Who Is Alice Braga?
10 Things You Need to Know About the New Queen of the South, Alice Braga
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Fans of La Reina del Sur, brace yourselves, because here's a new queen in town. And her name is Alice Braga.
The 33-year-old Brazilian actress, who you may remember from blockbuster hits like City of God and I Am Legend, stars as infamous female drug lord Teresa Mendoza in USA's exciting English-language remake of the popular book-turned-telenovela, Queen of the South.
And because we're sure Alice is about to become an even bigger star, we set out to find out more about her. In a recent phone interview with POPSUGAR Latina, she opened up about everything from her new gig to her favorite foods and even her beauty must haves. Read on to discover more about her ahead of the show's June 23 premiere!
1 Her Name Has a Unique Pronunciation
2 She Speaks Three Languages
She Alice speaks fluent Portuguese, Spanish, and English — and you'll be able to hear some of her Spanish skills on Queen of the South.
3 Acting Is in Her Blood
4 She Has Worked With Will Smith
Alice played Anna in I Am Legend alongside Will Smith, and the superstar actor left a solid impression on her. "To be able to get to see the human being that he is, it was an honor," she gushed. "He's such a kind, gentle, and generous actor and wonderful person to work with."
5 She Obviously Loves Brazilian Food
"[I love] pão de queijo. It's made with yucca flour and cheese. It reminds me of my childhood. And [I love] the dish feijoada, which is like this black beans — it's kind of similar to a bunch of foods from Latin America but made with different spices. So that's something that you eat with rice and it's the beans with some meat inside, cooked very slowly, and then you eat [it] fried yucca. It's very fattening, but it's amazing!"
6 She Read La Reina del Sur Long Before Signing On For Queen of the South
Alice read La Reina del Sur by Arturo Pérez-Reverte eight years ago after a friend told her she should read it. "I completely loved it because of this character," she said of Teresa Mendoza. "I think she's a very strong female character — someone that is resourceful, [someone] that came from poor life circumstances but never victimized herself. I always say that heroes are not victims, so it's nice to play a character that always wants to fight and never gives up."
7 She's Portraying a New Version of Teresa Mendoza
8 She Directed Neymar Jr.'s YouTube Series
Besides serious acting chops, Alice also has director experience on her résumé. She directed Neymar Jr.'s popular YouTube series leading up to the World Cup in Brazil. "It was great to see his journey to become one of the most important athletes in the world," she recounted of her friend and first-ever experience in the director's chair.
9 Her Hair Is Naturally Wavy
10 She Doesn't Travel Without Her Beauty Favorites
"I love using the Clinique Stay Matte Oil-Free Makeup ($24) and Chanel mascara. No matter what, I need to have moisturizer. My skin gets dry so easily, so that's definitely something that I bring. And my favorite toothbrush!"
