Giulia is an Italian-born actor-ballet dancer and a trained singer who speaks Italian, Spanish, and English.
Giulia started in Rome’s theatre in different disciplines: dancing, singing, and acting. She mastered acting skills at the prestigious Susan Batson Studio in New York and Stella Adler Academy of Acting in Los Angeles.
Giukia believes that success is made of discipline, strength, and courage. She lives in London and is now working on her first solo show Love, Edith, a one-woman show based on the life and career of Edith Piaf.
Seen anything lately?
I recently saw The Enemy of The People at the Duke of York’s Theatre, and it was incredible. I love Matt Smith; he’s deep, captivating, and real. One of the most beautiful theatre shows I’ve seen in recent months.
From an artist’s point of view, what is your home city of Rome like?
Rome is loud, and imposing; it is pure art. You know, every time I walk through its streets, it always feels like the first time. Even though I have traveled a lot, there is still no place in the world that gives me the same emotions as Rome.
I believe that if I have to attribute my love for art and beauty, I owe it to Rome, and I hope one day to be a bearer of that beauty in the world, a symbol of Rome.
Could you share more about their actor training systems?
Honestly, I have never studied in Italy. In Rome, I was just lucky enough to work on a small theatre production in 2020, which is why I had no direct experience at the school level.
But from what some colleagues told me, Rome is very much closed with a school of thought and a technique, which is still a little difficult to undermine, even if we are slowly getting renewing and growing.
What about the UK and USA?
They are certainly very different from each other. One of the main differences I noticed is that both New York and Los Angeles have a more instinctive and unconventional way than London or Rome.
London is opening up a lot to American influences, but whether it opens up or not, the British technique is certainly one of the most valid, beautiful, and complete of all.
Why train and work in these places?
It almost sounds strange to say but I saw something of myself in each of them, and maybe that’s why I chose them. Each of these cities is an aspect of my personality. More than anything, each experience taught me so much about what I wanted to become.
I could say that at the moment I use a mixed method, also given my experience, and the fact remains that the body plays a fundamental part for me, for this reason, I use the Strasberg technique a lot.
What drew you to New York?
I was still finding myself, especially because the first time in New York was for ballet, not acting. I understood that being a ballet dancer was not what I wanted to do in life. The impact of that realization I had was horrible.
I was 18 years old and would soon finish high school, what awaited me next? In the week that I was there, the world collapsed around me.
Then what happened?
Well, I discovered it in the streets of that city. Pushed by my mom to try, I entered Susan Batson‘s Studio, and from there everything began, everything was clear.
This is why for me New York was a rebirth, and especially a place where I had the opportunity and freedom to experiment, to not be afraid of what people would think; of my choice, of my shyness, of my fear of making mistakes.
And it is precisely there that I came into contact with Edith Piaf for the first time.
How has London been for you?
With London, I share its composure, its distinguishable determination to make space for itself in the world, always with elegance and charm.
Maybe it’s the city that reminds me a little more of Rome, even if they are very different. But they both have this historical and exuberant beauty that pushes you to love them despite everything.
And Los Angeles?
That city has something special, it is perhaps the one with which I have seen the most differences in terms of structure and life. There I felt as if everything had slowed down more, and that was probably what I needed at that moment, to understand that art has its time, as does personal growth.
I always felt behind my peers, as if I were perpetually late. But there I had time to metabolize that our art grows with us, which is why we must take care of ourselves, and live all the experiences we can, so that we can be better artists, and bring life into what we do, with our times.
Describe your creative mission in one sentence.
I want no one to feel alone, or misunderstood, and no matter how difficult, embarrassing at times, or in what universe, love is always what will save us.
You explore the concept of inadequacy in Love Edith. Could you share with us about a time you felt inadequate?
I remember it very well. I was in New York, I was 19 years old and it was my first experience alone so far from home. Although I understood English, I wasn’t very good at speaking it yet. I was terrified of my high school teacher, so I never spoke! It’s a feeling that I carried forward for a few months, not only at school but also in daily life, namely the inadequacy of not blending in with others.
The fact that I was making twice as much effort as others to speak English made me feel insecure. I wanted at all costs not to be considered a ‘foreigner’. And I think New York helped me a lot in this, more than Los Angeles and London, it’s almost more normal there to be in front of people from all over the world.
How did you overcome it?
Certainly thanks to some friends who were there with me. Carl Ford, the director, together with Susan Batson of the studio, and of course the passion for what I was doing.
I had to work a lot on it, especially in understanding that we need to honour and proudly carry forward who we are and where we come from. It is part of us.
I have now traveled a lot and I can confirm that the most important thing for me has always been the love for what I did. Ever since I decided to leave for the first time, it has been the love for this art that has always guided me, and it certainly also helped me understand myself.
What a beautiful way to express it.
I just recently wrote the subject of a film that will talk about exactly this, it’s a story that’s very close to my heart, especially because it also talks about my family, but also about many people that I was lucky enough to meet during my path.
What are you most looking forward to in the next 5 years?
In the next 5 years I would like to realize as many projects as possible, starting from this film that I wrote, up to many other stories that not only I but my fantastic partners in crime, Delia and Chiara, have in store. I want to tell stories, talk to people, and share hope and love. And I can’t wait for it to become my full-time job.
Seen Anything Lately? 