Teatro da Malaposta, located in Odivelas, a suburb of Lisbon, is where we find Ruy de Carvalho in his dressing room. He is set to take the stage once more as Major Metcalf in Agatha Christie's play, The Mousetrap, in just two hours. Friendly yet hurried, he grants us only a brief window for three questions before he needs to retreat into solitude to focus on his performance. Despite his enduring energy that allows him to perform almost daily, the years are undeniably catching up with him. At 97 years and six months, he stands as the oldest active theatre actor in the world. To put this into perspective, when The Mousetrap premiered in London in 1952—a play renowned for its record-breaking 72-year uninterrupted run—Ruy de Carvalho had already been an actor for 11 years and a professional for five.

His extensive career spans both film and television, making him a familiar face to the Portuguese public. However, his true home, the realm where he has always thrived, is the theatre. In 1957, he was among the first faces to grace Portuguese television, which had just launched with the broadcast of Gil Vicente's 'Monólogo do Vaqueiro' (The Cowboy's Monologue), the inaugural tele-theatre in Portugal. In 1998, he experienced a career pinnacle when he was honored by then-President Jorge Sampaio on the stage of the Dona Maria II National Theatre, where he was a leading figure, while performing William Shakespeare's King Lear. Throughout his illustrious career, he was awarded the Grand Crosses of the Orders of Merit, Sant'iago de Espada, and Infante D. Henrique.

Among the numerous plays he has graced, one stands out: In 1965, with the Teatro Moderno de Lisboa—a company he had founded four years prior—he brought José Cardoso Pires' 'O Render dos Heróis' to life, portraying Cego, a character symbolizing the Portuguese people. 'I took great pleasure in representing the Portuguese people,' Ruy de Carvalho reflects. 'He was a kind of scarecrow, with his back turned, occasionally turning to the audience to voice his thoughts on the world. What I wish for the world now is lasting peace for everyone, with no one suffering,' he concludes.

Retirement is not on Ruy de Carvalho's agenda. 'I shouldn't give up as long as I can work,' he told Euronews Culture. 'I work because I feel I still have a memory and can still memorize a text. I just ask that they aren't very long texts, so I don't have to spend too much time studying, as I study the papers at home. Improvisation takes a long time to perfect,' he explains. For his fellow actors, working with him is a continual learning experience. Luís Pacheco, who stars alongside Ruy de Carvalho in The Mousetrap (playing Giles Ralston) and also shares the stage with him in 'Ruy, a História Devida,' a show that has toured the country, shares the stories that have shaped an eight-decade career. 'All of us actors aspire to be like him one day,' Pacheco says. 'For us, he's a perpetual learner. He's always available, always attentive, always learning despite his age. He experiences the stage as if it were his first time.' Elsa Galvão, who plays Mrs Boyle in The Mousetrap, echoes this sentiment: 'Everyday we learn something. It's marvelous to see him work with such energy and joy on stage every day,' she says.

The Mousetrap is currently running at the Malaposta Theatre in Odivelas, with no end date in sight, and is set to embark on a nationwide tour soon. While it may not match the 72-year run in London, Ruy de Carvalho appears ready to continue performing it for as long as it takes.