"Even I am not Wonder Woman"

When Hana Sofia Lopes steps out of the Grand Ducal Palace last Saturday, where she has attended the official lunch in honour of the new Portuguese president as a prominent Luxembourger of Portuguese descent, she first things first takes off her high-heeled shoes. Her feet hurt, she tells us. We as well are in the city and happen to bump into the actress, with whom we had conducted an extensive interview a few days earlier.

For a brief moment, she almost looks like a contemporary Cinderella figure who has lost one of her shoes while dancing, but this impression is deceptive. Hana Sofia Lopes is not waiting to be rescued and then marry a prince, but has worked her own way: Step by step, role by role, and often against all odds.

The next day, the actress also takes part in a concert at Philharmonie in honour of the Portuguese Head of State. There, she has the opportunity to talk to the President about culture, identity, and the role that artists can play in connecting countries and people. After all, hardly anyone is currently building bridges between Luxembourg and Portugal as visibly as Hana Sofia Lopes.