Wagner Moura on Brazilian Soccer, His Next Directorial Feature and Why the Oscar Rule That Shut Out ‘The Secret Agent’ Director Needs to Change
Wagner Moura shares his disappointment that, despite his film “The Secret Agent” receiving four Oscar nominations, including his historic best actor nomination, his writer-director Kleber Mendonça Filho is not an official Academy Award nominee.
While Neon’s “The Secret Agent” landed four Oscar noms, including best international feature, its writer-director, Kleber Mendonça Filho, is not technically an Oscar nominee under current Academy rules, which award the category to the submitting country rather than the individual filmmakers (even though their names are engraved on the Oscar statuette). It’s a long-standing rule that is in desperate need of updating, and Moura agrees.
“I think his screenplay is brilliant,” Moura says during the Variety Awards Circuit Podcast. “The script for ‘The Secret Agent’ is one of the best things that I have read. Kleber is the reason why this movie is successful.”
Moura’s admiration for Mendonça Filho dates back more than a decade. “When I saw his first feature film, ‘Neighboring Sounds,’ I was like, I have to work with this dude,” he says. “It’s deeply grounded in the Brazilian tradition of political films, but it’s so unique.”
That lineage connects directly to Moura’s cinematic DNA, which is also shaped as much by Italian cinema as by Brazilian movements like Cinema Novo. “I love Italian neorealism,” he shares. “Films like ‘Rome, Open City’ or ‘Rocco and His Brothers.’ The way they shot working-class people, often with nonprofessional actors, had a big influence on how Brazilians make films.”
Those influences carry forward into Moura’s next chapter behind the camera. He is preparing to direct and star in an adaptation of Stewart O’Nan’s novel “Last Night at the Lobster,” a contained drama set entirely inside a chain restaurant during the week before Christmas, as employees face layoffs. The cast includes Sofía Carson, Brian Tyree Henry and Elizabeth Moss, and will be produced by Peter Saraf, known for supporting actor-directors such as Philip Seymour Hoffman (“Jack Goes Boating”).
A lifelong football enthusiast, Moura reflected on soccer’s deep connection to Brazilian identity and politics. He roots for Vitória, an underdog team from his hometown of Salvador. “It’s crazy how it can ruin my day when my team doesn’t win,” he admits. “The feeling of being in the stadium, rooting for your team, and when we win and when we score, the connection that we have with other people that you don’t know — it’s just fantastic.”
However, Brazil’s national team has become politically fraught. “The far right appropriated them. They’re wearing the Brazilian Jersey in all their manifestations. And I’m like, I’m never going to wear that thing again,” Moura says, though he acknowledges the World Cup still unites the country.
That emotional connection extends to his children, particularly as he thinks about legacy. Fatherhood has sharpened his sense of values more than any accolade. “I would love it if they could see me as someone who kept myself truthful to the things that I think are right, even if that was bad for me or for my career.”
For his three sons, Moura hopes to model values. “I want my kids to think of me as someone who kept myself truthful to the things that I think are right, even if that would be bad for me or for my career,” he says.
He wants them to see him as “someone who did what I love” and encourages them to pursue their own passions with similar dedication.
Despite the whirlwind of awards season, Moura maintains perspective. “I’ve been doing this since I was 15, so I know what’s real and what’s not. This is an amazing moment of my life as an actor, and I’m very grateful and happy. But this is not real life.”
The 98th Academy Awards ceremony takes place on March 2, where Moura will compete against Timothée Chalamet, Leonardo DiCaprio, Ethan Hawke and Michael B. Jordan.
Also on this episode, “The Secret Agent” star Wagner Moura. The roundtable discuss the BAFTA nominations and the new Television Academy category, Outstanding Variety Series.
Variety’s “Awards Circuit” podcast, hosted by Clayton Davis, Jazz Tangcay, Emily Longeretta, Jenelle Riley and Michael Schneider, who also produces, is your one-stop source for lively conversations about the best in film and television. Each episode, “Awards Circuit” features interviews with top film and TV talent and creatives, discussions and debates about awards races and industry headlines, and much more. Subscribe via Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify or anywhere you download podcasts.
While Neon’s “The Secret Agent” landed four Oscar noms, including best international feature, its writer-director, Kleber Mendonça Filho, is not technically an Oscar nominee under current Academy rules, which award the category to the submitting country rather than the individual filmmakers (even though their names are engraved on the Oscar statuette). It’s a long-standing rule that is in desperate need of updating, and Moura agrees.
“I think his screenplay is brilliant,” Moura says during the Variety Awards Circuit Podcast. “The script for ‘The Secret Agent’ is one of the best things that I have read. Kleber is the reason why this movie is successful.”
Moura’s admiration for Mendonça Filho dates back more than a decade. “When I saw his first feature film, ‘Neighboring Sounds,’ I was like, I have to work with this dude,” he says. “It’s deeply grounded in the Brazilian tradition of political films, but it’s so unique.”
That lineage connects directly to Moura’s cinematic DNA, which is also shaped as much by Italian cinema as by Brazilian movements like Cinema Novo. “I love Italian neorealism,” he shares. “Films like ‘Rome, Open City’ or ‘Rocco and His Brothers.’ The way they shot working-class people, often with nonprofessional actors, had a big influence on how Brazilians make films.”
Those influences carry forward into Moura’s next chapter behind the camera. He is preparing to direct and star in an adaptation of Stewart O’Nan’s novel “Last Night at the Lobster,” a contained drama set entirely inside a chain restaurant during the week before Christmas, as employees face layoffs. The cast includes Sofía Carson, Brian Tyree Henry and Elizabeth Moss, and will be produced by Peter Saraf, known for supporting actor-directors such as Philip Seymour Hoffman (“Jack Goes Boating”).
A lifelong football enthusiast, Moura reflected on soccer’s deep connection to Brazilian identity and politics. He roots for Vitória, an underdog team from his hometown of Salvador. “It’s crazy how it can ruin my day when my team doesn’t win,” he admits. “The feeling of being in the stadium, rooting for your team, and when we win and when we score, the connection that we have with other people that you don’t know — it’s just fantastic.”
However, Brazil’s national team has become politically fraught. “The far right appropriated them. They’re wearing the Brazilian Jersey in all their manifestations. And I’m like, I’m never going to wear that thing again,” Moura says, though he acknowledges the World Cup still unites the country.
That emotional connection extends to his children, particularly as he thinks about legacy. Fatherhood has sharpened his sense of values more than any accolade. “I would love it if they could see me as someone who kept myself truthful to the things that I think are right, even if that was bad for me or for my career.”
For his three sons, Moura hopes to model values. “I want my kids to think of me as someone who kept myself truthful to the things that I think are right, even if that would be bad for me or for my career,” he says.
He wants them to see him as “someone who did what I love” and encourages them to pursue their own passions with similar dedication.
Despite the whirlwind of awards season, Moura maintains perspective. “I’ve been doing this since I was 15, so I know what’s real and what’s not. This is an amazing moment of my life as an actor, and I’m very grateful and happy. But this is not real life.”
The 98th Academy Awards ceremony takes place on March 2, where Moura will compete against Timothée Chalamet, Leonardo DiCaprio, Ethan Hawke and Michael B. Jordan.
Also on this episode, “The Secret Agent” star Wagner Moura. The roundtable discuss the BAFTA nominations and the new Television Academy category, Outstanding Variety Series.
Variety’s “Awards Circuit” podcast, hosted by Clayton Davis, Jazz Tangcay, Emily Longeretta, Jenelle Riley and Michael Schneider, who also produces, is your one-stop source for lively conversations about the best in film and television. Each episode, “Awards Circuit” features interviews with top film and TV talent and creatives, discussions and debates about awards races and industry headlines, and much more. Subscribe via Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify or anywhere you download podcasts.