She started her career at the age of twelve when Ana Paula was "discovered" by a representative for an advertisement agency while shopping at a supermarket.

The three productions, starting in 1994, were the aforementioned telenovela, Razão de Viver (Reason to Live), and Os Ossos do Barão (The Baron's Bones).

Hilda Furacão was a miniseries on the Brazilian television network Rede Globo written by Glória Perez.

After her success in Hilda Furacão, she took on the protagonist roles in two more telenovelas with Rede Globo: Terra Nostra and Esperança, both by author Benedito Ruy Barbosa and with a focus on Italian immigration to Brazil.

Her first telenovela set in present-day was Páginas da Vida (Pages of Life) in 2006, written by Manoel Carlos.

The Troféu Imprensa is considered the greatest annual award for the biggest stand outs in Brazilian television in several categories.

In October 2010, tipped to star in the telenovela Insensato Coração, Arósio, according to Rede Globo, she missed the first recordings, didn't report to work, and was terminated from the show's production.