We’ve been under Wagner Moura’s spell since Narcos, and in Dope Thief, he’s once again proving that crime (and charisma) pays.
Brazilian chameleon Wagner Moura has carved an unconventional path to mainstream Hollywood over the past two decades, first making his mark with an impressive film career in his home country before captivating streaming audiences with his chilling yet charismatic portrayal of drug kingpin Pablo Escobar in Netflix’s award-winning series Narcos. But before embodying the infamous criminal, Moura was already celebrated for his versatility and magnetic screen presence, a recognition that cemented his status as an icon of Brazilian cinema.
While films such as the highly successful The Elite Squad film franchise and The Man of the Year (O Homem do Ano) made Moura a celluloid sensation overseas, it wasn’t until 2015 that director José Padilha called upon his Elite Squad cohort to step into the career-defining role as Pablo Escobar. With that role, Moura was catapulted toward international fame, earning critical acclaim and nabbing a Golden Globe nomination for his performance.
Moura’s appeal lies in his unique ability to strike a balance between intensity and magnetism, making even his darkest characters undeniably compelling. Whether portraying cartel kingpins, revolutionary leaders, or death itself disguised as a big bad wolf, he brings an enthralling presence to every role. His sharp edge and innate allure allow him to captivate audiences across genres, from gripping dramas to animated epics.
In the Apple TV+ series Dope Thief, from Ridley Scott and Peter Craig, Moura portrays Manny Carvalho, a small-time hood who robs local dealers of their wares with his buddy Ray, played by Brian Tyree Henry. However, after one of their schemes goes awry, they find themselves in the crosshairs of both shadowy underworld figures as well as the DEA, placing the duo in danger.
With Manny, Moura took on a character unlike any he had played before. Known for a career built on tough guys, brutes, and ruthless figures, the fragility of Manny was an unfamiliar yet compelling challenge for the actor.
“When I played Pablo Escobar, it was such a macho, full of testosterone kind of thing. And then [the character] I played in Elite Squad, it was very realistic, but also in the range of action and tough dudes,” said Moura. “[Manny] wasn’t like that. He was in that universe, and he was a guy working on scams with his friend, but he was so vulnerable. So he didn’t want to be there. He wanted another life for himself.”
“That was something that I was like, Oh, that’s interesting, because that’s a character in the same environment of this sort of action tough-cop drug-trade thing universe, but the character was so different, so unusual, so out of that element, and that was something that made me want to play that part,” explained the actor.
“When I choose a part, the character is the most important thing for sure—how layered is the character? What can the character bring to my life? What can I learn with that character? Is that something that I haven’t done before?” Moura explained further, “For me, it is how deep the character is and how different it is from the things that I’ve played before.”
For Moura, it wasn’t just about the character of Manny himself, but also the dynamic between Manny and his best friend Ray, played by Henry. The way their relationship unfolded onscreen was particularly significant to the actor-filmmaker, making Dope Thief an unparalleled experience in terms of the roles he has taken on.
“Another very unique thing about this show is that it is sort of like a romance between two friends, two brothers. It’s a love story.”
“When I got there, I didn’t know Brian. We have never met before, and we were about to go to the set together in our costumes as Manny and Ray, so I said, ‘Just a second.’ I took him to this green room, I held his hands, and it looked really close to him, and I said, ‘My name is Wagner Moura.’ I said how old I was. I have three kids. I come from Brazil. I’m scared. I wanted him to know a little bit about myself. And he was looking at me, and he started saying, ‘My name is Brian.’ And he started to talk about himself in a very vulnerable way, in a very deep way. It was the first time we spoke with each other like people. So when we went to the set it was very interesting to record that, to shoot that very first scene of them in the van. There was a chemistry already.”
As if his career wasn’t impressive enough, Moura has already begun to branch out. In 2019 he made his debut as a director and screenwriter with Marighella, a biopic about Brazilian politician, writer, and Marxist–Leninist militant Carlos Marighella.
And as far as future projects, Moura isn’t too worried about where he will land; he’s more interested in the journey that will take him there.
“I’m more [about] living my life. Now I’m 48, you know? It’s more about the journey. For example, like doing Dope Thief: go there, do something that you don’t know how to do…and then I got to be super great friends with Brian, who became a brother to me. These kinds of things for me nowadays are what matters. I used to be, when I was younger, very ambitious—‘I want to do this. I want to go there.’ Now I want to live experiences.”
Top Image: WAGNER MOURA IMAGE COURTESY OF DANIEL PRAKOPCYK
