Érika Januza da Trindade Gomes (born 7 May 1985) is a Brazilian actress and model.

Early life

Érika Januza was born as the only child of a single mother. During her youth, she took part in many beauty contests and acting auditions. Although she always held the aspiration to be a model and actress on television, she initially worked as a school teacher. Januza is a devout

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

, and credits her faith to getting her through the

COVID pandemic Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fev ...

Film career

In 2012 Januza was chosen from 2,000 contestants to be the leading protagonist in the telenovia ''Suburbia'' directed by Luiz Fernando Carvalho and Paulo Lins. Since then she has appeared in multiple television programs, commercials and films.

Allegations of discrimination

Januza has said that early on in her career she was often looked down upon at auditions because of her

Afro-Brazilian Afro-Brazilians (; ), also known as Black Brazilians (), are Brazilians of total or predominantly Sub-Saharan African ancestry. Most multiracial Brazilians also have a range of degree of African ancestry. Brazilians whose African features are mo ...

complexion and heritage. One time in her film career while arriving on set the security guards would not let her in the studio because they did not believe that she was actually part of the cast.

Filmography

Television

Film

* 2016 - ''O Último Animal'' * 2017 - '' The Movie of My Life'' as Tita

References

External links

* 1985 births Living people People from Contagem Afro-Brazilian actresses 21st-century Brazilian actresses Brazilian television actresses Brazilian film actresses Brazilian female models Brazilian Roman Catholics Actresses from Minas Gerais {{Brazil-actor-stub