Life & Work with Manuela Ferraz Dos Santos

Today we’d like to introduce you to Manuela Ferraz Dos Santos.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
Growing up in Brazil, I’ve always liked acting, dancing, improv. I always liked being on stage and when it was time to make a decision as to what college I would go to and what I would like to major in, I was so lost. Most of my friends wanted to attend Med School or be an architect. One thing I was sure of was that these professions, no matter how beautiful they are, I couldn’t see myself following that path. With the anguish of needing to take a test to enter a university, which I did and passed in Psychology at a college in Brazil, I thought that coming to study in the United States would be a great idea; besides, I would learn a new language. I came to the US in 2019 when I was 18 years old. I moved here not knowing anyone, speaking minimal English, and with an undecided major.

After the first day of classes here, I decided to take the risk, follow my childhood dream, and add Theatre Arts as my major. With the pandemic, I went back to Brazil and I stayed one year and a half there, and during this time I decided I should also study marketing. Also, during this time, I started posting videos on TikTok, telling people about my life, and making some daily vlogs. With Tiktok, I realized how much I like communicating with the public and that studying theater and marketing is what I want for my life. I just finished all my theatre classes this year, and this fall semester, I’m finishing all my marketing classes. With that, I moved to Hollywood to be closer to the acting world and to be able to take my next step in 2024, which is to do as many auditions as I can and take all the opportunities I can while living in the US.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I believe that everything in life has its highs and lows, and with that, I certainly had many struggles along the way. I recognize how privileged I am to have the opportunity to be here and how much this journey has made me grow. I moved here when I just turned 18. I had to learn a lot of things here on my own, starting with learning English, studying theater, and acting classes where I needed to memorize huge texts in a language that is not my native language. Creating new friendships, having to face distance, being away from my family, my best friends, the people I love most, and experiencing a culture different from mine, were some of the challenges I had. Also, when I started doing TikToks, I had to work a lot on my mind and know that there will always be people judging you, and what matters is that what I’m doing makes sense to me.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
Currently, I work with social media, mainly with TikTok. During the summer, I was working on the play “The Clean House” at the Long Beach Playhouse, where I learned a lot and worked with amazing people. I am super proud of bringing the character Matilde to life. I’m finishing my degree in theater and marketing this semester at CSULB, and next year, I plan to focus on these two areas. I’m super proud of the number of people who are interested in my work on social media and who for some reason like to follow me because of who I am. And of course, I am obtaining a degree in two courses in my third language, which is English. I believe that my courage is something that makes me stand out from others. Courage for coming here and leaving everything behind and the courage to expose myself on social media, which unfortunately is becoming a toxic place for many people.

What was your favorite childhood memory?
Growing up I used to spend the summer at the beach in Brazil with my parents and my two older sisters. I remember spending the day at the beach, eating some corn (Brazilian corn) and drinking coconut water. After that, we used to go to the pool and at night I was so tired, but every night we needed to go to the ice cream shop and walk along the beach. There was a night when I ended up sleeping, and my father went to the ice cream shop with my sisters. I woke up crying, and they had to go with me again because that was one of my favorite moments during summer.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/manuelaferrazs/
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@manuferrazs?lang=en