Claudia Raia recalls rumors about HIV and says that supporting Collor was 'misfortune' in her life

The actress, who performs at the Theatro Municipal in Rio de Janeiro on August 1st and 2nd, said that her support for Fernando Collor's candidacy for President, in the late 1980s, triggered a wave of rumors that shook her personal and professional life, with empty audiences, speculation about an alleged relationship with the former president and false information that she was HIV positive.

Claudia started the interview already remembering the episode. "If you ask me: 'What did you regret in life?', I don't think anything. Not even supporting Collor, who was a disgrace in my life, in every way", he said during his appearance on the "Rivo Talks" podcast.

According to the actress, rumors began to circulate that she was in a relationship with the former president and that both were HIV positive.

At the time, the disease was still surrounded by misinformation and strong stigma, which, according to her, kept audiences away from theaters. "My theaters were empty, because they invented that I was his lover, therefore I was HIV positive. In short, something surreal."

She further explained that the speculation arose at a time when Fernando Collor appeared very thin in public. "The story was that I couldn't say he was HIV positive because he was president. As he was too thin, they said it was due to HIV. My theater was empty because people were afraid of getting close to others and getting HIV. Nothing was known."

To try to put an end to the rumors, the actress sought out doctor Mário Bronstein, founder of the Bronstein laboratory chain and father of a close friend. She took the HIV test immediately, but had to wait about two weeks for the results.

"My family and I spent 15 days suffering. It was a horrible thing, my accounts were searched... everything was worse."

Despite stating that the episode had profound consequences, Claudia says she does not regret having declared support for the then candidate. "There's one thing that relieves me: I and the whole of Brazil voted for this guy. So, even that doesn't make me regret it."

When commenting on her relationship with politics, the actress stated that she has never hidden her positions, but highlighted that she prefers to maintain her focus on her artistic career.

"I've always spoken out, I've never hidden, I've always taken a stand. I just don't want my life to become a platform, because my strength isn't on the platform - it's on the stage. And my art is my political act."

Claudia Raia responds to criticism of the Rouanet Law and defends incentive

Actress states that large-scale productions, such as musicals, would be unfeasible without mechanisms. According to her, many people are unaware of how the legislation works.