Actress Regina Duarte Wants to Do a Test Run as Brazil's Secretary of Culture

Duarte deepens flirtation with government and says she is engaged to the position as culture secretary

Brazil's favorite "girlfriend" has become engaged to the Bolsonaro government.

"Girlfriend," the nickname of Regina Duarte, an actress who started her career on GLOBO in the 1970s and who subsequently became beloved by Brazilians. But she recently became "engaged" because the Brazilian government invited her to command the Special Secretariat for Culture of the federal government. She has not yet accepted, but at least she agreed to "get engaged" or to do "tests" starting this week.

Regina announced the beginning of a possible marriage with the government in an interview with Folha's column Mônica Bergamo - even though the wedding means subjecting herself to the filters that the president proposes to impose on the country's culture.

Jair Bolsonaro, Regina Duarte and minister Luiz Eduardo Ramos. - Reprodução

"I want it to be a management to pacify the relationship between the class and the government. I have always been a supporter of this government, and I have belonged to the artistic class since the age of 14," the actress said on Monday.

"We had an excellent conversation about the future of culture in Brazil. We started an engagement that will possibly bear fruit for the country," said Bolsonaro, on Twitter.

If he accepts the position, Regina will need to give up her contract with Globo. These are legally incompatible activities that also go against the broadcaster's regulations.

Regina would be the fourth person in the chair and would take over after a scandal. On Friday (17), Roberto Alvim was fired from his post after posting a video in which he copies a speech by Joseph Goebbels, Hitler's propaganda minister in Nazi Germany.

Translated by Kiratiana Freelon

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