Wagner Moura on ‘The Secret Agent,’ Confronting Authoritarianism

For Wagner Moura , The Secret Agent is a homecoming in more ways than one.

Kleber Mendonça Filho’s politically charged drama is Moura’s first role in his native Portuguese in a decade, after star-making turns in Netflix’s Narcos (in Spanish) and English performances in projects including Alex Garland’s Civil War and the Emmy-nominated AppleTV+ series Dope Thief .

The film also marks Moura’s return to Brazil in the wake of the Bolsonaro era, the four years (2019-2022) when far-right president Jair Bolsonaro ruled the country, and the government was openly hostile towards artists and independent voices. “Whoever was vocal against him, as in any other fascist type of government, suffered the consequences,” Moura said.

For Wagner Moura , The Secret Agent is a homecomin