In December, actress Claudia Raia turns 60, consolidating herself as an icon of the transformation of female aging in the country. She embodies the idea that women over 50 can continue to achieve great things.
Experiencing a period of great professional productivity, the artist, who is also a dancer and businesswoman, had a son at the age of 55. With remarkable energy and an intense exercise routine, she claims to have the vitality of a 35-year-old and the mentality of a 15-year-old.
Maintaining this disposition, Claudia Raia returns to the theaters with the show “Tarsila: the Brazilian”, on display at Theatro Municipal do Rio between July 31st and August 2nd. On Netflix, she takes on the role of a loan shark in the series “Fúria”, which premieres on July 29, and will also lead the reality show “Does your mother know you?”, with no set date yet.
Furthermore, the actress is involved in the production of a film with her son Enzo. Recently, she gave an interview to the videocast “Conversa vai, conversa come”, which will be broadcast today, at 6pm, on the YouTube and Spotify platforms.
Actress reflects on the perception of age and new desires
The actress categorically denies feeling chronologically old, describing a “mentality of 15 and physique of 35.” She embraces the arrival of 60 years of age with contagious enthusiasm and a lot of restlessness, rejecting the socially imposed idea that dreams should diminish with age. Raia declares that she is in the “second act” of her life, with the ambition of finishing her career on stage.
Persistent restlessness and the expansion of your professional journey
This restlessness, according to her, has matured, leading her to seek “whole” delivery in each project, instead of just being multifaceted. The actress describes this period as a peak of creativity, highlighting the complexity of her current show, which involves a tour of six capitals, a cast of 74 people and a grand production, including a Cadillac on stage.
Challenges of motherhood in children’s adult lives
When participating in the reality show about motherhood, Claudia Raia revealed a profound personal transformation, observing changes in family relationships and the difficulty of keeping up with her children’s growth. This experience led her to a dialogue with her own children, where she recognized the need to improve her listening skills. She ponders the complexity of being a mother to adults, whose maternal opinions no longer have the same weight, and reflects on her incessant search for perfection, shaped by a rigorous upbringing in dance.
The strict education received from his mother in childhood
The actress described her mother’s upbringing as extremely strict, demanding impeccability in every detail, which led her to a constant and frustrating search for perfection. As she matured, she learned to be easier on herself, while maintaining a vibrant desire to improve herself and to live fully until the age of 120, mentioning her youngest son, Luca, aged three.
Mother’s legacy about the true value of work
Her mother’s most memorable teaching, according to Raia, was that success is ephemeral and what really builds a career is constant work. This philosophy prevented her from being dazzled by early recognition, like when she saw her face on every magazine cover. Her mother kept her focused on reality, crediting her with keeping her initial success from disorienting her.
Despite her mother’s lessons, Claudia Raia herself recognizes that she sets high standards for herself, leading many to admire her as a tireless woman, mother of three children and with impeccable appearance. She emphasizes the importance of deromanticizing work overload, admitting the difficulty of accepting one’s own limits and the validity of not being able to handle everything.
The actress jokes that this understanding came with maturity, but very recently. She seeks to avoid professional exhaustion (burnout), focusing on what was successful, and considers herself a vanguard for having introduced musicals in Brazil, helping to form audiences and teams, in addition to being a pioneering voice in the discussion about menopause 15 years ago, a topic avoided at the time.
The discovery of menopause with the support of Jarbas Homem de Mello
The subject of menopause was even turned into a play with her husband, Jarbas Homem de Mello, with the aim of including men in the discussion.
Jarbas Homem de Mello was the one who first identified the signs of menopause in the actress, noticing a change in her mood and patience. Raia’s children even asked him to intervene, given the situation. She describes this period as a grieving process, but highlights her overcoming. As an ambassador for the Instituto Menopausa Feliz, Claudia Raia now advocates for the inclusion of hormone replacement in the SUS, defending the vital need for this treatment for women’s quality of life.
Raia as a model for the new female maturity
The artist agrees that she has become a “beacon” for a new model of female aging, representing the “Nolt woman” (New Older Living Trend) — women who remain active and in their best shape. She criticizes the patriarchal view that devalues women after the age of 40, highlighting that the end of the reproductive phase does not mean the end of productivity. At 59 years old, happy with her health and body, Raia values her late pregnancy and her patience with herself in the recovery process.