Interview with Beatrice Grannò, The Roman Actress from 'The White Lotus'

"I'm 30. I no longer want to be afraid of moving and breaking something, sometimes things have to break. This has allowed me to be where I am quietly. Now I want to go straight and I will also accept my mistakes." Beatrice Grannò actress of the second season of “The White Lotus”, Mike White's edgy drama TV series which made her known internationally. In the HBO series set in Taormina she is Mia, the escort's controversial friend who seeks affirmation with her musical talent. Before that he acted in “Zero”, “The time of indifference”, “Feel your memories”, “Security” and in “Doc - In your hands”. She composes and sings, plays the piano, the guitar and is passionate about dance. What distinguishes this person is brilliance, kindness and a strong awareness.

L'OFFICIEL:   L'Officiel interviewed Sabrina Impacciatore and Simona Tabasco, with you we close the triptych of the Italian women of "The White Lotus".
BEATRICE GRANNÒ: I saw them! Both were gorgeous. Simona is a sister, we met 10 years ago in the toilets of the Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia, we had bonded during the third admission phase, she had passed, I hadn't and I moved to London for four years working for an absurd comedy theater company close to clowning. Upon my return we found ourselves on the set of “Doc - nelle tue mani” and one day Simona asked me to help her with a self-take for “The White Lotus” - incredible because I had done the same self-take the day before for the role of Mia - so I helped her and we shot these scenes together. It was my perfect role because they were looking for an actress who could play and sing in Italian. I received the call for the part but I decided not to compare myself with Simona, you know among actresses we are very cautious in these situations because you don't know if the other person has also received the part...

LOI: Who took the first step?
BG: I called my agent and he confessed to me unofficially that the director had fallen in love with me and Simona, but I had to keep it a secret. The next day Simona called me, ironically sending me to hell for not having told her anything, we were ecstatic to go to Taormina to work.

LOI: What relationship do you have with fashion?
BG: I'm working with stylist Valeria Marchetti who is educating me on aesthetics that fascinate me. I like to recall an ancient or retro emotion with clothes while remaining in step with time, looks that smell of the past but not so much as to become costumes. I like to show up at occasions with a different energy to show that I know how to wear a certain look. I like Chanel , Valentino , Gucci , I recently went to a vintage shop in Paris and went crazy for timeless dresses and in my opinion they are the pieces you should focus on.

LOI: Who are your reference actresses?
BG: Emma Stone for her versatility, she is capable of singing, acting, writing, making people smile, moving and she opened her own production company together with her husband and director Dave McCary. Among Italians I respect Valeria Bruni Tedeschi, for her powerful artistic interest, I had the opportunity to work with her on the film "The time of indifference" in which I played the role of her daughter. I also like Alba Rohrwacher and Valentina Bellè from my generation, I saw her in the series “The Good Mothers” and she was very good.

LOI: What did being on the set of “The White Lotus” teach you?
BG: It took me back to when I was studying at the academy in London where they taught me that you always have to find a trick to keep the public on your side. Mike White made me understand that on stage you can let yourself go when you have a chance. On a musical level, my coach Este Haim of the American group Haim unblocked me: during live piano performances she told me: “Mia has to flex. You have to be more arrogant and let your voice out." This thing happened and I discovered a new vocality, now I no longer have the need to hide behind a tender voice.

LOI: A funny anecdote?
BG: Maybe I can't tell you some... We stayed in Taormina for 3 months out of season and it is isolated and surreal. After a long time, the Americans with whom we spent the days wanted to go to a city and so we took the cast to Catania. Obviously they were expecting New York, they wanted to eat Mexican and go to a nightclub, in the end we found one, we went there and after 10 minutes we came back because it was hilarious.

LOI: With Simona Tabasco you did the Skims Valentine's Day campaign. How did this collaboration with Kim Kardashian come about?
BG: It was one of the first signs that made us understand the success they were going towards. The campaign promoted diversified femininity, we met Kim, I would describe her as a cloud because she bewitched me with her kindness and sensitivity.

LOI: In your opinion, have the roles given to girls in cinema changed?
BG: I perceive a shift in cinema: in the past women were represented as fragile and with social difficulties, today there is a tendency to represent the tenacious, hard-nosed woman who wants redemption at all costs. There is a wave of pop feminism that I embrace with all my heart, but at the same time it's not all black or white, there are wonderful nuances in between, so in my opinion there should be a space for women who instill powerful messages with grace and sweetness.

LOI: Who are the directors you dream of working with?
BG: Paolo Virzì, Luca Guadagnino, Matteo Rovere have always made me happy with their works. I look a lot at the first films of emerging directors because they have a strong desire to tell pristine and fresh stories.

LOI: A genre you would like to try your hand at?
BG: Magical realism, films with a realistic aesthetic, even indie if we want, but with fantastic elements.

LOI: What is the greatest satisfaction of your job?
BG: I'm lucky that my dreams are coming true, the more I progress the more I understand that we have a compass that directs us on the decisions to make and this is our instinct. Subconsciously I always have been but today it is increasingly clear that in every moment of difficulty it is important to follow your stomach at the cost of learning from your mistakes.

LOI: And your future?
BG: My job is a roller coaster, there will never be a moment of stability in the artistic field. I hope to stay focused without getting lost, to realize myself on an international level and on a musical level.