How did you start your modeling career?
I started my modeling career at the age of 17, in Italy. I got scouted by a model agency in Milan called Bookin’, directed by Vittorio Masciarelli. I had little to no experience at the time, but I didn’t get discouraged and I started auditioning a lot, for many different brands. In the beginning it was hard and the gigs were really small. But I kept trying and in a span of a couple of years I had the privilege to work for brands like L’Oreal, Aveda and Kemon. At the age of 20 I decided to move to Los Angeles to attend college, but I didn’t want to give up modeling, so alongside studying I kept trying to pursue it. Ever since then, I worked with several different photographers and shot a lot of very fun editorials. One of them got published on the parisian magazine Moevir and a new one will be published soon on the fashion magazine Gezno.
Can you tell us about your experience working on the pilots premiering next year?
I shot two pilots recently for two up and coming tv series. One is called “The Jenko Gene” and talks about a science experiment that goes wrong and results in a tragic ending. The experience on set for Jenko Gene was incredibly fun. I had the privilege to connect with so many talented artists and really dive into a thriller/action story that got us all hooked since the first table read. I was playing Becca in the story and her wittiness and courage were the most fun traits I got to explore and really enjoy while playing on set.
The other pilot is called “The Healer” and it’s a beautiful story about a doctor who learns about alternative types of medicines and from being skeptical and resistant about them, she learns to accept and be more open minded. I played the lead in this story and the journey on set was probably one of the most fun I’ve ever had. I was given full creative freedom with my character, Dr. Maldini, and I really took that and explored as deep as I could. I was finding details about Dr. Maldini’s personality as we were shooting and I remember just being fully immersed in that story and in my character’s journey.
I’m very excited for both projects and I can’t wait for them to be out next year.
What was it like filming the feature film “Dutch 3”?
Dutch 3 is probably the biggest project I worked on popularity wise. It’s the third movie of a trilogy that started coming out a few years ago and that was already very well received. My role in this third movie was relatively small, but I still consider myself very grateful for the amazing opportunity that it was. I played Sabrina, an Italian flight attendant. I dressed in real flight attendant clothes and stepped on a prop plane for the first time in my life and it was so magical to be in that world. I enjoyed every second of my time on that set and with the people I got to work with.
Can you share some memorable moments from working on “Dutch 3”?
I would say the most memorable moment for me was stepping into the big prop plane we had on set. It was one of those pinch me moments; I couldn’t believe I was seeing one of those planes in real life. I’ve always seen scenes from movies where the actors are sitting inside airplanes, but standing there with a full crew and cast was really incredibly magical. I also had an awesome time with every single crew member; they were all extremely nice and I think they contributed to making the whole experience just one big memorable moment for me.
How did you get involved with the webseries you worked on?
The webseries I worked on is called “Shelter in the Mafia” and it talks about a young woman who gets betrayed by her husband and his new mistress, but eventually finds the strength to get her revenge and find her true love. In this story I played the mistress, Reina. I got involved with this project through the director Bruce. He saw my interest in the project through a casting platform and he immediately contacted me and asked if I was willing to play the role of the villain in the story. I, of course, said yes and after the first meeting we immediately started working. No need to say playing a villain was very entertaining to me and during the filming I even found some freedom to give Reina comedic lines and some wittiness. It was really fun project and it’s already out on Serial+
Which indie movie project has been your favorite so far and why?
The indie movie I shot that I would say was my favorite in terms of how much I got to explore as an actor was “Lemonseed.” Lemonseed is a short film written and directed by Zaina Tripp that deals with the concept of life and death and what are their meanings in someone’s journey on this earth. Besides being an incredibly written script, with poetic references that gave me goosebumps several times while reading, it had such a beautiful deep meaning to it. As an actor that is the juice that fuels a performance, and I was thrilled from the beginning to play Ellika. She had such depth and complex feelings about the world she lived in and I loved exploring all of them and bringing her to life. It was a very challenging role but also extremely rewarding.
How do you prepare for your roles in indie movies?
First I read the script several times; usually as many as it takes for me to write down full pages of notes about every character that relates on any level to my character. Then I write about my own character and I try to really let my imagination take me even further than the information I have from the script. I journal about them as I would do for myself and that usually allows me to really get to know them deeply. The next step I like to do is to explore their body traits and try to find their physicalities. I mostly just walk in my apartment alone, trying out different leading centers in my body and understanding what feels right and connected to my character’s traits. Then from here, I just improvised with myself. I like to make up conversations as the character or go grocery shopping pretending to be the character and I just keep doing that until my shoot dates.
What challenges have you faced while working on indie films?
The biggest challenge I face while filming indie movies is the same as what I face pretty much all the time while filming a movie: waiting around. Every actor knows they have to hurry up to set and then just wait; wait for the crew to set up, or the blocking to be decided or the lights to be properly put up. Waiting is the main character on every set. However, the waiting for an actor is what makes the emotional preparation for the roles so much more difficult. Sometimes there’s multiple scenes where you need to cry, but they’re most likely never shot all before lunch time. So, as an actor the challenge is to be able to quickly tap into the same emotions you had in the first few scenes for the next ones, even though you just ate a full plate of pasta in between. The waiting I would say is the biggest challenge I face pretty much all the time and that I’m still working on as an actor.
What was it like modeling for brands like L’Oreal, Aveda, and Kemon?
I modeled for these brands when I was in Milan and the fashion vibe was incredibly prominent there. For L’Oreal I did a hair photoshoot. It was a fun experience, where I got to meet with other models while we all got fresh haircuts and we talked about hair products. The creative director was really nice too and we all just had a good time and walked out of there with brand new shampoos and conditioners. For Aveda I did a live fashion show during the Milan fashion week. It was a show where hairdressers were styling the models’ hair live on a stage in front of an audience. I had a big french braid done on my head, which I remember thinking was very impressive. It was a new experience for me and I enjoyed it a lot. For Kemon I did a commercial for one of their hair products for curly hair. The day of the shoot they made my hair super curly and soft and I really loved every second of that look. I had fun in front of the camera showcasing those curls and even then I got to take home some incredible products.
What advice would you give to aspiring actors and models?
I think the best advice I can give, that was also given to me, is to be patient. Things will happen when they have to happen. I used to be a very anxious person who wanted everything quickly. But that’s not how reality works. You audition for a role and you get rejected; or you work for a project you think will blow up and it doesn’t. It just takes time. The most important thing is keep pursuing what makes you happy and be confident and patient that things will come to you.
