Isadora Cruz

Isadora Cruz Rocha (; born 4 February 1998) is a Brazilian actress. She gained national notoriety for her portrayal of the character Candoca, the protagonist of the telenovela Mar do Sertão.

Early life Isadora Cruz Rocha was born on February 4, 1998, in João Pessoa, Paraíba. She is the daughter of Victor Hugo Rocha and Rachel Cruz, and sister of Tercilio Cruz Neto and Sophia Cruz. As a child, Cruz lived in Miami, USA. Cruz first encountered the arts through ballet classes, and upon returning to her hometown of João Pessoa in 2002, she studied contemporary dance and jazz. At the age of 15, she passed the administration course at the Federal University of Paraíba (UFPB), but cancelled her degree: "I was getting straight A's, but I felt like I was wasting my time. I wanted to be an actress". At age 16, she moved to Paris, France, where she studied French at the Sorbonne University and theater at the Cours Florent.

Career 2016–present: National rise In 2016, she made her debut in the telenovela Haja Coração, playing the sweet and gentle Cris, Felipe's (Marcos Pitombo) half-sister. Alongside Volta Por Cima, the actress participated in a new opening of Fantástico, as part of the celebrations for Rede Globo's 60th anniversary.

In June 2025, Love Is a Knife premiered on Globoplay, where Cruz starred as Rosa Pellegrino — a fearless woman from the Brazilian sertão during the 1920s and 1930s — the main character and narrator of the work created by George Moura and Sergio Goldenberg. She was chosen for the role in early 2023, following her success as Candoca in Mar do Sertão (2022).

In May 2025, she accepted director Carlos Araújo's invitation to play Agrado Garcia, one of the protagonists of Coração Acelerado, a telenovela written by Maria Helena Nascimento and Izabel de Oliveira. The character has dreamed and worked since childhood to become a successful sertanejo music singer. She addresses the character's family background as a lineage of strong female musicians. Cruz needed to focus on learning the accent of the state of Goiás – which is very different from your natural accent – but the biggest challenge was the singing and guitar lessons. as Marília Mendonça and Ana Castela.

Other ventures Activism and philanthropy The actress lent her voice to the #VocêNãoEstáSozinha campaign, created by the singer Juliette. The campaign sought to give visibility to the real stories of women who were victims of femicide at the hands of their partners or ex-partners.

Endorsements In January 2021, she portrayed the fortune teller Madame Colorama in the campaign for L'Oréal's Colorama nail polish brand. In 2025, Cruz was the face of Arezzo's Christmas campaign entitled "Presença é o Presente Perfeito" and it featured her mother and grandmother.

Personal life On July 17, 2023, during the filming of Guerreiros do Sol, she was admitted to a hospital in the city of São Paulo with acute pyelonephritis, a kidney infection. She had to return on July 25 after a relapse of the disease.

On June 17, 2025, she made her relationship with Norwegian-Brazilian skier Lucas Braathen public.

Filmography Film

Television Year Title Role Notes 2016 Haja Coração Cristina Miranda Maggione (Cris) 2022–23 Mar do Sertão Maria Cândida Madeira Aguiar (Candoca) 2024–25 Volta por Cima Roxelle da Cruz Diegues 2025 Guerreiros do Sol Rosa Pellegrino 2026Coração AceleradoAgrado Garcia

Awards and nominations + Award Year Category Nominated work Result Contigo! Online Award 2022 Soap Opera Actress Acervo Awards 2023 Actress of the Year ArteBlitz Novel Award Best Leading Actress iBest Award2024 Influencer ParaíbaHerself F5 Award Best Supporting PerformanceVolta por Cima GLP4 Award 2025 Actress of the Year Guerreiros do Sol Melhores do Ano NaTelinha Best Actress