1991–1999: Beginning of career and first works In 1991, at age 15, Antonelli appeared in the children's show
Clube da Criança TV program, which was screened on the
Rede Manchete TV network hosted by
Angélica. Antonelli was one of the
angeliquetes, stage assistants on the program. In 1994, Antonelli debuted as an actress in the soap opera
Tropicaliente, screened by
Rede Globo broadcast between May and December 1994. Soon after, she returned to Manchete to act in
Tocaia Grande (1995), by Duca Rachid, Mário Teixeira and Marcos Lazarini, as the protagonist Ressú, and in
Xica da Silva (1996) by
Walcyr Carrasco as the villain Elvira part of a love triangle that had great impact. In 1996, Antonelli returned to Rede Machete for two
telenovelas, after being recognized for
Xica da Silva. After this success, she returned to Globo as Judy in
Corpo Dourado (1998), by
Antônio Calmon in a love triangle with the characters of Felipe Camargo and
Fábio Jr. After appearing as Violet prostitute in the telenovela
Força de um Desejo, of
Gilberto Braga, joined the cast of the first
Múltipla Escolha season Choose the series
Malhação, interpreting the character Isa, Character daughter of
Nuno Leal Maia.
2000–2006: Laços de Família, O Clone and Da Cor do Pecado In 2000, Antonelli appeared interpreting another prostitute, Capitu, in
Laços de Família, the telenovela by
Manoel Carlos. The chemistry with her love interest, actor Luigi Baricelli, captivated audiences and critics. She received numerous accolades and won awards for Breakthrough Actress and two for Best Actress. Soon after she played her first role as a protagonist in
O Clone (2001), by
Gloria Perez. In 2001, following the success of
Laços de Família, Antonelli played the protagonist Jade, a Muslim divided between love and religious obligations, in the telenovela
O Clone by
Gloria Perez. Her character dictated fashion in the streets with veils, jewelry and exotic makeup that characterized a Muslim. Besides being successful in Brazil the character has attracted fans in several other countries where the telenovela was broadcast. She earned six awards, one of which was the
Contigo Prize for Best Romantic Couple with
Murilo Benício. Participation in the film earned Antonelli the Crystal Lens Award for Best Actress at the Brazilian Film Festival in
Miami. She played the
Virgin Mary in the film
Maria, Mãe do Filho de Deus,(2003) directed by
Moacyr Góes and in the theater appeared in
A Paixão de Cristo. but criticized by others who thought that her performance lacked brilliance. In 2004, she portrayed her first villain, Barbara, in the telenovela
Da Cor do Pecado (2004), by
João Emanuel Carneiro. She received critical acclaim for acting in a way that erased viewers' memories of the characters with a reputation for being a good girl who had played previously. In the theater she appeared with actor
Murilo Benício in
Dois na Gangorra, directed by Walter Lima Júnior, and in film in the movie
A Cartomante, directed by Wagner de Assis and Pablo Uranga. In 2005-2006, after the great success of the soap operas
O Clone and
Da Cor do Pecado, she was invited again by
Glória Perez and
João Emanuel Carneiro to play the main protagonist of the soap operas
América and
Cobras & Lagartos, but she refused the invitations for different reasons and she was replaced by
Deborah Secco and
Mariana Ximenes.
2007–2010: Sete Pecados, Três Irmãs and Viver a Vida In 2007, Antonelli returned to TV as Delzuite, the protagonist of the first part of the
miniseries,
Amazônia, de Galvez a Chico Mendes, by
Glória Perez. In the same year, he was the protagonist in the telenovela
Sete Pecados (2007) by
Walcyr Carrasco, where her character Clarice lives a love triangle with Dante (
Reynaldo Gianecchini) and Beatriz
Priscila Fantin). She also appeared in the long film
Caixa Dois, directed by
Bruno Barreto, in the role of a secretary to a powerful banker.. Her performance was criticized and her role considered "the weak point of the plot". In 2008, she was invited to play the protagonist Joana in the soap opera
Beleza Pura by
Andréa Maltarolli but she declined the invitation and was replaced by
Regiane Alves. Giovanna showed her comic side, interpreting the clumsy Alma Jequitibá, one of the protagonists in the telenovela
Três Irmãs, by Antonio Calmon. A physician
Obstetrician & gynecologist, Alma is divided between two loves: the character of
Bruno Garcia and the character of
Rodrigo Hilbert. She gained prominence as Dora in
Viver a Vida (2009). In the movies, she filmed
The Heartbreaker, a co-production between Brazil and the United States, directed by Roberto Carminati. The film was shot in
Florianópolis, Santa Catarina and
Boston, and was released two years after its completion, on February 14, 2012. In 2009, Antonelli returned to theaters, in the film
Budapest, directed by Walter Carvalho, based on the book by
Chico Buarque. In the film, Antonelli appears naked for the first time in the movies as an egocentric television news anchor. Also in 2010, the actress played Chico Xavier's stepdaughter in the adaptation of the work by
Chico Xavier, in the
film of the same name. The character was popular with the public, mainly for her style, clothes and accessories which were most desired by women. In 2014, she was one of the protagonists of the telenovela
Em Família produced by
Manoel Carlos. She played her first lesbian character, Carla, married to Cadu (Reynaldo Gianecchini). She leaves her husband to live with the photographer Marina played by (
Tainá Müller). Still in 2014, Antonelli starred as Adriana in the long-running
S.O.S. Mulheres ao Mar, a romantic comedy. Her character was well received by critics
2015–present: A Regra do Jogo, Sol Nascente and Segundo Sol In 2015 she was invited to participate in the telenovela by João Emanuel Carneiro,
A Regra do Jogo, in the role of the villain Athena Terremolinos. Her character was the highlight of the program. In 2016, Antonelli appeared in the new telenovela for The 9 from Walther Negrão and Suzana Pires,
Sol Nascente interpreting the protagonist Alice Tanaka, daughter of Kazuo Tanaka (
Luis Mello) romantically involved with Mario (
Bruno Gagliasso) and César (
Rafael Cardoso). In 2017, she is to be the protagonist of the future telenovela from the 9,
Segundo Sol, by João Emanuel Carneiro. In 2018, she returned to prime time as the protagonist Luzia in
Segundo Sol, by
João Emanuel Carneiro, a humble and hard-working woman who, after suffering a major blow and being wronged, has to leave her life behind, but returns years later in order to rebuild and get her life back. In 2021, Giovanna is one of the four protagonists of
Quanto Mais Vida, Melhor!. In the plot, she plays Paula Terrare, a self-centered and widowed woman, owner of Cosméticos Terrare, who struggles to keep the company afloat. She also suffers from competition from Carmem (
Júlia Lemmertz), owner of Wollinger, a cosmetics company, who gradually takes the spotlight away from her. Paula unexpectedly suffers an accident that takes her life, but is given a new chance by Death. Ten years after the partnership in
Salve Jorge, the author
Glória Perez invites
Alexandre Nero and Giovanna Antonelli to revive the couple Helô and Stênio in her new work in the nine o'clock slot,
Travessia, scheduled for the second half of 2022. Once again they were highlighted and stole the spotlight. == Personal life ==