Words: Cláudia Pinto
Photo: Pedro Afonso
Taking to the stage is, for those who do it, like stepping into a parallel universe that transports us elsewhere without ever losing the physicality of the moment. Much can be born from the stage, from sensations to a future, from artistic heritage to adaptations for the modern world.
So it is with Rui Pedro Silva: from the boards of the stage to the silver screen, youth runs in his veins. And the future is just behind the curtain, ready to unfold.
Much can be born from the stage. It can be everything. What starts out as an escape can become the right place at the right time and a discovery that transforms the course of a life. The universe conspired, Rui stepped onto the stage at a very young age, and destiny found a way to reveal and guide itself. On a path that is already long, yet youthful, Rui Silva is taking the right steps towards a future that looks bright.
“I was born with time”. That is the background on Rui’s phone screen. Shall we call it a mantra, an introspective thought, or simply a rule of life? What we call it is irrelevant. What matters it that it takes him to that safe place, almost one of solitary introspection, in an increasingly hectic and complex world where time seems not to exist. And when it does, it comes at a premium. But not for him. There’s always time. Time of his own.
Rui started early. A summer holiday with nothing to do led his parents to suggest a local theatre group so he could try out some Summer Theatre holidays. The stage of the Plebeus Avintenses was the home that welcomed him and marked the beginning of a love affair. “My entire journey comes from a very childlike place, perhaps because I started so young and then everything lined up with a desire to do this. I started through the influence of the world. “The world put me in this place because I happened upon an activity that awoke great curiosity in me. The stage was where I started and where I felt good for the first time. And it’s also where I always want to return”.
But it’s not only on stage where he shines. Cinema and television are two formats he already calls home. “I can be different people in different formats. Life has taught me that there are different ways of acting. We have to know how to adapt the way we create and present to the audience”.
It all began in the north, but it was in Lisbon that his career began to take shape. After theatre, Rui appeared in the RTP series Vidago Palace and later in the iconic television series Morangos com Açúcar. In 2022, we witnessed his debut on the silver screen. First with Tiago Guedes in the film The Remains of the Wind, later in Dialogues with Leucò by Tiago Guedes and Bloodless Revolution by Rui Pedro Sousa. He is currently appearing in a daily television project. “I haven’t done theatre for a while and I always miss different creative processes. And it’s good to know that I’ll be going back soon”.
Dreams seem to be “specific targets” that change depending on where he is at the time. Naturally, “I would like to do something international, mainly to experience it and see how it is done. Unfortunately, we still live in a time when we are only valued when we do something international”.
But inner recognition is the greatest goal. “I want to surprise myself with each project and feel that I have outdone myself. I feel that I have managed to surprise myself in everything I’ve done, and I want to keep doing that. It means that I always challenge myself and don’t just stay in the same place”.
Mr Silva. That is how he would like to be known in the future, with all the legacy that expression carries with it. “Because I am young, I often think about what I want to do in the future. But I also think is the legacy I want to leave behind just pure ego, or is it because what I did truly merits it?” That is where Mr Silva comes in. “I want to be known as Mr Silva. To call actors by their surname is a sign of respect”.
But above all, the future and success will always be linked to his ability to surpass himself.
