It’s the power of make-believe that fuels the imaginative worlds imbued within the world’s most beloved comic books. In its own way, the notion of make-believe lends itself to high fashion modeling, as many muses must embody a certain character or energy that they don’t innately possess in their real life to deliver the perfect picture. Sitting comfortably at this convergence is Sara Sampaio.

Instantly recognizable as one of the many anointed “angels” of our generation, a bestowment granted by fashion mega beast Victoria’s Secret, where Sara found her footing as a budding model, Sampaio’s pivot to acting has been one of interest for many of Hollywood’s head honchos. But don’t consider this a career act of spontaneity; it’s an act of manifestation. “I’ve always wanted to be an actor. Since I was a kid, I’ve always loved acting and playing make-believe. We had theater in school, and those were my favorite classes,” she explains. “I thought about how much fun it would be to pretend you’re a spy, or that you can dance and sing in all these beautiful gowns, or pretend you are in the most beautiful love story. You just get to really deep dive into some complex people and lives, and it taught me a lot about the human experience.”

From growing up on the outskirts of Porto in northern Portugal to finding her place in this world through the medium of fashion, stretching her angel wings and fluttering over to the catwalks for the likes of Moschino,  Balmain, and Miu Miu, the experience of modeling in Sara’s point of view is arguably quite comparable to that of acting. “There’s always the fact that you are putting on some kind of a performance,” explains Sampaio. “With acting, you are presenting your interpretation of a character, while with modeling, most of the time, you are just a canvas for other people’s creativity. Modeling is about capturing a whole story in one single frame, which can be really difficult. In acting, you get to build the moment and the story.” But the common thread that unites the two, no matter the circumstance? The grueling hours of a long shoot day. “The one thing modeling prepared me for when entering the world of acting is the long hours. I’m used to being on the go and working 12-hour days, so that actually felt easier, because on my acting days, even if they are long, they are not as busy as some modeling days where you have to photograph 40 looks in one day.”

“Our first time being all together was at our table read. I was really nervous, I’ve never done a table read, and there I was next to actors I’ve admired my whole life. But getting to meet everyone, and them all being so nice, really put me at ease. I already knew Nicholas [Hoult], with whom I have most of my scenes, so that was comforting as well. Props to James Gunn; he makes sure his set is fun and full of wonderful, nice people.”

—Sara Sampaio

With those earlier experiences informing much of her twenties, to then finding herself in the middle of Los Angeles in her later years to pursue a new thrill in life, it’s unsurprising how Sara finds the outlet of acting to be cathartic. “With acting, it’s almost like I have permission to be all these other people and live all these other lives that I would never be able to,” she notes. “It’s a way for me to express emotions that I’m not able to express in my day-to-day. Acting almost feels like therapy in a way.” Although many creatives, especially actors, feel the same sense of relief and wonder rolled into one as soon as they step foot on a film set, not everyone gets the lucky opportunity to witness the making of a superhero-based action film. But then again, not everyone is Sara Sampaio—who is set to star in this summer’s highly anticipated film, Superman.

“I remember getting the audition and thinking ‘Oh my god, I know exactly who this character is’, and then thinking, ‘there’s no way I’ll ever get this, it will probably go to someone with more experience’. But I had so much fun doing my self-tape; I really connected with Eve [Teschmacher] right away,” she details. “I love superhero movies, and Superman is the superhero of superheroes. Getting the call that the part was mine and that I would get to be a part of this awesome world felt surreal.” 

On July 11th, fans everywhere can expect to see a new type of Eve, one molded for a modern audience and has a knack for fashion, as one would expect from the woman stepping into her shoes—a revision that Sara has found to be surprisingly easy. “I think most of it is the way James Gunn wrote her. He really made my job easy because he’s such a genius, and the script is just fabulous. Even though she’s quite a different Eve than the original Superman movies, I really wanted to keep the childlike nature and kindness that you see in her from the original movies,” she notes. “There’s a whole team that helped me bring her to life, but the most fun was building her wardrobe with our head costume department, Judianna [Makovsky]. Eve has some of the most fun costumes in the movie, I’m excited for people to see them.”

“I almost studied acting in university, but my parents convinced me to get a different degree, and that I could do that on the side. I then started modeling, but that dream was always there. That’s when, in my mid-20s, I started taking acting classes whenever I could. Then I moved to Los Angeles, and then the pandemic happened and that’s what I did most of my quarantine—online acting classes. Now they are in person, and it’s the most fun I’ve had. Some of my favorite actors who made me become an actor are Angelina Jolie, Nicole Kidman [especially her performance] in Moulin Rouge.”

—Sara Sampaio

A role in a superhero film, one as anticipated as Superman starring David Corenswet, Nicholas Hoult, and a bevy of other actors, is never just a role. It’s the entrance into a world where fandom reigns supreme. “As an actor, it’s been the most wonderful opportunity,” explains Sampaio. “I’m just extremely grateful I get to be a part of it. The fandom is very passionate because they care, and Superman means a lot to them. I hope I make them proud and that they’ll love my interpretation of Eve.”

This cover story appears in the pages of V155: now available for purchase!

Photography Alvaro Beamud Cortés

Fashion Jeanie Annan-Lewin 

Model Sara Sampaio (The Lions)

Hair Laurent Philippon (Bryant Artists) using Bumble and Bumble

Makeup Mayumi Oda (Bryant Artists)

Manicure Joanna Memmi

Production Interlude Project

Retouching Camillo Bernardi Studio

Photo Assistants Simone Triacca, Emile Kosuge, Thomas Laporte

Digital Technician Mitko Digital Capture

Styling Assistant Alexi Landolfi

Production Assistant Sara Murru