CinemaWho is Henrique Zaga, the Brazilian in Queer, the new film by Luca Guadagnino?The new film, starring Daniel Craig, from the Knives Out franchise, received a standing ovation after its premiere at the Venice Film Festival today at 12:15

Queernew film by Luca Guadagninoof Call Me By Your Name (2017) and Rivals (2024), was released as an Ovatian after its premiere at the Venice Film Festival. The film, starring Daniel Craig (Between Knives and Secrets) and Drew Starkey (Outer Banks), was applauded for about nine minutes after being shown in Sala Grande last Tuesday, September 3.

The production — which premieres just months after the release of the last film of Guadagnino, Rivals — is based on the book of the same name by William S. Burroughsone of the main names of the beat generation, and makes a nod to the Brazilian public by bringing Henry Zaga. But who is an actor who has been successful nationally and internationally?

Who is Henrique Zaga?

Born in Brasília, in the Federal District, Zaga followed a different path from many Brazilians: instead of building a career in Brazil and then moving to the international market, the actor began working outside the country, under the artistic name Henry Zaga.

His first prominent roles were in the series Teen Wolf (2011-2017), from MTV, and 13 Reasons Why (2017-2020), a Netflix hit. He also participated in Who Are You, Alaska?a film adaptation of the book of the same name by John Green, released in 2019; but his big break came when he starred in The New Mutantsa 2020 feature film, which is part of the franchise X-Men.

Although the film was not a success — The production suffered from negative reception from specialist critics and was further hampered by its release in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic. —, The New Mutantsended up designing the name of Defensewho soon secured a role in the miniseries The Stand (2020-2021).

In 2022, the actor decided to change his stage name from Henry Zaga to Henry Zaga and, finally, starred in his first Brazilian production: After the Universea feature film with the actress and singer Julia Be. In the story, a young pianist, played by Juliaended up falling in love with her doctor, played by Defensewho helped her realize her musical dreams while she waited for a kidney transplant.

In the following years, Defense participated in the TV series Nancy Drew (2019-2023) and the film War Without Rulesnew feature film by Guy Ritchie (Snatch – Pigs and Diamonds) starring Henry Cavill (Argylle: The Super Spy), which recently arrived in the Prime Video catalog.

Soon, in addition to Queerthe actor will also be seen in Warfarenew film by Alex Garland (Civil War) for A24, which also features Noah Centineo (Shazam! Wrath of the Gods) and Michael Gandolfini (The Many Saints of Newark).

What is the story of Queer?

Queer follows the story of William Lee (Daniel Craig) — author’s alter ego —an American expatriate, who leads a solitary life in a small community in Mexico City in the 1950s.

However, the arrival of the young student Eugene Allerton (Drew Starkey) to the city encourages Lee to finally try to establish a meaningful connection with someone. Check out the first images released:

In addition to Craig, Starkey and Defensethe cast of Queer still has Jason Schwartzman (Asteroid City), Lesley Manville (Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris), Drew Droege (Bethany’s Turn), Ariel Schulman (Nerve: A Game Without Rules), Colin Bates (Virtual Obsession) and the singer Omar Apollo.

Which 2024 release are you most looking forward to? Vote for your favorite movie!

• Ghosts Still Have Fun (September 5)
• Speak No Evil (September 12)
• Joker: Delirium for Two (October 3)
• Smile 2 (October 17)
• Venom 3: The Final Round (October 24)
• Megalopolis (October 31)
• Gladiator 2 (November 21)
• Wicked (November 21)
• Moana 2 (November 28)
• Kraven the Hunter (December 12)
• The Auto da Compadecida 2 (December 25)
• Nosferatu (No confirmed release date yet)