IN CONVERSATION WITH DESIRÉE POPPER

interview JANA LETONJA

Actress and model Desirée Popper is known for her roles in series ‘Mare Fuori’, comedy film ‘Divorzio a Las Vegas’, and most recenlty series ‘Sopravvissuti’ and action draam film ‘The Cage’. This Summer, we’ll be seeing her in the leading role in Prime Video’s ‘Falla Girare 2’, which will be released on 20th August, and in Netflix’s ‘The Dadchelor’.

Desirée, this Summer will be a busy one for you. First, we’ll be seing you in Prime Video’s film ‘Falla Girare 2’. What can you tease about the film?

The movie is an action comedy about a hypothetical world without internet. I am very thrilled to be part of this project because even though it's supposed to make you laugh, it’s a movie that really gets you thinking. A chaotic parallel dimension where personal communication is almost impossible. Imagine having to wait for a message to arrive for days or even weeks, the impact on society, and not to mention how our lives would be even more difficult to manage.

Tell us more about your role and her story in the film.

I’m playing Zoe, a hacker who is fighting to keep the world offline. She is a very strong and tough woman who is trying to protect the world from the dark side of internet. At a very young age, Zoe was a victim of revenge porn and that trauma made her build up this need of revenge against the web. I used Sara Connor from ‘Terminator’ and Furiosa from ‘Mad Max’ as my muses to create the character. Both fictional ladies are not the typical princesses to be saved, but the saviours. They are warriors with a lust for life and committed to their mission.

Another project we’ll be seeing you in this Summer will be Netflix’s ‘The Dadchelor’. What can we expect from it when it hits our screens?

‘The Dadchelor’ is a comedy adventure movie that tells the story of Mark, who is about to become a father and goes to Italy on a seemingly innocent Dadchelor weekend that spirals out of control and even puts the life of his friends on the line. The director, Jon Karthaus nailed it. The storytelling is really good and there are plenty of twists that keep the movie interesting at every minute. The movie was super fun to shoot. For me, it was the very first time working with Dutch people and frankly, I had a blast. Can’t wait for it to be out.

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dress TORY BURCH
shoes FABIANA FILIPPI
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full look LOUIS VUITTON

What does this role, alongside your role in ‘The Cage’ last year, mean for your career, being an English spoken language?

I never take for granted a role or a project. If I connect with the role, I cannot help but dive in and give everything that I have, as you can clearly see in ‘The Cage’. The language doesn’t matter. I was born in Brazil, so being able to film in Italian is already a big challenge achieved. I feel very blessed to be able to be part of international projects. As I mentioned before, it’s super fun to work and connect with people from other cultures and countries. At the end of this month, I’m starting a new international movie, a Spanish speaking one. It’s a gift to be able to combine my skills to commit to a new fictional adventure.

How did your career as an actress begin, and what inspired your passion for it?

When I was a kid, I wanted to be a part of the army or police. At a young age, I never even dreamed about becoming an actress. When I moved to Italy, I didn’t speak much of the language, so I started modelling. Acting came later on, when I decided to start taking theater lessons to improve my Italian in a playful way. And that was it, I fell in love with the craft and never stopped chasing it.

Besides acting, you’ve also worked as a model. What kind of excitement does each of these two jobs present to you?

Both careers represent freedom to me. Freedom of a routine, never in the same place, always meeting new people. it gives me the thrill of an unpredictable life. It can be very toxic, never knowing when the next project starts or where it is going to be filmed, but as I always say, we are alive and anything could happen. And this lifestyle can be highly addictive.

full look LOUIS VUITTON

Fashion is something you’re very passionate about. What do you love the most about it and what do you find the most exciting aspect of it?

I use it to communicate to the world how I am feeling that very day, but never needed to have the very last model of a bag or buy the most wanted piece of trend. Fashion is a choice, it’s the way you present yourself to the world without even speaking. So yes, it is important, but I am also constantly trying to balance between buying for the outside and taking care of the inside. I rather invest in therapy, it lasts longer than a pair of shoes.

While you lived in Turkey, you learned to design clothes. Tell us more about this passion of yours, and how do you plan to explore it in the future?

Sometimes I can’t help but jump of a cliff into a new adventure. When I moved to Istanbul, I owned a swimwear line. It was good, lots of creativity and expression going on. Despite the sales doing good, it was not my field and after  a bit of time, I’ve lost the lust for it. Exploring fashion in the future? I never like to say never, but for now all my cravings are for my craft.

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full look LOUIS VUITTON
jewelry TIFFANY
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full look CHRISTIAN DIOR

Having lived in many different countries, what do you see as the biggest advantages of getting an opportunity to explore them and all the different cultures?

Not many people understand that there is something magical that happens when you remove yourself from your country of origin, meaning also your comfort zone. That is very powerful. In Brazil, we call it “saudade”. I don’t feel a sense of belonging to a specific territory anymore, but still feel like wherever I am, I miss the friends I made and the other countries I’ve lived in. I am not attached to any place, but instead feel a strong sense of being part of this Earth and a strong connection with it as a whole. What I’ve learned so far is it doesn’t matter what is your culture or which language you speak, we are all human beings fighting our own battles.

If you could do only one thing for the rest of your life, which one would fulfill you the most?

I am a restless soul, so that question sounds like a cage to me. I need to follow the horizon, go see what’s beyond the next hill. I am always on the hunt for the next adventure, so I’d say travel. Travel for the rest of my days.

TEAM CREDITS

photographer LORENZO TALIANI  
stylist GIANLUCA COCOCCIA
hair TIZIANO DE LUCIA using BALMAIN HAIR COUTURE
makeup BARBARA VERSOLATO
styling assistant CHIARA CARRUBBA
publicist and PR MPUNTO COMUNICAZIONE