Ahead of the debut of the second season of Augusto Fraga’s series on the 17th on Netflix, Helena Caldeira detailed her career, showing she is more than the actress known for portraying the pink-haired girl seeking an escape from a troubled life.
At 29, Helena Caldeira has over a decade in acting, is the co-founder of the art collective Bestiário, has recently filmed her first short film, is in rehearsals for a play at Teatro da Trindade in Lisbon, and is preparing an album for release in 2026.
Reflecting on ‘Rabo de Peixe,’ which premiered on Netflix in 2023 and has its third season already shot, Helena Caldeira emphasized the importance of time given for rehearsing, making mistakes, and exploring creativity.
“That time is crucial and was possible because of a bigger budget. Unfortunately, neither DGArtes’ budgets nor our society operate with enough time. Processes are increasingly rushed, potentially leading to more superficial or targeted projects. It takes time to deepen things,” she argued.
Discussing her role as Sílvia Arruda, Helena Caldeira hinted at a major transformation for her character, who shares the spotlight with actors José Condessa, André Leitão, and Rodrigo Tomás as a quartet of friends turning to drug trafficking to change their lives.
“This season is seen by Augusto [Fraga] as dark and intense, with all characters facing internal struggles. For Sílvia, this will be particularly evident as she is pregnant,” she revealed.
Helena Caldeira, hailing from Montemor-o-Novo and having studied acting in Évora and Lisbon, noted that ‘Rabo de Peixe’ marked a turning point in her career, setting the stage for a potential international journey.
“I’m not committed to making an ‘ultra-effort’ just for international recognition. My focus is on completing my current projects here and then moving to new endeavors. ‘Rabo de Peixe’ has been beneficial, but life moves on,” she stated.
Among her projects is ‘Cantadeiras,’ the first show Helena Caldeira wrote, directed, and performed, under the art collective Bestiário, co-founded in 2018 with friends.
‘Cantadeiras’ emerged from RTP support for creation and a residency at O Espaço do Tempo in Montemor-o-Novo, where Helena Caldeira sings, dances, and acts, drawing from Alentejo’s memories and stories.
“It was a significant project, my first full directorial experience, combining stage direction, musical direction, and script writing. It branched out into other areas. I created original music for the show, currently being recorded and produced for an album with Samuel Martins Coelho and FOQUE,” she said.
From one of the show’s songs, titled ‘Vizinhas,’ Helena Caldeira decided to make a short film, already filmed in Montemor-o-Novo, and plans to premiere it at festivals.
“I’m not looking to make more shorts. The ‘Cantadeiras’ project inspired me to explore new things because it was versatile,” she explained.
This versatility extends to Bestiário’s identity, an indie art collective founded out of necessity after studying at the Escola Superior de Teatro e Cinema.
“There were no theater auditions, so you have a wave of actors leaving school. You either create your own project or breaking into the field is really difficult. […] Then, to obtain funding, you need to apply for grants, and for that, you need an organizational structure; it was a financial necessity and about owning our work,” she remembered.
For Helena Caldeira, this reflects the “very precarious” state of theater and performing arts in Portugal.
“We have an eight-year-old structure and are still considered an emerging company! We’ve been around for eight years and still, when competing for grants, we’re in the lower tiers. […] We look for as many partnerships as possible and still few of us work with other art structures because that space doesn’t exist,” she exclaimed.
The actress notes that everything she learns and experiences feeds back into Bestiário as a creator.
“All projects are linked to social sciences and anthropological themes; we aim to explore what it means to be human without adhering to aesthetic rules. It’s an experimental space where various languages converge into one. […] The body is the vehicle for our ideas,” she defined.
In addition to the new season of “Rabo de Peixe,” Helena Caldeira is rehearsing for “Menina Júlia” by Strindberg, directed by João de Brito, premiering on November 27 at Teatro da Trindade.
On November 1, in a unique presentation, Helena Caldeira will perform ‘Cantadeiras’ with a female choir at Teatro Curvo Semedo in Montemor-o-Novo.
In March, she will be filming the Portuguese-Spanish series ‘Águas Passadas’ by Bruno Gascon, based on a novel by João Tordo, after appearing in this year’s series “Irreversível” by the same director.
“Ideally, I’d choose one or two fiction projects per year, which genuinely interest me – cinema or fiction -, while also working on Bestiário projects. And performing in theater,” she summarized.
