Isadora Cruz Rocha (Brazilian Portuguese: [izaˈdɔɾɐ ˈkɾuʃ]; 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. In 2022, she was cast as Candoca, the protagonist of the telenovela Mar do Sertão, where she gained national recognition. In 2024, she was cast in the 7pm soap opera Volta por Cima as the slut Roxelle, Chico's (Amaury Lorenzo) lover; initially a mere rival of Madalena (Jéssica Ellen), Roxelle gains prominence in the plot after her breakup with Chico, largely due to her friendship with Gigi (Rodrigo Fagundes) and Neuza (Valdinéia Soriano) and her troubled relationship with the bookmaker Gerson (Enrique Díaz). 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 May 2025, she accepted director Carlos Araújo's invitation to play Agrado Garcia, an aspiring country singer and one of the protagonists of Coração Acelerado, a plot written by Maria Helena Nascimento and Izabel de Oliveira. == 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 === == Awards and nominations == == Notes == == References == == External links == Isadora Cruz on Instagram Isadora Cruz at IMDb