written by Andrea Giostra

translated by Silvia Bottini

May 6, 2016

(Contacts and picture T.N.)

“Il Profumo della Dolce Vita” meets Silvia Bottini, Theatre and Movie actress, beautiful and talented, who decided to leave Italy and her successful life, to follow her American dream.

She attended one of the best acting school of Italy ‘Scuola di Teatro Alessandra Galante Garrone’ and she went on improving her great skills studying with huge masters such as Michael Margotta (Actor’s Studio member T.N.); Doris Hicks (Susan Batson’s pupil T.N.); Cesar Brie; David Strasberg at the Lee Strasberg’s Theatre and Film Institute in L.A.; Elena Bucci; Thomas Richards the heir of Grotowski’s Workcenter of Pontedera (UNESCO heritage, T.N.); Spiro Scimone and Francesco Sframeli; Juri Ferrini; Vittorio Franceschi; Susanna Marcomeni; Patricio Lolly; Kandy Smith; Fabio Mollica; Silvia Traversi; Frigyes Funtek; Pierre Byland, Marcello Bartoli; Kuniaki Ida; just mentioning the most famous teachers who made her getting the high professionality that explains her brilliant career.

She left Italy to follow her American dream in Hollywood, concious of her talent, skills, determination and her charming acting quality.

Welcome at “ilprofumodelladolcevita.com”, we’re glad to have you here and to be able to talk with you. I’m sure we’re having fun as our online journal is young but already appreciated and read by many Artists who work in the Movie business, Theatre, TV, Fashion, Visual Art and entertainment, we can say what’s about beauty.

So, you live in Hollywood, L.A. , but by working in Italy you already got a high level career and an international success. How can you describe your daily life, I mean what do you do that an ordinary woman usually does, such as shopping, walking around?

First of all let me say thanks, it’s a big pleasure to be here with you!

(she smiles!). Even if I’ve been working for fifteen years as a professional actress in Theatre, with some extraordinary directors and I worked on Tv and movie sets, and sold more than 150,000 pictures of me all around the world as a model for the microstock market, even if I studied a lot and then taught, and travelled all the time; even if I can tell this is my job and I’m perfectly able to do it, your intro is totally flattering me!

I’m mostly the girl who goes shopping, walking…doing normal things. I’m not a normal person in none of the meanings of this word, but definitely my life looks more like an Arena than a Turris Eburnea( Ivory tower, latin, for ideal place T.N.) where you kindly placed me. I mean that my job is pretty hard, competitive and ruthless.

But it also needs to make people dreaming!

So my answer is: I love to drive fast, with high music; I’m addicted of movie theatre and painting expositions; I love: ice skating, wild shopping sales, parfumes, woods, poetry…

We can say you love life! This is what I got about you! I didn’t exagerate, I didn’t place you on a Turris Eburnea, as you said. You’re modest, but also ambitious, and most of all your merits are clear to everybody! I don’t make a habit of paying compliments, but you deserve it! You are a very talented artist and I see it even watching your videos and movies on Youtube, or looking to your website!

Then let me compliment to you about your good job!

On the home page of your website there is a beautiful poem by Silvio Raffo:

Not reality, Art is my only

will. I’m the actor

of my life and to play it

I turn my face into a mask.

The fiction, partly friend of the truth,

feed me and delight me by itself, while

living is an illusion who wearies me. (literal translation T.N.)

Do you think the reality is art beacause the real life isn’t good enough to be lived? How do you live as an artist?

Silvio Raffo (I call him Professor) dedicated this poem to me for a reason… I was a teenager when acting was the only relief in a universe that couldn’t understand me. I was at the last year of the high school, when teachers thought I was stupid and nobody liked me, then we had a school play, it was “A Midsummer’s night Dream” by Shakespeare and I was Helena. At the end of the show teachers came to congratulate to me for my incredible job, they were so surprised to confirm what I thought. They seemed to say: “How is it possible that a stupid person could have such a talent?!”. Since then they used to call me The Actress, and they smiled at me.

Given that Creation is the biggest emotion that anybody could ever feel, to the Artist it is also a salvation, the natural way he could finally express himself. It’s not a rule, but usually artists are different, it’s not easy to express themselves in a common way.

Living the real life needs a big effort, but I think that’s what we need to learn.

People say I’m strange… or mad…or, even worse, that I pretend to be strange, so for a long time my only desire has been to be normal, to have a normal life!

A lot of choices I made were affected by the need to demonstrate that my job was a real, a normal job, it was like I need a permission to do what I wanted. Actors often have this problem and when we are jobless we feel sad. Sometimes when we get a job we are sad anyway, because acting is more like a call, our work tools are the emotions, the muscles, our memories, so that it’s not that easy just to work, to get along with your boss when you don’t feel connected with or you don’t like him.

For example few years ago something happened to me when I realized that my acting teacher first and a director then, didn’t care about what I was doing. It was the first time I did’t feel listened or seen even if I was acting. They hurt me, and since that I started to protect me, I was doing just the bare minimum, so I was a mediocre actress, and very few things made me so sad as when I lost my self-esteem.

It happened because you were young. A lot of young peolpe lose themselves even if they have a big talent. But now we can say that you did it! You felt down, but you get back up, and stronger, to go further with more conciousness about your skills!

From Raffo’s poem we get how deep is your passion. When did you realize that you wanted to be an artist?

Let me say thanks for your big encouragement!

I found what I wanted to be out when I was 13, at my first acting class. But I decided it just when I was old enough to get a job.

This passion brought you so far… when did you understand that you were talented enough to be an actress?

When somebody told me, peolpe thought that I was good. They confirmed what I felt. But this is not the end of the story. You need to chose it moment by moment, again and again, with courage and determination.

When did you start to be a professional, I mean the true beginning of your acting career?

I can’t remember exactly the date, I was already working with Max Cavallari ( a famous stand-up comedy actor, part of the duo ‘I Fichi D’India’ T.N.), but the one I really consider my first acting job (rehearsals paid, made-to-measure costumes, big tours…) was the one that I get from TDA Teatro dell’Arcobaleno of Varese, when Silvia Donadoni assigned me the Award for the best actress, during a young acting competition, then I attended an audition with her and I got the role of Agnes in “Ecole des Femmes” by Moliere.

The premiere was in Treviso, I was twenty years old and it was the happiest day of my life!

Unfortunately Silvia’s gone. But those years that I spent working with her and TDA are still some of the happiest of mine.

Silvia you get over many difficulties and through stories we get your strenght and determination, but we also know that being talented is not enough to be an actor. You attended important schools such as “Scuola di Teatro di Alessandra Galante Garrone” in Bologna and “The Lee Strasberg’s Theatre and Film Institute” in L.A.

What can you tell us about your learning experience?

My learning experience is still ongoing: it’s impossible to stop.

At Strasberg’s I started my ‘Method’ journey. then I met Doris Hicks, such a marvellous coach, and Michael Margotta, a magnificent teacher, and then Scimone e Sframeli, Thomas Richards, la Bucci, Cesar Brie.

You’re right: talent is not enough, you need hard work. Nowadays

we mostly believe in super heroes and super powers, but if you don’t work hard you’re not going anywhere.

It’s ok to meet professional teachers, but I think that sometimes workshops are just useful to our insecurity, while at a certain point you do not need more informations, you just need a good daily training and somebody capable and honest who’s going to be your mirror.

I started working before of learning, that’s a paradox, but I’ve always been shy and the most difficult thing to me was to be accepted into a professional acting school (in Italy the best professional acting schools get just 10 or 15 people among 300 or more every year or every two years, the selections are very strict, that’s because those schools are istitutional and free T.N.) because I hate to be judged and I’m not competitive. Then when it happened, when I was accepted into an istitutional professional acting school I thought: “ Is that all there is? Those are the best 14 actors among 300 and more candidates? Some people I know have never been accepted and they’re better than them”.

I was much more experienced than my fellas and I thought I was wasting my time. Teachers cared more about the group than the individuals so that to provide waht the group needed, I wasn’t improving. I had a big problem as a self-taught actress I was used to show my work after it was ready, I wasn’t able to make mistakes in front of the others, I censored myself learning less.

My fellas thought I did it on purpose, to be noticed by the teachers, so they started avoiding me. It was really tough. I was always alone, far from home, and what once was giving me happiness now was hurting me. This is exactly the importance of such a good school: you must get over the problem even if you don’t want to. When your a professional nobody cares about your improvement, nobody will come to you saying “you’re wrong! You’d better doing this way!”.

The value of the school I attended is to develope your own perception about what you’re doing, so that you can be good even if you’re working with a bad director. I was lucky I had good teachers and some master.

An artist needs to get through many obstacles, one of those are money. Would you like to tell us what’s your experience?

When I was 19 I attended my first audition to get into an acting school. I passed only the first selection. I was devastated!

But I immediately got a job as a professional actress! With Max dei Fichi D’India and then with TDA, it was a full time job.

I also attended a very famous beauty school in Milan (B.C.M.)and I got a degree as Professional Makeup Artist, so that I also set up a side job. I also started teaching makeup and acting at the Acting School Città di Varese. The I finally got into the prestigious Acting School: Scuola di Teatro di Alessandra Galante Garrone in Bologna, I won a bursary so that it was free.

After I graduated, I attended 3 auditions and I was one of the two selected women among more than 300 by Teatro della Tosse. It was an ETI project that lasted for 3 years, but I had been working there for 5 years. And then I was modelling and making commercials.

I’ve always been working, but non-experts don’t know how lucky you are working in 4 big productions per year!

It’s not an ordinary daily job, but I swear it is a real job!

Actors are almost desperate when they are not working, because of the society’s judgement.

To be honest I had hard time too, and my family was right next to me, to support me.

This is an extraordinary experience, Silvia. Another obstacle to overcome are fake proposal by evil-minded. Did it ever happen to you?

I don’t think so, probably because my choices prevent it.

Anyway I remember something weird, at the very beginning of my career: after my diploma I went to Rome to get an agent; I met very bad people! One of those had been talking for 3 hours about how many sexual abuses happened to young girls like me, when I just ran away! (She smiles)

At first I was confused, then I decided not to stay in Rome. Sometimes a wonder if I made a good choice as Rome is quite important for my business.

Another time, a kind of talent scout wanted me to attend an audition for a big movie, because he would have helped me becoming very successful. So I studied the scene and went to his office. He immediately asked me to improvise with him a new plot, where he was a famous producer and I needed to get his attention at “any cost”. Again I ran away! I told him I could survive without success but not without dignity. At first I thought to have been stupid, wasting a good chance. Then I realize that I was right, and now I’m glad to have been smart and strong enough to refuse his offer.

Yes, you made the right choice for sure. Would you like to tell us about the worse experience it has ever occurred to you?

Oh my goodness, nothing that bad ever happened to me!

Maybe I wouldn’t accept some job that I did if I could go back .

One for example just mortified me and it took a while to understand what was going on. I got a job a substitution at 5 days before of the debut. Rehearsals were 3 hours an a half far from where I lived. I had to study a very difficul sequence of movements from the morning to the late night. Once at home I should have had to study a monologue by myself, but I was always too tired. The premiere came and I wasn’t ready for playing the monologue. I’m a professional I should have refused, but I didn’t. It was terrible, I just wished to disappear, but again, I didn’t.

Later I figure that it wasn’t my fault out, nobody could prepare a monologue that difficult in few hours, it was the director’s.

I’m confident that it helped you to be the professional that you are now and your skills and your good qualities protect you.

Silvia who are your myths?

Paolo Poli, because he was smart, with a huge elegant culture that he spread through his fantasy and lightness. He made me know my favourite poet: Guido Gozzano.

Eimuntas Nekrosius: he’s my artistic twin soul…

James Thierrée: he’s a creator of beauty without words.

Ingmar Bergman: Soul’s reader.

Woody Allen: until he was young, he was perfection of fun!Now he’s just looking for himself

Vivien Leigh: magnificent actress.

Who are the teachers who you could still consider your Masters?

Giovanni Pampiglione who dicover my comic talent; Michael Margotta who’s teaching me the Method with gentleness, patience and perspicacity; Claudio Morganti who revealed the SATORI to me; Valerio Binasco who taught me how simple could be the depth; the lovely Pierre Byland who made me laughing wild while he was teaching me the poetry, the strenght and the beauty of FIASCO; Claudia Busi who explained to me when “There’s Theatre”; Anna Bonomi who made me a big gift as she was the first one who made me playing a role; Silvio Raffo who’s always enchanting my life. And many more…

What’s your next job or project?

Now I’m on stage with the play “Chimera D’Amore” that’s about the relationship between Giudo Gozzano and his muse-lover-friend Amalia Guglielminetti.

I’m teaching drama at Scuola di Teatro città di Varese.

I have three projects in L.A.: two for films and TV and one web series They are waiting for the Visa to get started.

Good job! So the last question is: which is your secret dream?

To win Oscar! Deeply I wish to be an artist able to give something beautiful to the others as Chaplin, Benigni, Monicelli, Fellini did…

Thank you very much Silvia for this beautiful interview!

You already are a successful actress, but we wish you all the best for your future!

Thank you! It has been a deep and nice talk. I wish to coming back soon to “Il Profumo della Dolce Vita”!

For those wishing to learn more about Silvia Bottini, here are some interesting links that the reader may consult::

Silvia Bottini – Official Web-Site:

http://www.silviabottini.com/home/ ;

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Silvia Bottini – slide-show photos by Andrea Giostra:

https://youtu.be/ARzJtfg7SRw ;

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Silvia Bottini – Official Facebook FanPage:

https://www.facebook.com/silvia.bottiniPP/photos_stream?tab=photos_albums ;

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Silvia Bottini – Show reel:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nwKu_d39kzk&list=PL128055F7BEB766ED&index=5 ;

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Silvia Bottini – “The Beginning of a very good summer day” di Alexander Anpilogov:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NFhENACnO4s ;

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Silvia Bottini – “Quelli che ci riprovano” (“Those who tries again”) – CEPU:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YBrc-l1pCK8&index=11&list=PL128055F7BEB766ED ;

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Silvia Bottini – “La Regola del Gioco” (“The Rule of the Game”) – Teatro della Tosse (“Theatre of the Cough”):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P3wzixoZmdk ;

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Silvia Bottini – “Canta Canta Cantastorie” (Sing Sing Storyteller) – Teatro della Tosse (Here you can see the pan of which Silvia spoke in the interview!):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=__BkuaSFMkA ;

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Silvia Bottini – Teatro della Tosse – Candido. Viaggio tragicomico nel migliore dei mondi possibili (“Candido. tragicomic journey into the best of all possible worlds.”):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oLRwMrurXXA ;

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The readers wishing to know Andrea Giostra, the author of the interview, can see his Official Facebook Page:

https://www.facebook.com/AndreaGiostraFilm/ .