Thaís Chanes
Thaís Chanes
actress, screenwriter & filmmaker.
Thaís Chanes
Thaís Chanes
Thaís Chanes
As a child, I used to stage plays with my cousins in the living room. Later, I took acting classes to “cure my shyness” — and fell in love with it. When I told my family I wanted to be an actress, they laughed, thinking it was just a joke — or at best, a phase.
It wasn’t.
At 16, I made a strategic decision — one I kept like a state secret: to pursue a “serious” career, save what I didn’t have, and one day do whatever I wanted with my life. One step back, two steps forward.
So I studied Law at the University of São Paulo and worked as a tax consultant for almost a decade, all while secretly training as an actress — calling it a “hobby” just to play along.
In theatre, I often heard: “You act for the screen.” I didn’t quite understand — I had never worked with a camera. But when I started watching classic films… it was love at first sight. The kind of thunderbolt not even Nietzsche could explain.
After watching Sunset Boulevard (1950, Billy Wilder), acting wasn’t enough anymore. That night, I felt an urge to create — and enrolled in a screenwriting course in Argentina.
That was a turning point. Time to stop dreaming and start doing.
At 32, when I had everything to live a comfortable life on autopilot, I did the unthinkable: I chose freedom over guarantees and started letting go — of a job, a profession, a country, and above all, old beliefs.
In 2021, I moved to Madrid with a suitcase, an acoustic guitar, and one new belief: the only real failure is not trying.
What I truly needed was to study screen acting.
I completed a Master’s in Screen Acting at TAI Arts in 2022, where I investigated how actors and directors collaboratively create film characters. But my curiosity — practically a personal karma — led me further, and I pursued a second Master’s in Filmmaking, also at TAI in 2023.
With a diploma in each hand and not a single cent — or céntimo — to spare, I felt the urge to put all this knowledge into practice. Over the following years, I kept working on sets across Europe — in English, Spanish, and Portuguese.
Today, my work focuses on what remains unsaid — unspoken desires, flawed actions, and the intimate corners of a character’s soul. I’m drawn to stories that explore the human drive for self-realisation.
In 2025, this research led me to co-found Companhia Limen, where I investigate acting and the unconscious in character creation.
The rest is yet to be written. My exploration is only just beginning.