“There’s this Greek word, catharsis, which means purification. That’s what art feels like to me.”
IN CONVERSATION WITH ANA CAROLINA
Ana Carolina is the kind of person who lights up a room the moment she walks in.
Born and raised in Rio de Janeiro, she’s as comfortable galloping through the forests of her family’s mountain farm as she is striding down a catwalk in Milan.
A polyglot who speaks nine languages, she exudes an infectious energy, blending sharp intelligence with a down-to-earth charm.
“Whenever my friends from other countries visit Rio, they are so astounded by our landscapes and our culture that they often talk about their disbelief that I live in such a paradisiacal place,” she says.
Rio isn’t just home for Ana—it’s a source of endless inspiration. The city’s energy, people, and contrasts between urban vibrancy and natural beauty have shaped who she is, both as a person and a model.
Her fashion journey began early. As a child, she would dress up in makeshift costumes, layering on jewellery and parading in front of the camera. Her love for performance saw her explore theatre, ballet, and piano, but it was in Dublin, where she moved for school, that she was first scouted for a professional shoot. Since then, she hasn’t looked back.
Despite the glamour, Ana doesn’t shy away from discussing the challenges of the industry. The long hours, the pressure of maintaining an online presence, and the constant need to be available for last-minute shoots can take a toll. But she sees the upside too:
“My biggest achievements are the connections I have made over the years. That’s definitely the most rewarding part of working with people.”
Fashion, for her, is as much about storytelling as it is about trends. She takes inspiration from cinema—her wardrobe is often shaped by characters from classic films.
When given the rare opportunity to style herself for a shoot, she channelled Sharon Stone’s iconic white dress from Basic Instinct. Her love for vintage extends beyond aesthetics; she’s a self-proclaimed thrift expert, once snagging a pair of Chanel shoes for ten dollars and restoring them to perfection with DIY techniques learned from YouTube.
Beyond fashion, Ana’s passions are eclectic. She’s an art lover, a cinephile who grew up watching Casablanca and 12 Angry Men, and an Oscar Wilde devotee who moved to Dublin partly out of admiration for the writer.
She’s equally at home in the wild, happiest when riding horses at sunset or hiking through the forests. “Art really moves me,” she says. “There’s this Greek word, catharsis, which means purification. That’s what art feels like to me.”
And then there’s the unavoidable perception that models rely on looks alone. “There seems to be a misconception that models can’t be intriguing or well-read,” she notes. But Ana shatters that stereotype.
Quick-witted and fiercely independent, she embraces the industry’s unpredictability with resilience. She knows rejection is part of the job but refuses to let it define her.
“If a client wants a blonde for his campaign, it’s nothing personal. That doesn’t mean I won’t have another opportunity along the way where a client is looking for a brunette.”
In this interview, Ana opens up about her journey, her creative inspirations, the realities of modelling, and the balance between her personal life and career. She’s candid, refreshingly self-aware, and full of stories that reveal just how much depth there is beyond the surface of the fashion world.
CINEMATIC SCENERIES EVERY DAY
I was born and raised in Rio de Janeiro. Although I was very lucky to live steps away from the famous Ipanema beach, I also spent a lot of time on my parent’s farm in the mountain ranges of Rio.
So I spent half my childhood wandering in the forest, riding horses and swimming in waterfalls, and the other half in the city, where I went to school.
Whenever my friends from other countries visit Rio, they are so astounded by our landscapes and our culture that they often talk about their disbelief that I live in such a paradisiacal place.
It feels as though I am seeing the city for the first time through their eyes, and it’s true that I got used to the privilege of seeing such unreal, cinematic sceneries every day.
It’s hard to name just one thing I love about the city, but I think what makes the city so special is its people.
“Cariocas” (how Brazilians call people that come from Rio) will always greet you with a big smile, and captivate you with their charm and way of being.
SINCE THEN I HAVE NEVER STOPPED SHOOTING
I have always loved being in front of the camera. While I was still a toddler, I used to dress up in whatever I found at home that could be interesting and put the rosaries that I mistook for necklaces around my neck, all the bracelets I could get my hands on, costumes and my mom’s heels, hand my mom the camera and ask her to take photos of me.
My parents quickly understood how excited I got whenever I had the chance to express myself like that, so they enrolled me In theatre, ballet and piano classes.
My grandma used to be also a model, so it was something that my family was somewhat familiar with.
In middle school, I moved to Europe by myself to continue my studies, and while living in Dublin, Ireland, I was invited to shoot professionally by photographers. And since then, I have never stopped shooting.
I HAVE ALWAYS LOVED CINEMA ART
The biggest achievements for me are the connections I have made over the years. For me, that’s definitely the most rewarding part of working with people.
I am very happy with the friendships I made with such incredible human beings who work in the industry.
I have always felt somewhat lonely growing up because I have always loved cinema art, and all things creative, and it was rare for me to meet people who were also into those things.
I started meeting those who shared these same interests as I got more and more involved with fashion, and it’s very fulfilling to feel like I have people around me who get excited about these subjects.
IT IS ESSENTIAL TO PUT LOVE INTO ALL THAT I DO
It is hard sometimes to maintain a balance between my personal life and my work sometimes, because nowadays many professions require such a big online presence, and modelling is no exception.
There is this pressure of having to post every day, no matter what, and sometimes I just want to be in the moment and enjoy the company of my friends and family without having to worry about taking a good picture to post on social media later.
Another demanding part of the job is that we have shoots that go on for 12 hours, sometimes, and other times we don’t really know when we are going to be finished with it when we start shooting.
Also, being a model means having an unstable schedule and always having to be ready to take new polaroids for the clients wherever you are. But as much as it is demanding, it’s also what makes me disciplined so I can keep up with the agencies’ standards and expectations.
Despite having this routine, I think it’s very important to maintain my good humour and bring positive energy to every shoot I am in. For me it is essential to put love into all that I do, it just makes everything make a lot more sense.
THAT FAMOUS INTERROGATION SCENE
I love using movie characters as inspirations for my clothes. I recently filmed an ad for which I was able to choose what to wear. That’s rare because most of the time there are stylists on set.
So I enjoyed the chance to dress like Sharon Stone in Basic Instinct, that white dress she wore in that famous interrogation scene.
I just love timeless and classic styles. I got that from my mom. I look at her photos from when she was my age and the clothes that she wore then, in the 2000s, could have easily been worn nowadays.
I also have learned to thrift clothes and bags like a pro, haha. I already thrifted Chanel shoes for 10 dollars. It feels like winning the lottery. And I learned how to repair them and make them look brand new through YouTube videos.
It’s rewarding to get something that looks abandoned give it some love, and make it wearable again.
Whenever I had a dress I didn’t want to wear anymore, my grandma knew how to sew and transform it into a skirt and a top. So I got that mentality and vision from her before sustainability and overconsumption were widely spoken about.
I also love looking at pictures of fashion designers and runway archives.
ART REALLY MOVES ME
I love spending the afternoon at museums and looking at art. I am also absolutely passionate about cinema. Movies have played a big role in my upbringing.
I used to fall asleep to the sound of my dad watching classic movies like 12 Angry Men, and Casablanca, on the TV, and when I was around 12 I started to watch these movies myself.
Since I was little I have always loved classic movies. I remember I’d go on a “marathon” of movie watching and watch all the movies by a certain actor, or director.
So I’d watch a different Marilyn Monroe movie every day of the week, then I’d have a Marlon Brando week and be so obsessed with “A Streetcar Named Desire” I got the original play to read, then Al Pacino as well is one of my favourites.
Then, I’d watch every movie by Kubrick, and so on. I love Brazilian movies too. You have probably heard of City of God, but we have such brilliant films that are worth watching.
I could spend a whole day just watching films, and talking about cinema, but I also share the same passion for acting and theatre.
Art really moves me. I love painting and being behind the camera sometimes, too.
There is this word that comes from Greek, catharsis. But it also means purification, and art does feel like that too.
I also couldn’t survive without music. I play the piano and I love The Doors. Oh, and being nature!
Nothing like a day spent swimming or walking in the forest. And I love reading books. My favourite author is Oscar Wilde.
He was the reason why I wanted to move to Dublin after spending some time in England because he is Irish.
So an ideal day for me would be, waking up somewhere in the middle of a forest or near the beach, going for a walk surrounded by nature, reading a book, eating delicious food, spending time with people I love, watching a movie, taking part in a play or a photoshoot, and practicing some sports.
I love yoga and circus. I need to move my body so I can sleep at night because I am very hyperactive. I also love trying new things and different sports. Oh, and I’d finish my day horse riding during sunset!
IT CAN BE FUN TO SURPRISE PEOPLE
I would describe myself as a very sensitive person, and as many models will say, you have to be able to handle rejection and separate comments about what you might hear about your body from how you see yourself.
My thinking is like this, it’s fruitless to be unkind to other models because, at the end of the day, we all have something different to offer.
If a client wants a blonde for his campaign, it’s not personal and that doesn’t mean that I won’t have another opportunity along the way where another client will be looking for a brunette. You know what I mean?
We can’t take it personally or be defined by it. I think, unfortunately, a lot of people presume models rely on their looks and they are surprised when we can maintain an interesting conversation.
There seems to be a misconception that models can’t be intriguing, or well-read. It is possible to work in front of the camera and still be able to talk about different topics.
I used to be annoyed at being underestimated when talking about serious subjects because of being a model or because of my looks, but now I just take it as an advantage.
It can be fun to surprise people, too. What is essential is, indeed, invisible to the eyes.
I TRULY FELL IN LOVE
I didn’t realise how much I loved working before being in this industry.
It gets me high to spend hours shooting, posing, and getting ready for castings, meeting new people. I love it.
I went to Italy for the first time last summer, and I was so infatuated with the country.
The sunflower fields in Tuscany made me so filled up with joy that I thought I was going to explode. And the museums in Florence as well, I saw some of my favourite works of art in person for the first time, and that was also a moment I thought to myself how lucky I was to get to do that.
There was this night I went to Bologna and had Bolognese pasta, then went to watch La Dolce Vita in a square.
They had a screening under the stars, and it was full! There were people who brought their beach chairs to watch, and others were also at their windows so they could see it.
I was so taken by it. I truly fell in love with the warmth of Italian people.
WE PLAY A ROLE IN WHAT WE CAN DO
I am currently in Bali, Indonesia. Every time I visit a new country and I get to spend some time in it, I am so taken by all the life that exists in the world, and how much I haven’t yet seen.
It’s a very humbling feeling that also makes me want to travel and work abroad more this year.
Although we end up not having that much free time to enjoy the places we visit as models, it’s still worth it.
I have planned to pursue my theatre and cinema studies and be part of more acting projects along with modelling.
For me, it’s crucial to keep dreaming and having ambitions. Some things that I lived in my life I could have never imagined that would have become reality when I was a little girl, so I have a lot
of hope for what the future will bring, and I dedicate myself so that all of it can actually happen.
Having goals is important, so you can have an idea of what you want for your life, but we have to remember that we play a role in what we can do so those dreams come true.
All of our thanks to Ana Carolina.
You can follow Ana on Instagram here: caroguido