In February 1959, Kim Novak was in Rio de Janeiro to promote the release of a film whose title the American actress no longer remembers. But she still clearly remembers the name of the marchinha that inspired her to abandon the routine of professional commitments and join the street carnival at that moment. “I thought: 'my God, I just want to feel Brazil'. So I went back to where I was staying, took off my uncomfortable shoes and dress and went down to dance and sing along with the people to the lyrics of 'Give me some money there'. I felt the emotion, the music, the danger, but also the passion”, says the 92-year-old actress, with her characteristic raspy voice, one of the last legends of the Golden Age of Hollywood.

The episode involving Homero Ferreira's famous song is not in the documentary “Kim Novak's vertigo”, by Alexander O. Philippe, in which the star immortalized in “Um corpo que cai” (1958), by Alfred Hitchcock — a film that, in fact, brought her to Brazil during that carnival — revisits her past. But it offers clues to the pioneering and restless spirit of the artist who was forced to change her name and look to become the highest-grossing actress in the world between the 1950s and 1960s, before abandoning Hollywood and embracing a reclusive life, dedicated to painting and horses. "I know I'm close to the end. I kind of wanted to tell my truth, to really express who I am. I feel like I managed to do that with my art. But I realized that, at this point, I needed to let it all out," explains Kim, in an interview during the Venice Film Festival, last month, where he received the honorary Golden Lion, and went to promote the film's premiere. “Kim Novak's vertigo” will have its premiere in Brazil at the São Paulo Exhibition (October 16th to 30th).

In the documentary, you see Madeleine's gray suit from “A Falling Body”. What feelings came to mind?

That gray suit represented something I didn't like at the time, which was pretending to be someone I wasn't, like the character does in the film. I had conflicting feelings. So, when I opened the box that contained the piece, bought by a fan at an auction and sent to my agent, it took me by surprise. Suddenly the piece seemed like a softer memory. I realized that years can do that, and with people too. We become softer, you know?

Can you express yourself more artistically now, with painting, than by making films?

Certainly, because, in a painting, I always show the negative and the positive. There is always sadness, but also joy. I don’t want people to look at it and say “oh, what a beautiful picture!”. I'm interested in saying something. So I hope that after I'm gone, you know that the whole time I was thinking about every situation in life for me, from my perspective. And from the perspective of my “bipolar self”.

When he started his career, he changed his name, lost weight, got his teeth fixed. Would you like to be an actress in today's Hollywood?

Oh, I would like so much... Sometimes I watch a film and think: “Ah, I would love to have done that!” Because now everything is freer. When I started, everything depended on appearance. Now you can wear any haircut, dress however you want. I would have loved to have started making films a little later, to take advantage of that freedom. But the opportunity came to me when it did, and you have to do the best you can with it.

The lady's name will soon return to the screen with the film “Scandalous”, in which director Colman Domingo will tell the story of her romance with singer Sammy Davis Jr. What do you think of the project?

I have no objection to this film. But what's really important is who will play me in it, and I can't think of anyone less suited to do that than the chosen actress, Sydney Sweeney. She's very good, but unlike me... She's a fragile, tiny thing. It's not just her physical appearance, but everything about her, even the way she thinks, because I've seen her express her ideas, and that's why she seems like such a strange choice to me.

But were you consulted about the project? Did they ask for your permission?

They actually wanted to buy the rights to my life, because they've been trying to make this movie for a long time. But I'm still alive, so they have the freedom to do whatever they want with my biography. They even offered me a lot of money for it, but I certainly didn't want that. Should I sell my soul to the devil? I would be doing this if I accepted money from them. But the point is that this actress was brought into the project and I can't do anything about it other than express my displeasure. My only hope is that she gets another offer she can't refuse, planned to be filmed at the same time as "Scandalous."