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 ==