It is possible that many people immediately associate the name of Mateus Carrieri, 56, with the 12th season of A Fazenda, which he starred in 2020, alongside names like Jojo Todynho, Luiza Ambiel and MC Mirella.
However, anyone who has been following Brazilian television for a longer time will certainly remember other works, equally or more remarkable, that the actor has carried out over his almost 50-year career.
One of them is certainly Casa dos Artistas (SBT), remembered as the first confinement reality show in the history of Brazilian TV. Mateus participated in the inaugural edition of the attraction, which aired in 2001 and proved to be a phenomenon of audience and repercussions.
Despite all this success, however, this line of curriculum was not always a source of pride for the actor.
“I denied Casa dos Artistas for some time, because then the BBBs came and we [que participou do programa do SBT] it was put like flour from the same bag. It was pejorative! I heard: ‘you are ex-BBB’, and said: ‘I didn’t even do BBB!'”, he recalls.
In addition, the amount of noise made by the SBT program caused a certain resentment in Globo – which, accustomed to easily guaranteeing first place in the audience, began to lose leadership almost daily to Silvio Santos’ bet.
“For some time, that House of Artists burned the film [de quem participou] at Globo. Globo couldn’t call anyone from Casa dos Artistas, nor could Supla go sing at Faustão. [Mas] after a few years I started to realize that it was historic – and participating in something historic on Brazilian TV is cool”, observes Mateus.
A Fazenda, by the way, was another reality that represented a certain hurt for him – not on his own part, but on his confinement colleague Jojo Todynho. The two cultivated a beautiful friendship within the attraction, but the singer publicly stated that Mateus ‘betrayed’ her by approaching another participant, singer Biel – a misunderstanding that he tried hard to undo.
“I texted her, ‘Jojo, what did I do to cheat on you?’ She replied: ‘Matthew, I felt betrayed’. I replied: ‘Oh, Jojo, then there’s nothing I can do.’ We never spoke again”, laments the heartthrob. “[Mas] I have peace of mind that I never cheated on Jojo.”
Chiquititas: landmark of an entire generation
Going back a little further on the CV of Mateus Carrieri on TV, another title calls attention, and in bold letters: Chiquititas. He was one of the stars of the first Brazilian version of the children’s serial, which was a boom among children at the time.
In the story created by the Argentinean Cris Morena, Mateus played the mysterious and tormented Miguel, father of the main character, Mili (Fernanda Souza). Presumed dead in a plane crash, he returns years later to find his daughter and wears a mask to cover his face disfigured by the tragedy.
“Having made Chiquititas is a reason for so much pride! Even my wife [Day Ribeiro] watched. It was a very successful version, I think it ran for more than two years. I will always be Mili’s father, the masked one, for this generation”, he celebrates. Mateus also made a special appearance in the remake of the plot, released in 2013.
‘We were happy and we knew it’
Unlike the most recent version, which was all shot in Brazil, the previous version of Chiquititas was recorded in Buenos Aires, in the same studios as the Argentine original. As a result, the entire cast had to move to the Buenos Aires capital – including Mateus, who has excellent memories of that period.
“People were happy and knew it. We earned a little in dollars and a little in reals, both from SBT and Telefe, and we earned well”, he recalls, who only participated in the second season of the story, in 1998.
“We also had some perks from Telefe there [em Buenos Aires]: house to live in, transport, food… Even the girl who cleaned my apartment [era paga pela Telefe]!” he adds, with a nostalgic air.
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