This image was solidified in subsequent telenovelas like Terra Nostra (1999), where he played Matteo, and O Cravo e a Rosa (2000), as Augusto. During this era, Lacerda was the standard against which other romantic leads were measured. However, the burden of being a "heartthrob" is that it often limits an actor's artistic range. For years, the public and critics alike associated him primarily with his good looks.