IN CONVERSATION WITH GABRIELLA PESSION
interview by JANA LETONJA
Italian actress, screenwriter and producer Gabriella Pession is starring in Peacock’s series ‘Those About to Die’, which premiered on 18th July. Gabriella will also be reprising her role in the second season of ‘Tell Me Lies’ and in ‘The Count of Monte Cristo’. Besides this, she also wrote Italian series ‘Mamma, non mamma’, which will be coming out soon on the Italian Channel Rai Uno.
Gabriella, can currently watch you reprising your role in the second season of ‘Tell Me Lies’. How would you sum up this season and your character, Marianne’s story?
Marianne is a super fun role to play, especially this season. The role takes an unexpected twist, the storyline this year is very compelling and very very original. I can’t spoil anything, but I will tell you that you can see much more of Marianne than you saw in the first season. You see her not only as a professor, but as a woman and a wife.
The cast of the series includes the amazing Anthony Hopkins. How has the experience of working alongside such an iconic actor been for you?
Working with Anthony Hopkins has been a dream come true. And also working on such an amazing project with such a large scale, with Roland directing and the entire world we portrayed, is really all just an amazing experience for an actress because of how vast and magnificent it was. The storylines and the characters are just explosive. All of these ingredients created this amazing project that I am super proud to be part of. I am still in disbelief that this is really happening. I am beyond excited and grateful.
We will also soon see you reprise the role in ‘The Count of Monte Cristo’. What do you enjoy the most about this series, its story and your character?
'The Count of Monte Cristo' has been one of my favorite novels throughout my life. All the characters are so complex and modern in a way. Hermine is an amazing role. It is highly dramatic, with a woman who doesn’t know if the son she gave birth to is dead or alive. This dilemma drives her crazy, it drives her into madness really. It was very complex to portray her.
I worked with Bille August on this, who is an amazing director, and that again has been such a gift for me to work with such a director in a project like this. We really kind of built this role together and shaped it in a way that was very original, despite being based on a novel. There is always something so personal when you build a character. Working with the writers and Bille on this was an amazing experience.
Also, I am very happy I worked with Sam Claflin on this. I think he is one of the most talented actors at the moment. He is absolutely magnificent in 'The Count of Monte Cristo'. Again, it was an amazing ensemble and an amazing project to be a part of.
What can the fans look forward to if 'Those About to Die' gets a season 2?
As for Season 2, it’s my dream to be a part of this amazing show again. Hopefully, we will do it. I’ve heard a few details about my character if there is a season 2 that I think the fans would love to see. The role just gets better and better. For me, to continue this journey and continue to be a part of this huge project and developing Antonia is just a dream come true.
I’m really hoping this will happen soon enough. I think the fans will have the opportunity to fall in love with all of the characters this season already as the characters are so fun to watch, so complex, controversial, and wild. It’s just an explosion of passion to show. All of these elements together are wonderful and if they like this first season, then I think they will be super happy about what the second season could be. Knock on wood.
Before you started acting, you were a competitive ice skater. What made ice skating the sport of your choice, and how hard was it when a broken ankle ended it?
Ice skating has been the love of my life. I fell in love with ice skating when I went to see a competition with my best friend when I was only seven years old, and I remember seeing a skater on the ice and turning to my mom to say “This is what I want to do”. The very next day, I was there on the ice with my trainer, Elvira. I remember those days with lots of love and affection. It was love at first sight. I spent my entire childhood on the ice and it was an amazing journey and experience for me. It really shaped me into who I am, and the actress that I am. What I mean by that is being really diligent and respectful of the work, and being able to sacrifice and make choices in order to pursue what I love.
The sacrifices have never been hard for me to make, because I was moved by my love for competing in ice skating, and today by the love for this career. Also, I learned the resilience being on the ice. When you fall on the ice, you get up and keep doing it. You don’t just complain or cry. You might cry for a second, but then off you go, you continue. That’s being competitive and that’s being an athlete. It was a very difficult moment when I broke my ankle. Losing my ice skating so young was like losing a part of my identity. I was just a teenager and all my life was spent on the ice. I mean, every day of the year was completely devoted to the sport. I did modeling for a while and then I came across acting, really by chance. In my heart, I’m still an athlete, I dream about ice skating nearly every night. It has always been with me and the passion for the sport will never leave me.
How did you go from ice skating to acting? What ignited your interest in acting?
When I broke my ankle, I had a very difficult time finding my own identity again. All that ever existed was being an athlete, training and competing, traveling the world with the sport. I just randomly auditioned for a movie and I really didn’t want to do it, but my mom was making me. She was really trying to help get me interested in something else since I couldn’t compete. Then, I got the role.
I’m kind of a fatalist. I believe that there is a picture out there for you already shaped. Really, cinema pulled me in. I was chosen for this movie out of the blue, even though I had never really even been in front of a camera before. All I remember is that doing the audition and being in front of the camera felt very familiar to me, I wasn’t scared at all. A lot of other things made me scared at that time, but for some reason being in front of the camera really felt like being home.
You are an active supporter of WeWorld Onlus, a non-profit organization supporting women and children as they fight against poverty and inequity, and work towards developing a more sustainable future. Tell us a bit more about the organization and it’s work, and why it’s so dear to you.
I had the privilege to work alongside WeWorld Onlus for many years now and they have always incorporated me in their campaigns. I would like to be even more involved moving forward. Especially as a mother, this is really one of my goals in the next few years. The privilege of being an actress is being able to be heard. You can really be a vehicle of change.
We did a lot of campaigns to spread awareness and reduce violence against women, relieve the effects of poverty here in Italy and more. It has been very touching for me because when you are an actor, it's easy to get stuck in the bubble of the business and it becomes your world. But when you step outside and see reality, you realize how privileged we are. I think that when you are privileged, you are called to be useful. Even if it is a tiny grain of sand in the ocean, it is worth it to try to get out there and do something that can help. We can all do our little part.
How do you like spending your days off? What are some of your favorite hobbies?
I spend my days off really looking after my little one. I have a nine year old who plays competitive tennis. I have the privilege of following his development and passion for a sport like I had. I really think he inherited it from me, being so in love and competitive with the sport. That’s really what I do. My hobby is really looking after my family, and helping my son follow his passion and grow up to be a good human.
I also love cooking and I’m really a homebody. I have a very normal life. That may sound really boring, but my hobbies are that and following tennis. I just went to Wimbledon because I am so passionate about it. After ice skating, I fell in love with following tennis.
You also wrote a TV series ‘Mamma, non mamma’, which will be released on Italian Channel Rai Uno. What inspired it and what can we expect from it when it comes out?
I’m super excited about this one. It’s my first project as a writer. The idea came during Covid when I was stuck in Los Angeles and couldn’t go back to my country. I really love Italy so much. I am in love with Tuscany, that’s where I really want to spend the rest of my life, so this project really started out of nostalgia and homesickness for my country.
Initially, it was a love letter to Italy, but then it became a story about a very successful single woman, a chef, who thinks she has it all before she realizes she truly has an empty life, living just to perform and pursue success. Through something that happens, she’s going to be obliged to go back to Tuscany, to go back to her roots and make peace with her past. She will learn how to love herself and build a life and family. It’s a journey about going back home, both the place and also discovering home within her inner self. The human relationships and importance of family are really the core of the story and the frame is Tuscany, the most beautiful place on earth.
What can you share with us about your other upcoming projects and plans?
I’m working to return to the stage in 'Hedda Gabler', rewritten and adapted by Patrick Marber. I’m super excited about this. We are still building the production, but I am ecstatic that Patrick is on board to direct me. This is really my next labor of love.
I am developing another two shows that are in very early stages. I love getting to do that, being able to still audition while being creative and try to see if some of these other seeds that I plant can grow into a tree. Being proactive and trying to build projects that come out of your imagination is very liberating and vibrant, it energizes me. I’ll continue to be creative in that sense, but I really am looking forward to going back to the stage. I really miss the theatre and am looking forward to it. And obviously, a season 2 of 'Those About to Die' would be my priority.
TEAM CREDITS:
talent GABRIELLA PESSION
photography GIANMARCO CHIEREGATO
interview JANA LETONJA