Chapter 20 – Brazil in Celebration
The private plane carrying the team of "I'm Still Here" landed at Galeão Airport in Rio de Janeiro, under a scorching March sun.
The city was buzzing with energy.
It was still Carnival, and after their historic Oscar win, Gustavo Salles, Fernanda Torres, Selton Mello and Walter Salles returned to Brazil as true national heroes.
As soon as they landed, they were greeted by a crowd of fans, journalists and revelers who were already in the Carnival mood.
The airport was packed with people shouting, singing and holding signs.
— GUSTAVO, YOU ARE OUR PRIDE!
— WALTER, YOU MADE HISTORY!
— NANDA, THE QUEEN OF BRAZILIAN CINEMA!
— SELTON, LEGENDARY!
Gustavo was impressed.
He already knew that Brazil had gone crazy for the Oscars, but seeing it live was surreal.
As soon as he stepped into the lobby, the crowd started to scream even louder.
— LOOK AT HIM!
The crowd started to sing:
— OH ... A car took them straight to the Camarote da Sapucaí, where they were already expected as the night's big attractions.
Rio's Carnival was in full swing.
The samba schools were parading, the audience was cheering, the drums were making the ground shake.
When Gustavo and the group arrived at the camarote, the ENTIRE Sapucaí took notice.
Suddenly, an announcer announced over the sound system:
— ATTENTION, BRAZIL! WE HAVE VERY SPECIAL GUESTS TODAY…
The audience held their breath.
— GUSTAVO SALLES, WALTER SALLES, FERNANDA TORRES AND SELTON MELLO ARE HERE AT SAPUCAÍ, BRINGING BRAZIL'S FIRST OSCARS!
Sapucaí went down.
The audience screamed, jumped, applauded.
Gustavo, still in shock, held the Oscar high.
The crowd responded with deafening screams.
— THE OSCAR IS OURS! THE OSCAR IS OURS!
Fernanda cried with emotion.
Selton danced with a glass of caipirinha in his hand.
Walter, even more restrained, could not hide his pride.
In the VIP area, Gustavo was treated like a king.
Celebrities, friends, fans… everyone wanted to talk to him, hug him, take a picture.
He hugged Bruna Marquezine, who was there.
—You did it, Gu! Look at this! Brazil loves you!
Gustavo smiled.
—I only made one movie, and now I'm here holding an Oscar in the middle of Carnival!
She laughed.
—And do you think there's anything more Brazilian than that?
Gustavo took a tambourine from a dancer and started playing to the rhythm of the drums.
Fernanda, already relaxed with a drink in her hand, began to samba next to him.
Selton grabbed a samba hat and joined in the rhythm.
Walter… well, Walter just watched, laughing, with a beer in his hand.
That night, Gustavo realized what that victory really meant.
It wasn't just a prize.
It was about an entire country.
It was about a people who dreamed.
And he knew that this was just the first of many celebrations.
Chapter 21 – The Oscar in Samba
The world was already fascinated with Gustavo after his historic Oscar win. But no one expected him to end up in the middle of Rio Carnival, dancing samba and playing the tambourine, still holding the golden statuette.
The morning after the festivities, social media was in pure chaos.
Videos and photos exploded on the internet, showing Gustavo completely at ease at Carnival.
The first video to go viral was of him playing the tambourine in the middle of a group of dancers, with Fernanda Torres dancing samba next to him and Selton Mello spinning around with a malandro hat.
The second video was even more iconic:
Gustavo awkwardly dancing samba, trying to follow the rhythm of the drums, while holding the Oscar in his other hand.
The caption on Twitter:
"The guy won an Oscar and now he's dancing samba at Sapucaí with the statuette in his hand. Brazil never disappoints!"
The video had millions of views in just a few hours.
The comments were hilarious:
— Gustavo Salles proving that we can conquer Hollywood, but we never stop being Brazilian.
— If I won an Oscar, I would do exactly the same thing.
— My God, he doesn't have an ounce of shame. I LOVE IT!
But the chaos wasn't limited to Brazil.
The images were also picked up by US newspapers and entertainment websites.
The Hollywood Reporter:
"Gustavo Salles celebrates the Oscar like no one else: at Rio Carnival, playing the tambourine and sambaing with the statuette in hand!"
Variety:
"From the red carpet to Sapucaí: Gustavo Salles takes Hollywood to Carnival!"
BBC:
"Oscar-winning actor Gustavo Salles celebrates in style in Brazil. Watch the video that's making the world laugh!"
Even Jimmy Kimmel, who had joked with Gustavo at the Oscars, posted on Twitter:
"I knew he was a star. But I didn't know he was also a samba master! (Or at least he tries to…)"
The post received millions of likes, and Gustavo responded with a laughing emoji and a "You know, Jimmy, come to Carnival!"
In the hotel suite, the following afternoon, Gustavo woke up late, still a little groggy from the night before.
When he picked up his cell phone and saw the messages… he burst out laughing.
— I CAN'T BELIEVE THIS WAS RECORDED!
Selton, who was on the balcony with a coffee in his hand, laughed out loud.
— Brother, THE WHOLE WORLD SAW YOU SINGING THE Samba.
Fernanda entered the room with her sunglasses on, still hungover.
— And she saw it very well. Because you were a DISGRACE IN SAMBA!
Gustavo laughed out loud.
— I tried, at least!
Walter, always calmer, walked through the room and looked at him with a little smile.
— Congratulations, Gustavo. You won an Oscar and, in less than 24 hours, you became a worldwide meme.
Gustavo took his cell phone and watched one of the videos.
— MY GOD! LOOK AT THIS!
He appeared on the screen awkwardly trying to samba, with a completely focused expression, holding the Oscar in his other hand.
He laughed so hard that he fell onto the bed.
— Okay, I accept. I'm officially a meme.
Selton threw a pillow at him.
— Brazil loves you, kid. But you really need some samba lessons.
Fernanda picked up a piece of bread and pointed at it.
— If you're nominated for an Oscar again next year, I demand that your speech be samba.
Gustavo laughed again.
— Deal!
All of Brazil celebrating together
Brazil wasn't just celebrating the Oscars.
Brazil was celebrating Gustavo.
Because he was exactly like them.
He wasn't a cold and distant actor.
He was a real Brazilian.
One who laughed at himself, who celebrated as he should, who wasn't ashamed of throwing himself into the crowd.
And it was there, in the middle of Carnival, that Gustavo realized something.
The Oscars were incredible.
But being loved by his country was even better.
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