Valentina Herszage stars in new medical series and celebrates 'Brazilian perspective on the plot'

The new medical series, created by the same names as “Sob Pressão”, follows the routine of professionals who work in a mobile emergency unit. The production focuses on emergency care, medical procedures and the adrenaline rush characteristic of the genre.

For Valentina Herszage, who plays nurse Manuela Bastos, the production also gains a distinction by presenting this universe from a perspective close to the public. Her character is one of the newcomers to the team and works, according to the actress, as a kind of gateway to the story.

"The series begins with her arrival, this new perspective. I think that, for the public, it's really cool, because it's as if the public arrived with her, meeting these people who have been there for many years", he says.

Manuela is part of the trio of nurses at the center of the plot. Although they share the same profession, the characters have different trajectories and objectives. This diversity was one of the aspects that most interested Valentina during the construction of the character.

"There are three characters, all three are nurses with completely different motivations. Vanessa, for example, has the dream of becoming a doctor. Manu doesn't. She is a nurse because she wants to be a nurse, and that also exists", he says.

The actress says that delving deeper into the world of nursing was one of the most memorable experiences of her work.

"Nursing is a very fascinating universe. Being able to delve deeper like that was really, really cool, really inspiring."

To live the character's routine, the cast underwent preparation that involved learning procedures and interacting with professionals accustomed to the pressure of emergency care. The training included, among other techniques, the use of a defibrillator and procedures such as cardiac massage.

But the main learning, according to Valentina, was not just technical knowledge. Living with people who face extreme situations every day also helped to change the actors' perception of urgency.

"At the beginning of the preparation, we had an anxiety, an urgency. And, just spending time with Márcio and these people, you see how down-to-earth they are, how focused people they are, with presence, but without rushing, because, at the end of the day, it's their day to day life", he says.

BRAZILIAN LOOKAmidst the large number of medical series that have already won over the public, Valentina believes that “Emergency 53” finds its identity precisely in the combination between care and the emotional development of the professionals who manage each case.

"The public has very high expectations. It's a medical series, it will have everything the public expects from a medical series: care, very difficult words, the name of a medicine, all the adrenaline of medical care that people have seen in all the series they love", he says.

What changes, in the actress's view, is the way in which this universe is crossed by the characters' personal stories and by an approach linked to Brazilian reality.

“I think the difference, which is what we have in our story, is the human side of these characters”, he says. “There is medical care, but everything that is emotional and human, all the personal drama that the person is going through, is very much on the screen.”

Valentina celebrates precisely this aspect of production. For her, the series brings elements known to the public, but presented by a cast and characters who have their own experiences.

“The plot has a Brazilian perspective,” says the actress, who sees the construction of the characters as one of the production’s greatest strengths.

OUT OF THE HOSPITAL One of those responsible for directing, Andrucha Waddington, points out that the constant change of scenery was also one of the biggest challenges of the production.

“The biggest challenge really was the novelty of talking about a medical series focused on care, where we are outside the hospital, where the environment changes with each episode”, he says.

In a traditional hospital series, the space usually functions as a permanent element of the narrative. In “Emergency 53”, each call can take the characters to a different place.

“From the moment this becomes changeable, with each episode you have to do new mathematics, a new calculation”, says the director. “And that brought a lot of incredible things to us.”

Dynamics also help transform medical cases into dramatic new possibilities. While the professionals' work follows an emergency routine, the surrounding environment is never exactly the same.

Waddington also highlights the collective work behind the production. According to him, the direction was built in a shared way.

“We drove eight hands”, he says.

The series also features a special participation by Fernanda Montenegro, who, according to the director, brought the same dedication to the project that marks her career.

"Ms. Fernanda is a fanatic about her craft. She is a devotee of her craft, she is a force of nature. It is a pleasure and an honor to have her with this special participation in the series."

ORDINARY PEOPLE, UNLIKELY HEROESAnother axis of the story passes through coordinator Irene, played by Yara de Novaes. Idealistic and passionate about what she does, the character has become a figure with whom the actress says she identifies.

“I am very happy, very proud to have been chosen to play Irene, because I think that, just as she is an idealist, I was a person who very early on chose to do theater in life”, says Yara.

The actress, now 60 years old, remembers that she entered the audiovisual industry after she was 53. Her late trajectory