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The Equalizers

A secret history of the fight for social justice among Brazil’s greatest soccer stars of the past century

Kurt Shaw
By Kurt ShawJul 11, 2014
Kurt Shaw
After working with homeless teenagers in New York City, Kurt Shaw created Shine a Light, a network of more than 300 nonprofits serving marginalized youths around Latin America. He lives in Brazil.
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Brazil has won more World Cup titles than any other country, but the nearly 200-year old South American host nation has a legacy of competitors as valiant off the field as on it—so much so that it is possible to imagine a player at every position on the soccer field whose life displayed an abiding commitment to rallying against social inequality.

Illustrations by Filip Peraić and David Schwen

social impactsocial inequalitybrazilsports and fitness

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Kyra captioned her similar photo (though now outside), "Going out on a school night!" But it was an Instagram Reel that really captured their magic. With the Violent Femmes' "Blister in the Sun" as background music, it shows Kyra displaying a table of beauty products, and her glam squad circling her with hair extensions, bronzer, smoky-eye shadows, and lint rollers for the dress. Cut to: Kevin in shorts, casually solving a jigsaw puzzle.

She continues with nails, earrings, you name it, and then back to Kevin, who is now further along on his puzzle, revealing that it's of our Solar System. But in the final shot, after all that primping on her end, the result is the same. Both Kyra and Kevin look fabulous.

Their delightful connection has caused old interviews to resurface from a time when it wasn't exactly love at first sight. At least, not for Kyra. (Kevin, on the other hand, was immediately smitten.)

According to a piece on Ranker, "What Famous Couples Who Met Their Spouses on Set Said About Them," Lauren Glen compiled a list of quotes from celebrity couples when they first met.

In a 2008 interview with Redbook, Kyra remembers, "He definitely wasn’t my type. In fact, I vividly remember looking at his butt when he walked away after we first met and thinking, 'Well, I guess some girls like that.'" She then adds, "And now it's one of my favorite parts of his anatomy! That's probably too much information!"

Kyra Sedgwick sitting outside near a poolKyra Sedgwick www.flickr.com

But here's the cringe part: In an interview with Conan O'Brien, Kyra shares a story of a scene she and Kevin had to film together wherein he gives her a massage. She claims Kevin then said, "You know you're really tight. Have you ever had a massage? You should make an appointment to go see [this masseuse], and you know, it just so happens the massage room is in the gym, and if I happen to be finished with my workout when you're finished with your massage, maybe we can get dinner?” To which Kyra thought, "Yeah, sure, that's not going to happen. I'm not going to tell him when my massage is." Conan then replied, "Worst line ever."

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Actor Kevin BaconKevin Bacon by David Shankboneen.m.wikipedia.org

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