In this Meet me at the Movies/Screen Scene spotlight interview, Noel T. Manning II talks with Oscar nominee Wagner Moura about his acclaimed performance as Marcelo/Armando in The Secret Agent.
Wagner Moura as Marcelo Alves in THE SECRET AGENT. Photo courtesy of TIFF.
Moura discusses the atmospheric impact of this 1970’s infused international period piece. The Secret Agent is nominated for four Academy Awards, including Best Picture, with Moura earning a historic Best Actor nomination — the first Brazilian actor to be recognized in the category.
Meet Me at the Movies airs weekly on C19 TV & Screen Scene airs weekly on NPR affiliate WNCW. Clips are used by permission for review, commentary and interview purposes.
Official Synopsis:
Amid the raucous revelry of Carnival week, a widower named Marcelo (Wagner Moura) arrives in 1977 in Recife, Brazil, a city as vibrant as it is violent. A technology researcher who suddenly finds himself an unwitting target in the heart of the dictatorship’s political maelstrom, Marcelo is a man on the run from mercenary killers, from ghosts of the past and from the ruthless, mischievously militant spirit of Brazil in 1977. In the midst of these mounting threats, Marcelo, with the help of a mysterious woman named Elza and her compatriots in the country’s growing underground resistance, remains primarily focused on escaping Brazil with his young son. Master filmmaker Kleber Mendonca Filho teams up with renowned actor Wagner Moura – giving an extraordinary, career-defining performance – to craft a thrillingly unpredictable, playfully shape-shifting epic steeped in history even as it feels remarkably contemporary, paying affectionate tribute to the movies of Filho’s youth while unfolding against the backdrop of political turmoil and palpable danger.
In select theaters November 26th, 2025.
Available on VOD and digital February 3rd, 2026.
For more information, head to the official NEON The Secret Agent webpage.
Noel T. Manning is a member of the CCA, SEFCA and the NCFCA and also hosts Meet Me at the Movies and Screen Scene. He’s the founder of the Real to Reel Film Fest and has served over 20 years as an adjunct professor of film studies. When he’s not embracing mainstream, indie, international, documentary or art films, he’s exploring the world of visual arts and entertainment by chatting with those in front of and behind the cameras.
Meet Me at the Movies airs on C19.TV and WGWG radio. Screen Scene airs on NPR affiliate WNCW. Find Noel T. Manning II via Facebook, Twitter, Instagr
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Categories: Filmmaker Interviews
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