In a society where everyone is almost famous, our fascination with fame and fortune hasn’t waned. For renowned celebrity journalist Nadja Sayej, who has navigated the hedonistic world of celebrities and fame hungry New Yorkers for the last fifteen years, interviewing stars such as Yoko Ono, Paris Hilton, Jean Paul Gaultier and everyone in between, their shine hasn’t faded. While her interviews have enabled Sayej to garner life advice from some of the best in the business, her photography has allowed her to capture their spontaneity. Going by the moniker ‘the paparazzi bitch’, Sayej lends her female gaze to what is typically a predator-prey relationship.
With her latest book Paparazzi Bitch, a catalogue of candid celebrity snapshots, and other pieces in the pipeline, Sayej isn’t shying away from putting her legacy on the map.
Where do you think your interest in celebrity culture stems from?
The fact that I’m not American. American pop culture is global, but celebrity culture from other countries is strictly regional. People in California don’t know about German designer, Harald Glööckler, while people in Stuttgart probably don’t know about Canadian performer, Tate McRae. As a Canadian, I saw all the successful people from my country – Justin Bieber, Jim Carrey, The Weeknd, Drake – leave for the US because Canada doesn’t have the industry to support their talents at home. It made sense to eventually move to NYC after spending nine years in Europe as a foreign correspondent. Why do celebrities make for such interesting subject matter? Why do you think society is still so fascinated by them?
Celebrities are constantly in the limelight, whether we like it or not. They’re aspirational, people want to be like them so they look up to their lifestyles. But there are also the doom scrollers who want to see them fail and love seeing them fall from grace.
Do you have an interview that really stands out to you?
I’ve interviewed over a thousand celebrities spanning the past 15 years as a journalist. I always ask them for their career advice and wisdom to pass onto others. I liked speaking the most with Dominique Jackson, from Pose, who told me to “always be kind” or Jerry Seinfeld on the simple construction of a good joke.
You’ve interviewed a lot of renowned celebrities, are there any running themes or similarities that crop-up throughout those conversations?
I always ask celebrities what advice they have for young artists today. Whether its about perseverance, not giving up or money advice, they always have a slice of wisdom to offer, and they each have something different to say. Christina Ricci told me “don’t take advice from me” while Bill Nye said if you want to change the world, vote.
Do you think that you capture the same emotion and sentiment in your photography as you do in your interviews?
No, interviews and photography are two different things for me. I’ve previously spoken about celebrity photography as capturing a spontaneous moment that isn’t planned or posed. We see so much Photoshopped and Facetuned photography online today, it’s nice to scale it back and take black and white photos of celebrities in action at events that captures the excitement of an IRL moment.
The word ‘paparazzi’ typically has negative connotations, were you trying to reclaim that phrase for your new book, Paparazzi Bitch?
I’m not trying to reclaim anything! I employ paparazzi techniques to capture gala photos as it works well for me. I’m not a paparazzi, but I love doing spontaneous street style photography. I always introduce myself as the “paparazzi bitch” when I enter a venue, event, nightlife, a party or red carpet because I have a huge flash that draws a lot of attention. New Yorkers are especially needy when requesting photos of themselves be sent to them, they’re desperate for attention and everyone wants to be famous. If I photograph someone at 11 pm one night, I can guarantee you I’ll get a DM at 7 am asking “where are the photos you took of me? Can you send them to me right now?” This is why I photograph celebrities and not regular people because celebrities are photographed all the time so they care less where the photos go.
What does the female gaze mean to you? What does male led photography often overlook?
Men treat photography as a predator and prey relationship, while women photographers treat it like a sisterhood. I wrote about this extensively in my book, Red Carpet Ho. Men also have a way of treating female photographers on the red carpet. That’s why I wrote Red Carpet Ho, which is a companion book to Paparazzi Bitch that explains the stories behind the celebrity photos I’ve taken. Since we live in a visually driven culture, thanks to social media, people don’t know how to read books anymore, which is why Paparazzi Bitch is a photo book with no words. You’re supposed to piece the meaning together on your own, like any good artwork requires your thought.
In Paparazzi Bitch, you ask the question ‘Why don’t we know about more “great women paparazzi” photographers?’ – what more needs to be done to bring them to the fore?
Women photographers are underpaid and under recognised. For me, celebrity photography stems from fashion photography. The first fashion photographers in the 1960s were known as “bad boys” in the industry, like David Bailey, Helmut Newton, Patrick Demarchelier and the like. Now, there’s David LaChapelle, who has a career beyond commercial and editorial photography, and is recognised as an artist. Many women photographers can only dream of having the career that he has, they’re struggling to get recognised or ask for a fair rate. The only women photographers we know are Ellen von Unwerth and Annie Lebowitz.
When it comes to actual paparazzi photography in the school of Ron Galella, there are no acclaimed female names because they don’t fit the bad boy persona. Anytime that I’ve tried to add a Wikipedia page on a female photographer they have been taken down because they’re not “notable enough,” meanwhile mediocre male photographers are getting museum retrospectives across the world. The gender bias is real! My book is to help show women how to step up and stand out with a self-released photo book with a bold name to get your legacy on the map. As Roseanne Barr said, “Nobody gives you power, you just take it.”
What’s next for you? I’m releasing my next photo book called The Art World, featuring over 100 portraits of artists (Marina Abramovic, Jeff Koons, and more). My next photo book Party Zeitgeist: Berlin, 2010-2018 features the roots of my photo work – party photography. I also have a new web TV series in the works, and, of course, I’ll keep interviewing celebrities. I’ll also keep showing up at red carpet galas dressed like a sequin-clad, fun fur cartoon character!
shirt + trousers. Louis Vuitton
shoes. Gina
jewellery. Louis Vuitton + Talent’s Own
shirt + trousers. Louis Vuitton
shoes. Gina
jewellery. Louis Vuitton + Talent’s Own
Credits
An artistic threat across multiple media, Charlotte Colbert is a creative with no bounds. From penning scripts, taking turns behind the camera, and creating worlds with the express purpose of provoking thought, she has always been obsessed with telling stories. But it goes deeper than that, finding her niche within fairy tales, the land of dreaming, and the idea that everything from the computer you type on, to the teacup you drink out of, had to be imagined and brought to fruition by someone’s creative prowess.
The role of the contemporary artist is a tricky one, but Colbert takes on the challenge with gusto. As she speaks with us, she delves deeply into her headspace, giving a glimpse into her own thought process. Themes of feminism, body image, dreams, the subconscious, and our existence permeate her work. Currently, Colbert’s putting her mind to multiple projects (which she prefers), keeping busy with art installations in the UK and soon to be in the US.
With ‘The Big Egg Hunt,’ launching later this month, she joins other artists, transforming the city of London and some of its most iconic landmarks into a large-scale showcase of over 100 egg sculptures. In June, ‘The Coral Collection’ sees Colbert mobilize alongside her contemporaries to bring global awareness to the deterioration of coral reefs. And from the beginning of March this year, the artist has partnered with UN Women UK on an ongoing basis, designing shirts with her iconic eye symbol. It’s going to be a busy year, and she’s only getting started.
In conversation with Schön! Magazine, Charlotte Colbert discusses the inner workings of an artist’s mind, what inspired her to follow this path, her upcoming work, the questions she finds herself asking as an artist and citizen of the world, and so much more.
jewellery. Louis Vuitton + Talent’s Own
opposite
vest + trousers. Moschino
necklace. Louis Vuitton + Talent’s Own
jewellery. Louis Vuitton + Talent’s Own
opposite
vest + trousers. Moschino
necklace. Louis Vuitton + Talent’s Own
Credits
Before we dive too deep, I’d love to ask about when you first fell in love with making art, whether it was writing, sculpting, or directing? Was there a definitive moment to you that sticks out in your memory?
I think I was always obsessed with stories and storytelling, inventing worlds, and putting characters together. Even as a little kid, whether it be with bugs or drawings or that space of trying to make sense of the world. That evolved into this twofold practice. I always wanted to get into film, and I didn’t know anything about it. I thought it was sort of this thing that happened by magic. I could draw, and I did a couple of animations, short animations. Then I thought, “God, I need to learn how to write and tell stories.” So, I did an MA in screenwriting and then started getting work as a writer. When you write, it’s completely bonkers, as you know, as a writer yourself, but you spend all that time sitting down alone with these crazy thoughts.
I’m not very good at sitting down [laughs] I started taking pictures about how it was nuts, you know, to kind of exist in one’s head and how the house became like a sort of prison, but also kind of the landscape where everything is possible. So, the series is called “A Day at Home,” and that got picked up by a gallery. I had this double practice, where on the one hand, I was writing films and pushing the film stuff. Then, on the other hand, I was doing photographs. In the photographs, I was using more and more costumes and props.
The gallery was like, “Oh, can you show those as sculptures in the space?” Then my first short film, a live-action short film, not animation, was funded half by my gallery, and then half by the production company I was writing for. That started this odd double practice.
I was about to ask what it’s like having multiple worlds running through your head?
Oh, my God, I think it’s perfect for anyone with ADHD [laughter]. I think, for the longest time, I was trying to do things, you know, as they should be, one after the other. I realized that I much prefer trying to do everything at the same time. Which is probably not advisable. But that’s such a vibe. Because I mean, anybody with ADHD knows that you’re only really satiated when you’re doing multiple things at the same time.
Just a few years ago, I found it hard to do one thing at a time. I find this system, which I’ve been doing for the last couple of years, more beneficial to my way of thinking. But you know, God knows how long that will last; it works for the moment.
full look. Loewe
full look. Loewe
Credits
Your work touches on dreams, female sexuality, identity, and so much more. There are so many layers. Why is it important to you to highlight these themes? What questions do you find yourself asking? What answers are you looking for when you’re creating?
That’s so interesting. When I find myself being confused by something or not having an answer to something, that sort of takes me down a rabbit hole. I’m interested in stories, and I guess the stories we tell ourselves culturally and historically, in terms of evolution, and identity; the fairy tales, the stories we tell our children, and how that kind of evolves. So, I guess a lot of the stuff I seem to keep coming back to is these notions of identity, and how we become individuals, but societies, and how we evolve to that stage. I did a whole series on Terence McKenna’s missing link, this idea that we sort of ate our way to consciousness. There’s this whole theory that the missing link was the moment where humans discovered magic mushrooms and ate these magic mushrooms, which opened their minds away from utilitarian thinking, from just survival to stuff that doesn’t have an immediate necessity. Stuff like belief in something bigger than us, religion starts emerging, and magic, and all these kinds of things are useless to our survival, but nevertheless, make us human. This idea of becoming more in ways than what you’re meant to be. I hear a lot now, “Oh, it’s human nature, it’s human nature.” Isn’t the point that we try and surpass that? Isn’t becoming human something that we strive towards every day?
Sometimes I hear things from alt-right movements, this kind of thing where man eats man that’s the way of the world, that’s what humans are. We’ve tried that for thousands of years, and now we’re trying to surpass the limitations of what our nature tells us to be. We try and create things that transcend that. With the way the world is going right now, I think art and music, and everything creative is even more important, so we don’t forget ourselves. Music is so amazing. I love it so much. I tend to work with a lot of musicians. I just think that they’re just so extraordinary, that talent. Music transcends. I think it’s an inspiration to other artists. It’s all so interconnected, isn’t it? Like music, art, photography, and filmmaking, they all interconnect to make something beautiful.
Can you take me through your creative process from conceptualization to the final product?
It depends on which medium, but often it starts with something a bit subconscious of being perplexed by something, and the theme sort of emerges from that. But a lot of time, obviously, especially in film work, it starts with the script. When I was doing photography, I’d also write a script for the images. With art, I’ve been working with a lot of poetry and spoken word poets as well. I did a collaboration with Hollie McNish, who’s an incredible spoken word poet. We worked around archetypes and symbols, for a show I had called Dreamland Sirens, which had this massive sculpture of an eye and a musicscape that I developed with Isabel Waller-Bridge, who’s a wonderful, wonderful musician.
In terms of inspiration, like what you were touching on earlier, fairy tales, and magic, what draws you to those stories in particular, would you say?
I think it’s Marina Werner, who’s an amazing writer, who said fairy tales are stories in code, that women tell each other from one generation to the next.
Oh, I love that.
(Carl) Jung set up the idea that we all sort of meander in each other’s dreams. There’s something so universal, and so uniting about that. I became obsessed with making beds in galleries. The bed for me is like a portal, it’s the rabbit hole within which you navigate these different worlds. The world of the mind, the world of the unconscious, and then the sort of accepted world of our everyday.
It’s giving ‘Alice in Wonderland.’
‘Alice in Wonderland’ is such an extraordinary story. Every story is an ‘Alice in Wonderland’ story, with falling in the rabbit hole, experiencing something and then coming out changed. It’s a brilliant story, it questions all of our sense of reality by turning it upside down and making it really comedic and absurd, so that we remember that everything is just a convention.
full look. Loewe
opposite
jacket. Michael Kors
shirt + trousers. Moschino
shoes. Manolo Blahnik
necklace. Charlotte Colbert
full look. Loewe
opposite
jacket. Michael Kors
shirt + trousers. Moschino
shoes. Manolo Blahnik
necklace. Charlotte Colbert
Credits
You mentioned in the past that the eye symbol, which is prominent across your art, represents the power of imagination and the ability to come together and visualize utopias. What does a utopia look like to you in your world?
I became obsessed with the fact that the visionaries of our society today, the kind of big tech entrepreneurs, guys who are creating the reality that we live in, are kind of geeky. They grew up as geeky kids, and they were reading science fiction books and comic books and stuff like that. And these science fiction books influenced them to the point that they ended up creating the aesthetics of those dystopias. Even if you look at the driverless car, as I hear it’s a very 80s idea, it’s very dated. We can probably do better than this.
The idea of utopias is as dangerous as dystopias, because they’re static. It’s more this feeling that we’re in a war of images, where big corporations are pushing an aesthetic idea of what the future looks like. I guess we believe it is what the future looks like, without remembering that we, in a grassroots way, have the potential to impact and reimagine what it looks like. The shape of our buildings, the crockery we use, the shoes we wear, it’s all been imagined. What we imagine today becomes tomorrow’s reality. In some ways, it’s remembering that the power of imagination is something everyone has.
It’s true because it’s so easy to slip into the societal norm of doing your job, going home, and being stuck in that loop with no creativity in between. There’s so much power in imagining and creating worlds, but they want us stuck while they dictate the future. I think what’s happening, especially as AI is becoming more prominent across artistic fields, is a rebellious uprising from creators of all kinds.
Yes, exactly. I think there is huge imagination in everything, the clothes you pick, everything is an act of rebellion in a way. There’s such a wonderful power in grassroots movements and in communicating. I feel like one of the most radical things we can do at the moment is talk to everyone. Talk to strangers constantly. Because we’re not supposed to.
As we should. That’s how we learn, right? That’s how you evolve. Why do you think art is so important, especially now? What continues to motivate you to create?
You said it way better than I could say it. I guess, the importance of leaving a trace and making a mark. I think children are the best artists. People often say, “Oh, I’m not an artist or whatever.” It seems mad to me because everyone is unbelievably creatively driven, but in different ways, you know, mathematics or whatever the domain, I think there’s such a scope of reinvention and wonder and playfulness.
It’s something that you can lose over time as an adult. There’s less playfulness when reality hits, I think you have to try to hold on to it.
Yeah, exactly. It’s holding on to the possibility that things could be different. The train doesn’t have to be grey. There’s something in that.
full look. Loewe
full look. Loewe
Credits
One of my favourite things you said during a sit-down interview at the studio is that there isn’t anything else in human society other than what is imagined. That kind of blew my mind. When did you come upon that idea?
We live in structures that are imagined because we are creatures of language, and language is just a convention between a convention of sounds. This computer’s been imagined, our justice system has been imagined, my children have been imagined, everything that we live in, and we sort of amble within has been imagined by something or someone before. That means that we live in imagined structures, and what we imagine becomes solid in some ways. I think if you can remember that a teacup could be a different shape, then you also remember that your government can.
I love that. It’s almost like free will is a thing, and we can change the norms, if we want to.
Doubt is always wonderful. This idea you can always question the things around you. It’s questioning that’s so important, it’s important, and it’s empowering as well.
On IMDb, there are three upcoming titles on your page, under the director category. There’s ‘Beast of England,’ ‘Butterfly Lion,’ and ‘When Animals Dream.’ ‘When Animals Dream’ is currently in pre-production. Can you tell us anything about that project?
IMDb is not always accurate [laughter]. So, we are in soft prep on something, but it’s not ‘When Animals Dream.’ I’ll have to update you. Do you ever come to London? You’ll have to come for tea.
I’ll be there in May!
Well, pop by the studio when you’re here.
shirt + trousers. Louis Vuitton
shoes. Gina
jewellery. Louis Vuitton + Talent’s Own
opposite
shirt. Louis Vuitton
jewellery. Louis Vuitton + Talent’s Own
shirt + trousers. Louis Vuitton
shoes. Gina
jewellery. Louis Vuitton + Talent’s Own
opposite
shirt. Louis Vuitton
jewellery. Louis Vuitton + Talent’s Own
Credits
I definitely will. Can you give us a tease about any upcoming projects?
So, there’s the ‘Big Egg Hunt,’ the ‘Coral Collection,’ and ‘Chasing Rainbows.’ I’m doing a collaboration which is opening soon here in London. I think it’ll be on when you’re here. It’s at Battersea Power Station. I’m putting two massive sculptures there and doing a big collaboration with sort of an activation with the space. It’s in an amazing old industrial building that’s along the river.
Then a couple of projects in the US. So, I’ve got a big public sculpture going up in Dallas. It should be up around September, but there might be some delays with putting it together. I’m working with UN Women, who are amazing, and they do the most incredible work. I collaborated on a range of t-shirts. I’m going to do some other stuff with them, which I will announce a bit later in the year. These guys, they’re doing such amazing work and they’re very stretched.
I did a collaboration with this very, very sweet 100% community-owned football team. They’re the first to pay their female and male players the same and give them access to the same sort of training and all that stuff. I found out that Reese Witherspoon’s company bought the rights to their story, which is so interesting. I hadn’t realized. Anyway, I did their whole kit. And then we did a song, a little anthem with a wonderful singer friend of mine called Kate Nash. If you don’t know her stuff, you should check her out. She’s amazing. She was recently very much in the public eye again, because she was denouncing the music industry for not supporting young artists. And she did Butts for Buses. It was so funny. She had an OnlyFans account, and she was making more money from the OnlyFans account than her you. She then was doing this campaign where she basically was able to pay her crew properly by selling these images on only OnlyFans, which is hilarious. That raised a lot of awareness as to the fact that the music industry isn’t struggling, but she’ll know more about that than me. She’s brilliant. We made an anthem and a video and stuff for the girls of the Lewis football team, it was very cute, it was quite girl power. It’s so sweet because the young girls in the audience run off to get their little autographs from the female players, who are incredible, it’s just amazing.
Honestly, more of that, please. We need more of that. My last question, looking back on how far you’ve come as a creative, what is something you’ve learned about yourself and your process? What is a piece of advice you’d impart on somebody who is struggling to create right now?
I think the piece of advice that I have, I give myself, and I need to follow more as well, is don’t take no for an answer. It’s really difficult because we’re so trained. I think women are used to not challenging that. But I think it’s so important to try and remember that. Don’t take no for an answer.
shirt + trousers. Louis Vuitton
shoes. Gina
jewellery. Louis Vuitton + Talent’s Own
shirt + trousers. Louis Vuitton
shoes. Gina
jewellery. Louis Vuitton + Talent’s Own
In this renewal-inspired editorial, Schön! celebrates transformation, strength, and empowerment. The “shedding skin” motif symbolizes letting go of the old and embracing a bold, unapologetic self within. Photographed by Cengizhan Ergün with videography by Çağla Polat and Burak Bacacı. Creative direction for the editorial is by İrem Derya Kaplan who also styles Eva Varlamova in looks by Burberry, H&M Edition, Sudi Etuz, and others. Hair by stylist Diyar Şekel with make up by Birce Selçik.
full look. Sudi Etuz
shoes. H&M Edition
gloves. Eli Peacock
opposite
full look. Burberry
full look. Sudi Etuz
shoes. H&M Edition
gloves. Eli Peacock
opposite
full look. Burberry
Credits
dress. H&M Edition
leggings. Calzedonia
opposite
full look. Maje
dress. H&M Edition
leggings. Calzedonia
opposite
full look. Maje
Credits
full look. Burberry
opposite
dress. Sudi Etuz
full look. Burberry
opposite
dress. Sudi Etuz
Credits
full look. Sudi Etuz
shoes. H&M Edition
gloves. Eli Peacock
opposite
dress. The Kooples
shoes. COS
full look. Sudi Etuz
shoes. H&M Edition
gloves. Eli Peacock
opposite
dress. The Kooples
shoes. COS
full look. Valentino
opposite
full look. Brioni
shoes. Loro Piana
full look. Valentino
opposite
full look. Brioni
shoes. Loro Piana
Credits
“Sometimes life doesn’t choose you, a role chooses you.” For Emanuela Postacchini, acting is more than just playing a character in front of the camera. Her journey, which began in a small town in the Marche region of Italy, now puts her in the same frame with giants like Jennifer Coolidge and Bill Murray. Her role as Marina in ‘Riff Raff’, which had its world premiere at the Toronto Film Festival, reveals both her vulnerability and her creative power.
‘Riff Raff’ made its worldwide premiere at TIFF to great buzz. What drew you to this project, and what was it like stepping into this gritty crime world alongside such a legendary ensemble cast? It feels like the kind of film that doesn’t come around often.
Absolutely—it really doesn’t. As you said, opportunities like this don’t come by very often. To be part of a film with so many legendary actors—people I grew up watching—was surreal. I remember showing up on set and just thinking, “Wow, they’re all really here.” When I first received the script, I loved it. I had never read anything quite like it in my entire career. I was already familiar with the screenwriter, John Pollono—I’m a big fan of his work. ‘Small Engine Repair’ was brilliant. The script for ‘Riff Raff’ was such a compelling blend of comedy and darkness, with these really raw and complex family dynamics running throughout.
What especially stood out to me was the relationship between DJ and Louis Coleman—there’s such emotional depth there. That father-son dynamic plays out in multiple layers and scenarios, and it was fascinating to explore. Also, Marina being pregnant drew me in—I had never played a pregnant character before. I thought it would be interesting to explore that physically and emotionally. I wanted to learn how a pregnant woman sits, walks, eats—just how she navigates the everyday. I talked to friends who had been pregnant to understand those nuances. And of course, the cast! Jennifer Coolidge was already attached, and I immediately thought, “Yes, this role was written for her.” No one else could’ve played Ruth the way she did. She brought that character to life in such a unique, hilarious way. Ed Harris was also part of the cast, and Bill Murray joined later. At the time of my audition, he wasn’t attached yet. But even being considered for a role in such a stacked ensemble felt like a dream come true. It was one of those rare opportunities.
Speaking of Marina being pregnant, what was it like navigating that, especially while acting alongside big personalities like Jennifer Coolidge and Bill Murray? What’s one memorable moment that really stayed with you from the set?
I absolutely adore Bill Murray. He’s such a gentleman, incredibly gracious, and really embraces everyone—even newer actors like myself. He pushes you to bring your A-game in the most supportive way. He’s humble and hardworking, and I had an amazing experience working with him. One moment that always makes me smile—we used to sit on the couch during breaks and flip through fashion magazines together, just chatting about trends. I would’ve never imagined that one day I’d be sitting on a movie set, commenting on fashion with Bill Murray! I think I even have a photo of that moment somewhere—it was hilarious and unforgettable.
Jennifer is also just… Jennifer. So authentic, so uniquely herself. I always say she reminds me of Marilyn Monroe—not in a direct comparison, but in that she has this rare charisma mixed with a kind of innocence and genuineness. She’s incomparable. And we share a deep love for pizza. We even promised each other we’d go on a pizza marathon one day. I hope we still do that!
full look. Ferragamo
opposite
jacket. Institution
full look. Ferragamo
opposite
jacket. Institution
Credits
From ‘The Alienist’ to ‘Riff Raff’, your roles span thrillers, satire, drama, and now crime-comedy. How do you approach choosing such diverse characters? Your choices reflect both range and boldness.
Honestly, I feel like the roles choose you as much as you choose them. Sometimes, something just clicks when you read a script, and that’s the beauty of acting—you get to live so many different lives you wouldn’t experience otherwise. Each role comes with its own color palette, emotions, and energy. The approach always depends on what the script makes me feel and what I believe I can bring to that character—or what that character might bring out in me. Sometime,s you connect deeply, sometimes, it challenges you in a completely new way. Ultimately, I think it’s a dance—part instinct, part preparation, part surrender.
You were born in Italy and now work extensively in the U.S. Has your cultural background influenced how you approach your characters? There’s a certain emotional sensitivity in your performances.
Definitely. Being Italian, there’s a natural passion I bring into everything I do. We’re very expressive, emotional people—we love deeply, argue loudly, and live fully. Interestingly, I’ve often been asked to audition for French roles. In fact, Marina was originally written as a French woman. I even did the first audition in a French accent! But when the director found out I was Italian, he said, “Wait—you’re Italian? Play her as Italian.” And that changed everything. I brought in that big-hearted, family-loving energy. Even little details—like how Marina cooks breakfast while having this sweet moment with DJ—I think those gestures felt very Italian. That cultural texture added something special to the role, and I was really proud to be able to bring that to the screen.
Which city are you from in Italy?
I’m from a small town called Sant’Elpidio a Mare, in the Marche region, on the east coast of Italy. It’s where my family still lives, and I go back every chance I get—especially for holidays. It’s home.
You’ve worked with filmmakers like Sacha Baron Cohen, Roman Coppola, and now Dito Montiel. Does your acting process change depending on the director?
Absolutely. Every director brings something different. Some are very specific and detail-oriented—they’ll tell you exactly what they want and how to get there. Dito, on the other hand, was incredibly trusting. He gave me space to explore, to bring my own ideas into Marina’s character. He wouldn’t say “do this.” Instead, he’d ask questions, lead me into discovering choices on my own. That’s so empowering as an actor. Even though we shot the film quickly, Dito made the process feel fluid and natural. When a director trusts your instincts, it opens up your performance in a completely different way.
You’ve had breakout roles—like in ‘The Alienist’—that introduced you to international audiences. What’s been your most creatively fulfilling role to date?
Definitely Marina in ‘Riff Raff’. Also, working on Who Is America? with Sacha Baron Cohen was incredible because it’s such a rare experience to do satire at that level. But Marina will always have a special place in my heart. It was my first leading role in the U.S., with a dream cast. Coming from a small Italian town, I never imagined I’d get that far—and working alongside actors I grew up admiring was deeply meaningful. When I read the script, I immediately saw Marina. I pictured her with red nail polish, baby bangs, wearing oversized cardigans—this mix of edgy and sweet. I even cut my own bangs to get into character! It was love at first sight.
full look. Mom’s Pants
opposite
full look. Loro Piana
skirt as belt. N21
full look. Mom’s Pants
opposite
full look. Loro Piana
skirt as belt. N21
Credits
And you’re acting in a language that isn’t your mother tongue. That’s a challenge on its own!
True, but I’ve been in the U.S. for a while now, and English feels natural to me at this point. It still isn’t my native language, but it doesn’t feel like a barrier anymore. Plus, I love playing with accents and characters from different cultures—I speak several languages, so it’s actually really fun for me.
You’ve been part of projects like Who Is America? that blend fiction with social commentary. Are you drawn to stories that challenge norms or provoke thought?
Yes, definitely. With Sacha Baron Cohen, for example, that kind of satire is unmatched—he’s a genius. Those kinds of projects don’t come along often. I believe that film and TV can—and should—reflect what’s happening in the world. Art can be a powerful way to give voice to what we’re all experiencing. I’m currently working on a vampire film with Alexandra Casavettes, which I’m also executive producing. It’s got a strong social commentary on the last few years, and I’m excited to see how audiences respond.
You’ve worked with legends like Liam Neeson and Ed Harris. What’s the biggest piece of wisdom you’ve picked up from working alongside actors like them?
Humility. No matter how big your career is, you have to keep showing up and doing the work. Bill Murray recently said something during press in New York—he corrected me and said, “Not just humility—false humility.” But the point is, you don’t rest on your laurels. You keep pushing, you keep bringing everything you have to every role.
Looking ahead, are there any stories you’re longing to tell—maybe something deeply personal or unexpected?
Oh, yes! There are so many stories yet to be told. But one thing I’ve been thinking about lately—maybe something comedic, like a cultural clash between Italian and Irish families. My partner is Irish, and the differences in our cultures are hilarious. Italians are so fiery and expressive, we take three-hour lunch breaks, we’re obsessed with food. Meanwhile, that’s totally foreign to other cultures. I think it could be really fun to explore that contrast in a comedy.
Sounds hilarious—and very real! Italians do it better.
