Kara Nasvig“In Brazil, there is this sense that my mother and I are a continuation of something; two talents that endure in time,” the Best Actress nominee says.
For mother-daughter duo Fernanda Montenegro and Fernanda Torres—affectionately known as “The Fernandas” in their native Brazil—the Academy Awards have become a family affair. Montenegro, a legendary actress, made history with her Best Actress nomination in 1998 for Central Station, making her the first Brazilian actor ever nominated for an Oscar. Now, nearly three decades later, Torres has followed in her mother’s footsteps, earning a Best Actress nomination for her gripping performance in I’m Still Here, directed by Walter Salles.
Their achievement places them among an elite group of Oscar-nominated mother-daughter pairs, including Judy Garland and Liza Minnelli, Janet Leigh and Jamie Lee Curtis, and Diane Ladd and Laura Dern. But for Torres, this milestone is more than just personal success—it is a testament to the legacy she and her mother have built together.
“It’s like a fairy tale,” Torres tells ELLE.com over Zoom. “In Brazil, there is this sense that my mother and I are a continuation of something; two talents that endure in time. So it’s pretty magical.”
A Story Rooted in History and Family
Torres’s film, I’m Still Here—which is also nominated for Best Picture and Best International Feature—tells a deeply personal and politically significant story. Set in 1970s Brazil, the film follows Eunice Paiva, a devoted mother of five whose world is shattered when her husband, Rubens (played by Selton Mello), is abducted by the military dictatorship and never returns.
Based on a book by Marcelo Rubens Paiva (one of the real Paiva children), the film spans decades, chronicling Eunice’s transformation from a grieving wife to a fearless human rights lawyer. In a poignant touch, Torres’s mother, Fernanda Montenegro, makes a brief yet powerful appearance as the older Eunice, making their real-life mother-daughter bond even more profound on screen.
Torres sees I’m Still Here as a film with striking contemporary relevance, given the rise of authoritarianism around the world. “In times of fear, people want a leader who tells them everything is simple—‘Just kill the bad guys, and we’ll be fine,’” she explains. “That was true during the Cold War, and it’s true now. This film reminds young people in Brazil what it really means to live under a dictatorship.”
An Independent Spirit, A Creative Legacy
Like the real-life Eunice, Torres has built a career on resilience, reinvention, and independence. While she grew up watching her parents—both esteemed actors—she quickly learned that waiting for opportunities wasn’t an option.
“[In Brazil], we had this Monty Python–like theater group called Asdrúbal Trouxe o Trombone,” she recalls, describing a movement that inspired her generation. But rather than waiting to be cast, she took control of her own career, diving into screenwriting, journalism, and literature. Her regular column in Piauí—a Brazilian publication she likens to The New Yorker—led to her first novel, Fim (The End), which was later adapted into a miniseries.
“I became this person who can do a lot of things,” she says. “Today, I see myself as an independent artist. And when you are an independent artist, you don’t rely on invitations.”
A Role That Redefined Her
To embody Eunice, Torres had to understand her gradual transformation. “At the start of the film, she is almost an ‘extra’ in her own house,” Torres explains. “She’s a perfect mother and wife, not yet aware of the responsibilities she’ll have to assume.”
One of the film’s most powerful moments, according to Torres, is when the dictatorship’s officers first invade Eunice’s home. “She refuses to let them have full control,” Torres says. “She insists on serving them dinner, as if to say, ‘You are not invading my house—I am allowing you to be here. You are my guests.’”
From that moment, Eunice’s journey becomes one of survival, transformation, and ultimately, activism. She evolves from a grieving widow into a human rights lawyer, realizing that the violence her family endured was the same oppression faced by countless others in Brazil. “In a way,” Torres says, “her story is the story of our country.”
Lessons from Her Mother
With her Oscar nomination, Torres is not just honoring her own career but also the artistic and personal wisdom passed down from her mother.
“First of all, I learned to be an independent artist,” she says. “Choose your own material. Chase your own material. Decide what you’re going to do next. Don’t wait.”
But perhaps the most cherished lesson from her mother is something more poetic. Montenegro often tells her daughter a phrase that Torres has come to treasure—one that captures the highs and lows of their creative journeys:
“Nanda! It’s glory, and its litany of horrors!”
With a laugh, Torres adds, “I love the juxtaposition. And it defines this moment in my life.”
