The actress talks about three years spent with her family in Los Angeles, returning to Italy and numerous projects in film and television.
Solange Savagnone
August 7, 2023, 08:08 am
The only free moment to feel Gabriella Pession on the phone, it’s in the evening, after he spent the whole day on set (since dawn) and before he flew to Paris for work. Since she returned from the United States, where she lived for three years with her family, the actress seems unstoppable …
Gabriella, how is this “first” summer at home going?
“I am very happy, I divide myself between holidays in Ansedonia and Rome, where I am filming. I found my friends again, even the friends of my son Giulio (9 years, ed.) who vacation in this area of Tuscany. I’m rediscovering the territory, I’m crazy about it. Let’s just say I don’t miss Malibu! Italy is the most beautiful country in the world. We are happy to be here at last.”
Three years abroad is a lot or a little?
“Both things.
The first few months in Los Angeles during the pandemic were long and busy. American culture is so different from ours that we have come to an absurd historical moment. Protests by African-American Black Lives Matter and Capitol Hill activists (In January 2021 in Washington, demonstrators in support of Donald Trump stormed the Capitol, approx.) has happened. Those first months put me to the test. After the first year things got better, I made great friends and adapted to life in Los Angeles, to its slow pace.
Los Angeles is a slow city?
“Very. It’s kind of suspended, there are endless distances, no center. It’s a swamp of houses, and you have to create your center through a network of friends.”
What was his typical day like?
“I accompanied the child to the school bus stop, or my husband and I (Richard Flood, Irish actor, known for Grey’s Anatomy, ed.We took him to school.
After breakfast I did yoga, wrote and drew. Then we went for Giulio, who played tennis every day. I went to bed early and got up at 6. I devoted myself to my personal well-being, I took various courses, I am very curious and studied new age disciplines that amused me. I have changed a little. Los Angeles gets to your heart, even if it is a difficult city. I used to have a house, not an apartment, my son played barefoot in the street. These were wonderful years, I made friends who entered my heart.
Have you also met famous actors?
“I knew several stars. I mostly dated Ellen Pompeostar of Grey’s Anatomy, ed.) because we have children of the same age. Julius played with the daughter of Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt, although I didn’t know them. But they are all at your fingertips, you see them in the restaurant.”
Why did you decide to return to Italy?
“After three years, we said to ourselves: “Either we stay here and Giulio becomes more and more American, or we leave now, when he is still small and has taken root at home.”
We are Europeans, we all have American passports, but I feel deeply Italian even though I was born and raised in the United States.”
Why didn’t you choose Ireland, your husband’s birthplace?
“Because the job market was very small for me. When we started our careers, we chose Italy, even though we often travel abroad, but at least my grandparents are here to help me.”
Do you miss America?
“My friends and the ocean: in the morning, if I woke up in a bad mood, I went for two-hour walks. I miss this dimension. Los Angeles has incredible nature, from the Grand Canyon to the Pacific.”
How is your life in Rome now?
“If I don’t work, I will be a full-time mom. In addition to school and homework, there are tennis tournaments that require commitment because Giulio does pre-competition training. When I work, my mother, mother-in-law and nanny help me, or Richard, if he is.”
He is currently in Rome filming Those About to Die, a series about gladiators with Anthony Hopkins and directed by Roland Emmerich.
A real blockbuster.
“I am Antonia, an aristocratic woman, a political mind in a macho world like ancient Rome. This is a big project, a worldwide release. The dramatic and scenographic system is something that hasn’t been there before, the trailer is just incredible. It’s Game of Thrones style, I’m the only Italian in the cast.”
At the end of August, The Dangerous Comedy with Enrico Brignano will be released in cinemas. It will be a blonde and flighty stewardess. Did she have fun?
“The script, beautiful and well written, helped me figure out how to work on the character. I am a clumsy, cloud-headed woman who lives in her own world. Brignano is a failed hero. I had fun. Enrico is the way you see him on TV. It makes me laugh, even just because of the way he poses. We also talked about children. He’s very sweet and a great professional.”
Dissatisfied, he also writes comedy, eight episodes for Endemol.
What is it about?
“This is a “dramedy”, that is, a story that is not a drama or a comedy, but where you laugh and touch. It tells the story of an unmarried Milanese career whose life is turned upside down by a series of events and she finds her place in a world away from the city. I will be the main character. The topic comes from me, but I work with three very good authors. We will be filming for Paradise in 2024.”
She is truly invincible!
“In fact, Covid taught me to stop. Now I only work on things that make sense to me, my son is the priority. I became selective. Now I can stay put, not before.”