against António Capelo mentioned that the school “is not just complicit, but an active part” in harassment situations, noting that there were several attempts to file complaints against the then-artistic director, which were “ignored.” “Internal culture of suppressed harassment,” one testimony accuses.
Faced with these accusations, ACE assured Notícias ao Minuto that it received no complaints about António Capelo’s behavior.
“In none of the self-assessment instruments or school control bodies was any complaint recorded against this former professor. Neither among the network of professionals involved in the school’s day-to-day activities and in contact with students, such as the class director, course director, or pedagogical management, nor in the anonymous evaluations from students assessing their teachers, which the school has promoted annually since 2011. Similarly, there were no such complaints in the anonymous surveys conducted by the Internal Evaluation Committee in 2023/24, or in the student surveys created by the Student Association in 2021.”
ACE – Teatro do Bolhão clarifies that António Capelo is no longer the school’s artistic director and has not taught there for three years. “He is retired, not holding any position in this institution,” they explain.
BE received a complaint of “very grave acts”
Notícias ao Minuto also contacted the Left Bloc (BE), a party that António Capelo supported over the years, even serving as a mandatary in 2019 during the European elections campaign.
The Left Bloc referred to a statement shared on its official page.
In that statement, the BE discloses that the leadership “last week received, from a local elected official of the Bloc and a former student of actor António Capelo, a direct report of very serious acts committed by this theater teacher,” noting that “the complaint is a step of great difficulty for the victims, who deserve to be heard and have their testimonies respected.”
According to the BE, the report refers to events “over a decade ago” and is “consistent with others publicly cited in recent days,” which the party assures it “completely repudiates.”
“The Bloc stands in solidarity with the victims and the filing of complaints with the appropriate authorities,” it is stressed.
The BE further states that António Capelo “has never been a member of the Left Bloc,” but acknowledges that the actor “visibly participated in past election campaigns for the Bloc.”
Meanwhile, in the municipal elections this October, António Capelo supports Manuel Pizarro, the Socialist Party’s candidate for the Porto City Hall, as seen in a campaign video shared in June on the former Health Minister’s social media. However, the actor is not on any of the party’s lists, according to Notícias ao Minuto.
It is also noteworthy that, recently, a dance teacher from Porto was accused by dozens of former students of sexual harassment on social media.
J. is accused by dozens of young women of sexual harassment when they were his students. Conversations were disclosed by activists and various groups on social media. One of the schools has already responded, ensuring that the teacher was dismissed from the educational institution by management last April.
Natacha Nunes Costa | 15:36 – 21/07/2025
The professional, who is also a physiotherapist, taught at a different ACE Escola de Artes.
In this case, the school issued a statement on social media, confirming that the teacher in question “terminated his relationship with the school in April 2025 by decision of the management,” but without clarifying what led to this outcome.
