Isabella Santoni celebrates 10 years of career and talks about marriage in June: “It was a meeting of souls” | Lifestyle

The year 2024 is more than special for Isabella Santoni. In addition to completing 10 years of career, the 29-year-old actress walks down the aisle with businessman Henrique Blecher. The actress will hold an intimate ceremony in June. “It was a meeting of souls, you know? We have a relationship unlike anything I’ve ever imagined, with a lot of commitment and truth. We showed each other inside out right from the beginning, so this builds a very strong foundation, a deep bond”says the actress in an exclusive interview with Glamour.

Together since July 2023, the two started sharing the same roof in January. “We were already looking for a house, so marriage would be the natural path, because we were already talking about staying together forever”, she says. However, despite the conversation, Isabella did not expect the engagement proposal to be so quick. “I thought it would take a little longer, but knowing how intense Henrique is and goes after what he wants, I knew it could be soon. And it was, I was surprised.”

The actress says that everything happened in her old home in November, just before a trip. “He bought the ring to propose on the trip, but he couldn’t help himself and arrived home at night by surprise. I opened the door like a zombie, he was the one who woke me up. I opened the door and went to the sofa to lie down. He he was all dressed up, he stopped in front of me and started talking. I understood that it was a request as I woke up (laughs). Totally unusual! I cried with emotion… Then when he went to put the ring on, I realized he was in his pajamas, without doing his nails…”remember.

Children are in the couple’s plans and they both already have fans. “Nina (stepdaughter) talks more about having a little brother, she loves dolls, so I think she wants to have a real one”, she says, excited. But Isabella prefers not to skip steps. “For Henrique, we would already have it, but I don’t feel like it’s my moment yet. I don’t know if there is a right time for that either, but let’s wait a little longer”

For now, Isabella’s “children” are her work. With a 10-year career, the artist believes that she has matured along the way. The Isabella from before wanted to do everything at the same time. “When I started, I had a need to prove myself, to test myself, to please. I was always very intense and wanted to embrace the world… I’m no longer guided by others, I’m learning to say no and keep my heart at peace, I think that due to maturity and because of therapy“, it says.

During your journey there is no shortage of notable characters. “I don’t feel stuck on a shelf when I look at my creations. I’ve played a fighter, a rich girl with cancer, I’ve played a lesbian character in theater, a revolutionary woman from the 1920s, I’ve played a bandit on streaming, etc. I have worked in all formats: on TV, theater, cinema and series. Looking back, the negative point I see is that I accelerated a lot at the beginning when I was younger and still didn’t understand how everything worked”, says she, who can be seen in the third and final season of the Dom series, starting on the 24th of May, and in the second half of the year in the production A Division, by Globoplay.

Check out the full interview!

This year, in addition to your wedding, you celebrate 10 years of career. What is your balance during this period?

Yes! An important milestone in my professional life. I am very proud of the solid career I have built over time. I played very versatile and different characters over the years, which gave me the opportunity to explore different sides as an actress and as a person. I don’t feel stuck on a shelf when I look at my creations. I’ve played a fighter, a rich girl with cancer, I’ve played a lesbian character in theater, a revolutionary woman from the 20s, I’ve played a bandit on streaming, etc. I’m very happy to have made these choices and that they chose me too, I feel that the characters choose me. I have worked in all formats: on TV, theater, cinema and series. Looking back, the negative point I see is that I accelerated too much at the beginning when I was younger and I still didn’t understand how everything worked. I even recorded a 9pm soap opera and rehearsed a play to go on air when it was over. Nowadays I wouldn’t do that.

What is the difference between the Isabella that started and the current one?

When I started, I had a lot of anxiety about wanting to make it work, you know? A need to prove myself, test myself, to please. I’ve always been very intense and wanted to embrace the world, I’m still like that lol, but today I understand more about the importance of taking a break, especially in my work. Knowing that it’s better to wait and choose wisely than to go out and do everything just to be active, just so people know that I’m working. I’m no longer guided by others, I’m learning to say no and keep my heart calm, I think because of maturity and because of therapy.

Who has been the densest, most challenging character so far?

The most dense and challenging was Letícia in “A Lei do Amor”, a 9pm soap opera in which I acted. She was a woman very different from me, fragile, from a rich family, she was very dependent… she still had the disease she was facing, spinal cancer. Discovering this vulnerability in myself was a big challenge, I identify more with the characters who take action, who have greater strength. Letícia discovered this strength throughout the plot, by the end I identified more with her. At the time she also didn’t have the techniques I have today, I would certainly interpret her differently.

You’re featured on Dom, what’s the third season like?

The third and final season is very intense. As it is the finale, the series is shorter, with just 5 episodes repeating all that dose of adrenaline and agony that left us glued to the screen. It also brings new characters and good surprises!

Can you say that you and Viviane have something similar?

I believe that we have everything within us and the actor’s job is precisely to find this similarity where it apparently doesn’t exist. Obviously I’m not inconsequential like Vivi, but somehow we try to extract some characteristics from what we know, even if in much smaller doses. The adrenaline addiction she has in crime and drugs, I have in extreme sports, for example. This need to test limits and feel alive.

Has streaming won you over for good? Is there much difference between doing a soap opera?

Conquered! It’s very special to make a series, because it has a taste of filmmaking, it’s more artisanal. You know the character’s entire story arc, so you know where the character is going. But I think that, in addition, the fact that it is a closed work, without borders, is charming. Knowing that my work is available all over the world, in different languages, is something I never imagined. But I also love doing soap operas, because it’s very intense, it’s a daily exercise of the profession and you build the character together with the audience. I see special sides in the different formats and I want to do much more in each of them, even though I have completed 10 years of career this year, I still have a lot to do!

Besides Dom, do you have any new projects? What can it do for Glamour?

In the second half of the year, the fourth season of The Division (Globoplay) premieres, in which I made a special appearance.

You and Henrique have been together since June 2023. How do you define your partnership?

We’ve been together since July, we started living together in January of this year. It was a meeting of souls, you know? It felt like we had been meaning to meet for a long time, as if we were recognizing each other. We have a relationship unlike anything I ever imagined, with a lot of commitment and truth. We show each other inside out right from the beginning, so this builds a very strong foundation, a deep bond. One embracing the other’s flaws. I think a definition would be the rescue of love, with complete clarity of what that means. A love that is a daily choice and we are attentive and dedicated to each other.

And before you were proposed, did you already talk about it? Or were you really surprised at the time of ordering?

We were already looking for a house, so it would be the natural path, because we were already talking about staying together forever. I thought the proposal would take a little longer, but knowing how intense Henrique is and goes after what he wants, I knew it could be soon. And yes, I was surprised.

How was the moment of the request?

It was at my old house. I had spent the weekend at the NIA Experience, which is a weekend that we do once a year at my brand, a trip with several women, total immersion of the feminine, including his eldest daughter, his sister… they were in total 42 women. I spent the whole weekend working and arrived on Monday very tired, I went home so I could sleep and recover. We were traveling at the end of this week, theoretically he bought the ring to propose on the trip, but he couldn’t help himself and arrived home at night by surprise. I opened the door like a zombie, he woke me up, I opened the door and went to the couch to lie down. He was all dressed up, stopped in front of me and started talking. I understood that it was a request while I was waking up lol Totally unusual! I cried with emotion… Then when he went to put the ring on, I realized he was in his pajamas, without doing his nails, I asked him why he didn’t wait until the trip lol.

Regarding the ring, does the stone have any special meaning for you?

The stone is Paraíba tourmaline, a very rare gem. I loved it because he chose it based on the color of my eyes. The ring is very beautiful, the color is very vibrant, intense and at the same time it is super delicate, with small diamonds on the band.

We saw on Instagram that you’ve already posted photos with his daughters and even share clothes with your eldest, Victoria. Do you exchange fashion stickers? How is the relationship between you two?

Yes, now I’m a good stepmom! lol With the oldest, Victória, we have a relationship beyond friendship, of more maternal trust, she asks me for advice, we talk a lot… We dress the same mannequin, so I gained a looks partner. lol The other daughter, Nina, is 4 years old, and she also took me in right away. I love children, I love playing, so I won them over quickly. Especially since I arrived with my older sister, who is 12 years old and also called Nina. The family grew quickly!

And how did they receive the news of the wedding?

We broke the news at different times, first to Victória and then to Nina. They were both happy because they saw how much our relationship has made their father feel better. His daughters welcomed me, without that it wouldn’t be possible for us to have this relationship. And I never imagined myself as a stepmother, I’m loving being one! I have always been very maternal and family.

Have you already mentioned that you dream of building your family, are you planning children soon? Is the stepdaughters’ fans already big?

I want to have children, yes, the universe rules, but we are the ones who open the door (laughs). In this case, I’ve been taking care of mine and for now, it’s closed. Nina talks more about having a little brother, she loves dolls, so I think she wants to have a real one. For Henrique, we would already have it, but I don’t feel like it’s my moment yet. I don’t know if there is a right time for that either, but let’s wait a little longer.