Tânia Maria’s reaction after being voted “best actress with a cigarette” by the New York Times

Until the age of 72, Tânia Maria had never seen a film in the cinema.

A resident of Santo Antônio da Cobra, a town of less than a thousand inhabitants in Rio Grande do Norte, she spent her days working as an artisan and seamstress.

Today, the 78-year-old actress, who is one of the stars of the film The secret agent In the role of Dona Sebastiana, she is mentioned by the international press as a possible candidate for the Oscar.

“I still haven’t figured out that I’m famous,” she says. “When I arrive at the airport, everyone knows me.”

The New York Times newspaper highlighted the presence of Tânia Maria on the scene. A critic included the Brazilian in the list of best performances of 2025 and drew attention to a specific detail: the naturalness with which she smokes in front of the camera.

A smoker for over 60 years, Tânia decided to quit smoking precisely after international recognition began to require travel and long journeys.

She even turned down an invitation to go to the Cannes Film Festival in France because she couldn’t stand the hours of flying without smoking.

“I was smoking three packs a day. That means I couldn’t take the cigarette out of my mouth, right,” he says.

“The doctor who accompanied me told me: ‘you can go, I’ll accompany you, but you will panic if you spend at least two hours without smoking on the plane’. So I didn’t go, I gave up.”

The decision to quit came in May, with one goal: to not miss any more opportunities. Including the Oscar. Her passport ready, the actress is now waiting for her American visa to travel.

“My dream now is to go to the Oscars. I have that in mind. I want to go, I will.”

Discover an excerpt from journalist Rute Pina’s interview with Tânia Maria in the video.