Zoot Shoots

Isabela Valadeiro in motion

From Santo Amaro to the national stage, actress and model Isabela Valadeiro has carved a path defined by curiosity, perseverance, and self-discovery. A committed advocate for the democratisation of culture, she believes deeply in art’s ability to connect us. Her journey sets the tone for a conversation about purpose, identity, and the quiet moments that shape who we become.

Art direction Sergio Santos and Antonia Rosa

Talent Isabela Valdeiro at ElevenDotEight

Photography Sergio Santos
Studio A25 StudioBox

Makeup Antonia Rosa
Assisted by Frederico, Carolina Almeida & Moon

Hair Jordan Alves with REF Stockholm

Styling Sergio Onze

Nails Sandra Luz from Dez Studio

Words and interview Daniela Abranches

Design Rita Vaz Pereira

Our team at ZOOT — led by Antonia Rosa with image artist Sergio Santos — approached Isabela’s shoot as if we were painting with light. Inspired by Monet, Renoir, and Toulouse-Lautrec, the goal was to capture emotion, atmosphere, and the vibrating edge between reality and dream. Each image was hand-coloured by Sergio, who added a precise shade of orange to selected areas. For him, the tone carries “energy, creativity and warmth — a blend of passion and optimism.”

Stylist Sergio Onze created a series of gowns that allowed Isabela to slip into multiple characters, giving the entire story a cinematic fluidity — a woman shifting between roles, moods, and inner worlds.

ZOOT: For readers who may be meeting you for the first time: where do you come from, what did you study, and how did your path into acting begin?

Isabela Valadeiro: I come from a small town in Alentejo called Santo Amaro. When I was eighteen, I moved to Lisbon to study at an acting school, In Impetus, where I trained for three years. Meanwhile, I had a part-time job and started working as a host, and in that same period I was already searching for agencies to represent me. Soon after, I began booking my first advertisements and small jobs. That was how my path into the professional world of acting truly began.

ZOOT: You left Alentejo at 18 to study in Lisbon. At that age we often think we know everything. What did you discover you were wrong about, and what were you searching for at the time?

Isabela Valadeiro: From what I remember, I actually felt like I knew nothing. There was a whole new world waiting for me. Lisbon felt like another dimension, completely different from anything I had lived before. I was curious about everything: the people, my colleagues, the city, my craft, my purpose, the history. I questioned a lot during that time, and that curiosity shaped me deeply. Pushed me to learn more, to grow, to challenge myself, and to understand the world in a deeper way. That curiosity made me a better student, and later a better professional, and it still guides me today. I actually think that curiosity is the seed for knowledge and creation.

ZOOT: You started as a model before acting took over. What did modelling teach you that acting never could and what did acting give you that modelling couldn’t?

Isabela Valadeiro: Modelling was a short period in my life it was mainly a way to move towards my real goal: acting.
That time gave me endurance when it comes to hearing “no”. I was actually better at dealing with rejection in modelling than in acting. Modelling also gave me perspective: I learned to see things from the outside, to understand that when you’re not chosen it’s not because you’re worth less, but simply because they’re looking for someone else – Other face, other body, other personality.
It’s not always about talent, beauty or ability it’s often about something bigger, like the specific match they need at that moment.
Acting is my true purpose. Acting gives me something modelling couldn’t, It allows me to step into other people’s shoes, to live lives that are not mine, to experience emotions that don’t belong to me. It challenges me, expands me, and lets me use my inner world in a deeper, more human way.

ZOOT: What role or project has challenged you the most so far, and what did it teach you
about your limits or strengths as an actress?

Isabela Valadeiro: The project I’m working on right now has challenged me the most. I’m performing in a musical on ice, which means I’m singing, acting, ice skating and dancing all at once. I loved singing, but I had never done it professionally and skating was also completely new.

It has been a demanding process with many moments of self-doubt, but every day I chose the same thing: to work hard, to overcome my fears, to trust my inner potential, to expand what I thought was possible for myself, to push myself toward a brilliant result.

And now, on stage during the shows, I have this sense of overcoming myself, I want to give my absolute best to everyone in the audience. I still have room to progress, but I also allow myself to feel proud of what I’ve achieved personally and professionally.I’ve realised that everything is in my hands especially the decisions I make: accepting challenges, working hard, focusing on my growth, and embracing my evolution.

ZOOT: If you could lend your voice to one cause, which one would it be, and what message would you share?

Isabela Valadeiro: I’d lend my voice to the importance of culture in the world. Culture shows the world as it is. It reflects real lives, real struggles, real dreams. It mirrors so many experiences that are shared across humanity, and it invites empathy. It unites people through vulnerability, strength, compassion, fear, pain, happiness, love. It gives perspective, it makes people feel something, and it reminds us that we are not alone. Culture has the power to connect us.

2B body; SSANCHO skirt; ALDO SHOES boots.

ZOOT: You’re an avid reader. When preparing a character, do you imagine her private bookshelf? And what books would sit on the shelf of a character you’ve loved playing?

Isabela Valadeiro: I had never really thought about my characters’ bookshelves, but it’s a super interesting question.

I liked playing Belinda in “O Clube”. I think she, for example, would choose technical books related to her craft maybe a biography of Muhammad Ali, or something raw and intense. She would also have, surprisingly, “Ensaios Sobre o Amor” by Alain Botton.
On the other hand, if Ariel, the Little Mermaid (the character that I’m doing right now) had a shelf, it would include:

‘Flores’ by Afonso Cruz
‘O Principezinho’ by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
‘Paris é uma festa’ by Hemingway
Poetry by Sophia de Mello Breyner

ZOOT: Your schedule demands presence and stamina. What keeps your body and mind steady when life gets intense?

Isabela Valadeiro: Love. Therapy. Gym. Pilates. An amazing husband, a wonderful family, my best friends and also some quiet time to be with myself.

ZOOT: If you could retire one beauty cliché the industry keeps pushing on women, which one would disappear and what truth would you replace it with?

Isabela Valadeiro: The idea of “ideal” facial proportions. There’s this obsession today with the perfect nose, lips, face structure and suddenly everyone starts looking the same. We’re losing unique characteristics, the details that make each person singular.
So I would replace it with the honest idea of valuing your own singularity.

ANA VASCONCELOS jewellery; BARO LUCAS dress.

ZOOT: What do your own beauty and wellness rituals look like?

Isabela Valadeiro: For me: gym, Pilates, massages, skincare with products suited to my skin type, lots of hydration (water and teas), therapy and of course, healthy and good food. That combination keeps me balanced.

ZOOT: Your hometown neighbourhood in Santo Amaro was flooded in 2022. Did experiencing climate change so directly shift anything in your behaviour or worldview?

Isabela Valadeiro: It was a tragedy that united the whole community. And climate change really does force us to change habits and adopt healthier ones. In my neighbourhood, there’s already a strong respect for nature, because most people work in nature-related jobs. There’s awareness around recycling, preservation, composting, zero food waste.I recycle everything even clothes borrowing from my grandmother and my mother and buying second-hand clothes. I also hate wasting food or water so I’m always aware of it.

ZOOT: Has a book, film, or performance ever changed how you think about climate responsibility or nudged you toward a new habit?

Isabela Valadeiro: I remember watching Cowspiracy and it confirmed my decision to stop eating meat.
Books like “Factfulness” by Hans Rosling and “Sapiens” or “Homo Deus” by Yuval Noah Harari made me rethink my habits.

ELISABETTA FRANCHI dress; DINO ALVES skirt; GABRIEL SILVA BARROS hat; ANA VASCONCELOS jewellery.

ZOOT: If you were to tell a migration story on screen, what everyday moment would you choose to restore dignity and nuance?

Isabela Valadeiro: Something simple a neighbour offering help, a stranger pronouncing someone’s name correctly, or a shared meal bridging cultures. These quiet moments carry tenderness and humanity.

*SSANCHO hat and skirt; 2B body and top; ALDO SHOES boots.*

ZOOT: What do you have on your personal bookshelf currently, why do you love these books?

Isabela Valadeiro: Right now, I’m preparing to read ‘On Women’ by Susan Sontag.
‘Anna Karenina’ never leaves my shelf. Anna is one of my all-time favourite characters, would love to portray her on stage, step into her contradictions, her fire, her longing.
There’s also ‘O Acontecimento’ by Annie Ernaux. It’s funny: every time I buy this book, I end up giving it away before I read it. Last year I offered it as a Christmas present; this year I’m tempted to do the same. Maybe some books insist on being shared before they become ours.
‘Actos Humanos’ by Han Kang and also ‘A Inteligência Natural e Lógica da Consciência’ by António Damásio are waiting for me.
And then there is Adília Lopes. Her poetry is always nearby. She writes about small, everyday things, sometimes in a way that feels almost absurd but that’s exactly why I love it. Her poems capture the little corners of human life we usually overlook, the delicate mix of strangeness and simplicity that makes us who we are.

ZOOT: Across Europe, far-right narratives are gaining ground. Do public figures have a responsibility to counter harmful ideas and how can that be done without amplifying them?

Isabela Valadeiro: I believe we all have responsibility not only public figures. We should act, and by “act” I don’t mean posting just for the sake of it. I mean being informed, avoiding fake news, following reliable sources, and knowing our history, searching for knowledge.
Today there is a new form of censorship that I deeply dislike: we are pressured to speak, and at the same time censored when we do.
As citizens, we must know our rights and responsibilities. We must think before talking, writing, and especially before reacting in ways that may harm or dismiss someone else’s perspective – this is essential for healthy dialogue and, by extension, for the well-being of our society.

ZOOT: When the world feels fractured, art often helps us understand conflict. Which work, film, novel, or play , most shaped your understanding of war from the civilian perspective?

Isabela Valadeiro: “The Shape of Water” and “Frankenstein” came to my mind immediately maybe because “Frankenstein” was the last movie I saw and also because Guillermo del Toro’s stories often speak about love, compassion, and understanding between beings who are different.
Also Cold War – Pawel Pawlikowski
The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas – Mark Herman
The pianist – Roman Polanski
Schindler’s List – Steven Spielberg
and Life Is Beautiful – Roberto Benigni.
All incredibly tragic and beautiful works that offers us perspective and remind us of the mistakes we must avoid.

ZOOT: Is there something you would like to share with your readers?

Isabela Valadeiro: I think I would tell them that I am, above all, a person who loves to keep learning. I cherish good conversations, conversations with humour, with warmth, with curiosity. I love watching films, reading my books…
But most of all I love to laugh. I’m always giving the best of myself to feel that simple kind of happiness and to surround myself with honest, self conscious and good-humored people who who make life lighter.
I would also insist on something I believe deeply: therapy is one of the most important gifts we can give ourselves.
Before analysing other lives, it’s essential that we learn to look inside, gently, honestly. To understand what shapes our fears, our uncertainties, the ways we react and feel. Self-knowledge and self-love are, to me, the root of everything. You can love others better and fully when you are learning to love yourself.