Previously known as Ashley Rapini, the star who shone alongside Silvio Santos in “Hot Hot Hot” in the 80s and 90s returns as Aryè Campos for a prominent career in both Brazil and the United States. After more than two decades since leaving the Brazilian stage, Aryè has achieved prominent roles, appearing in series such as “Rio Connection” and “Passaporte Para A Liberdade”, preparing to premiere her first feature film in Portuguese, ” Two is Too Much in Orlando”, alongside Eduardo Sterblitch. This is the story of an actress who continues to shine in two distinct languages and cultures.
Your career took you from the stage with Silvio Santos to acting in the United States. What was the transition like from a child star to an international artistic career?
The transition was long…it took a long time and there were many obstacles. But thank God, everything worked out in the end. Being a child star was wonderful, I had opportunities to do things I always dreamed of, being on stage with Silvio Santos, recording a CD, singing and dancing in shows, it was truly a dream. But it also had its obstacles because this “fame” brought a lot of negative attention to my daily life and at the age of 8-9 it was very difficult to deal with all of this. After I moved to the US, it was like starting all over again. A language I didn’t speak, people I didn’t know, a culture completely different from mine, being away from my father and brothers and my country. In short, it wasn’t easy. It took me a while to learn the language and adjust to my “new normal”. But I always say that everything happens for a reason,
What was the experience of acting in “Passaporte Para A Liberdade” and “Rio Connection” like? What challenges did you face when playing such different characters?
The experiences of acting in “Passaporte Para A Liberdade” and “Rio Connection” were wonderful! Passaporte, even though it was in English, was my first job back in Brazil after many years abroad and my first time playing a Brazilian role as Tina Falada, and in a series in English. Other than that, it was my return to working with Jayme Monjardim, who I worked with as a child. In Rio Connection I already play the role of American, Amanda Singleton, a very strong woman who lives in a world of men and yet is always one step ahead of them, and that for me was very special. The challenges in each series were different: in Passaporte, being my return recording in Brazil, I had to readjust myself with the way of recording, I had to work speaking English, but using a Brazilian accent (because I don’t have it anymore) and knowing how to be a good support for Aracy’s story. In Rio Connection, Amanda is quite tough, so the challenge was to humanize her and show the vulnerabilities she has so that the audience understands and can relate to her on her journey.
You went through difficult times during your childhood due to media exposure. How have these experiences shaped your perspective on fame and the entertainment industry?
I think the things I went through when I was a kid made me a little grounded about “fame”. I think that a lot of times people want to act not for the love of the art, but because they want to be famous, and as I had that experience, and it wasn’t all rosy, I think it made me think twice about whether this career was something I wanted. really wanted and if so, being sure that it was for the sake of art and not fame. And since then I have always focused on work, art, history and not on the consequences of success.
His move to the United States marked an artistic restart. Can you share more about this journey and how your professional trajectory has evolved since then?
When I moved to the United States, I first had to learn English. So in the first few years I couldn’t act, but I was always on stage because I was in my school’s choir singing and we did some shows. Then when I went to high school I went back to acting, but this time in theater. My school had a very prestigious theater program. We did between 3-6 musical theater and regular theater productions during the year. This is how my passion for musical theater began.
I continued in theater for many years, including in college where I earned my Bachelor’s degree in musical theater at USF University in South Florida. In 2007 I decided to move to Los Angeles so I could return to television and films which, like it or not, has always been my first love. After coming to Los Angeles, I spent a few years struggling to understand how the world of Hollywood worked and while I was figuring it out, I continued in theater and to pay the bills I took a job as a financial consultant where I stayed for the next 8 years. Thanks to this work I had money to take several courses, acting workshops, and improve myself more and more. In 2011 I got my first protagonist in a short film and from then on things started to flow. In 2016, when acting jobs were becoming more frequent, I finally decided to leave my finance job to focus 100% on acting. Since then, thank God, I’ve never looked back.
The name Aryè Campos is a significant tribute to you. How does this name represent your history and roots? What does it mean for your career?
My name was created for two reasons. First to separate the world of finance where I worked, and the world of acting. Because whether or not in Los Angeles, as everyone wants to be an actor or something like that, there is prejudice and actors/actresses are not always taken seriously. So I didn’t want it to affect my work. And second, as I lost my father – Ariovaldo (Ari) – in the same year that I came to Los Angeles to pursue my career, I wanted to honor him, and have a way to always feel him with me. So I feminized Ari and he became Aryè. Last name Campos is another story. It’s my husband’s last name, but one of the reasons I decided to use it was to show that I’m Latina because Hollywood doesn’t think that Brazilians or Latinas in general can also be blondes with blue eyes. And I always want everyone to know about my roots because I’m very proud to be Brazilian. And that’s why Arye Campos was born.
“Dois É Demais Em Orlando” marks his feature film debut entirely in Portuguese. What can you tell us about your character and the recording experience?
My character Sabrina is VERY fun and a little crazy. I don’t want to say too much to avoid spoilers. But I can say that my experience was wonderful. Not only because I was acting in Portuguese with a great team and wonderful actors, but we were recording at the Universal Studio parks in Orlando!! Literally a dream!! And as my younger brother lives in Miami now, and I already had the idea of going there at that time, it coincided with me being able to be there with my family and film a great film all together!
In addition to Brazil, you consolidated a career in the United States. How do you balance and adapt to working across different cultures and languages?
I don’t know…. it really is an experience that I take one day at a time. But what I can say is that this was something I always wanted to do. I always wanted to be an international actress, speak several languages, different accents, travel and record in different places. And even though it’s not easy, and sometimes the tiu-chi brain… It’s really what I’ve always wanted, so it’s like a dream come true every time these opportunities arise. I improved my Spanish and now I’m fluent and I’m learning Italian, so I can continue this journey.
He recently starred in the film “My Husband’s Ex”. What was it like playing Daisy Hawkins and what lessons did you learn from the experience?
Daisy was a very interesting character because she is a little opposite of the characters I normally play. She is more naive, sweet and gets to be a bit of a victim in the film for a while. This was difficult for me because I have a very strong personality – much closer to Amanda from Rio Connection – so playing Daisy taught me to use, more than ever, my most vulnerable and delicate side, but not in a negative way. She is not a weak person, on the contrary, she is also very strong, but she sees the positive side in people, even those who don’t deserve it. I think we all have two sides to ourselves, so it was really interesting to focus on a part of myself that I normally, but unintentionally, sometimes hide a little.
You’ve expressed a desire to continue telling stories in different languages. What types of characters or artistic projects would you like to explore in the future?
Yes, like I said I love being able to do things in different parts of the world. I’m ready to do something in Spanish. I’ve already done some advertising campaigns in Spanish here in the USA, I’ve even filmed in Buenos Aires and Madrid! Now I hope to have the opportunity to make TV series and films in Spanish and eventually even in Italian – but I’m still perfecting the language. I want to continue making characters with several complicated layers, because I believe that’s how we are in reality and I find it very interesting to make these characters with various dimensions. I want to keep telling Latino stories because unfortunately, especially here in the US, there aren’t many. I want to continue focusing on the fact that being Latina is an ethnicity and not a race, and that we are not just one thing.
How do you see the future of the entertainment industry and what message would you like to share with aspiring artists facing similar challenges to the ones you have overcome?
I think the entertainment industry is increasingly improving, not only in terms of production, but in telling stories that can really change a person’s day, month, year or life. I think art has this power. To make a human being not feel alone in the world, to watch something to temporarily escape their reality, and with that breathe a little more to be able to face their day and its obstacles, this is wonderful and the biggest reason I became an actress . For artists facing similar challenges, I always tell them to focus on their “why”. Why do you want to act? If you have a strong reason, you will never give up, because in my eyes there is no failure, only giving up. If you keep going, and always strive to be a better person and artist, eventually your chance will come. In English we say “Luck is when opportunity meets preparation” which means “luck is when preparation meets opportunity”. In other words, keep preparing and fighting because when your opportunity comes you will be ready!
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