What is the best thing that I love about my work as storyteller?

I am an actress. I began when I was a teenager. I started breathing theatre right when I was born. My father, Michele Perriera, was a stage director, writer and playwright; my mother did the set and costume designs. I’ve never thought of theatre as a career, rather as the air I need to live. I’m an endless lover, and I want to live this love forever. Being on the stage, interpreting different characters is like constantly living and dying. Living in this endless spell. It’s walking in other people’s shoes, too. And so, being able to better understand human nature, and ourselves. Perhaps this is what I love the most about my life choice: the ability and possibility to understand others and myself.

What is my idea of happiness?

When I think about happiness, I think of wonder. I imagine you achieve happiness each time life surprises you by sensing your deepest wishes, and making them true. I believe it is our right to experience this wonder. It’s healthy to share it. A happy person is one who gathers the best fruit to share with others. And so, you sow joy and hope.

What is my greatest fear?

I’m scared of death without memory. I’m scared of indifference. I’m scared I won’t have enough time to feed on this world’s beauty.

What is the trait that I most deplore in myself?

I’m a dreamer and I get carried away by my illusions. This inevitably brings on some hard blows. I hate my blind trust in what people say. But after all, I don’t think I hate it enough. Maybe what I hate more is my childish disappointment in reality. My imagination and the reality of things are constantly fighting. I hate feeling fragile and helpless. And yet, it’s from my helplessness that I get my inner transformations. And I enjoy them on stage, most of all. In short: I hate and love myself, altogether.

Which living persons in my profession do i most admire?

Generally speaking, in my profession, I admire those who don’t give up. Those who take risks, who are always on the look for a form of art. I don’t have idols. I look up to and observe with wonder whoever manages to make their profession into a flywheel for their own dreams, as well as other people’s.

What is my greatest extravagance?

I wouldn’t know if I have one. Choosing a precarious life on stage is, to many, an extravagant thing to do. It isn’t to me. I feel like I exist on stage more than I do in real life. Is it extravagant?

On what occasion would I lie?

I cannot stand lies. The only way I could see myself lying is if I fear that the truth could make someone who’s suffering lose all hope.

What is the thing that I dislike the most in my work?

I dislike what is unfortunately essential: working on those public relations that lead to more chances and job offers. I can’t do that.

When and where was I the happiest, in my work?

When thinking about my career, there’s been many moments of great joy. Certainly, my beginnings, when everything seemed exciting, are among the moments I remember most fondly. However, every time I think I’ve worked well, with a group of people I like, I feel happy.

If I could, what would I change about myself?

Physically, I’d change my height if I could. I’m short and I would’ve loved to be at least 10cm taller. When it comes to me as a person, however, sometimes I wish I were more ambitious and bold.

What is my greatest achievement in work?

I won the Premio Mazzucco di Roma for my interpretation of Rita Atria. And I consider it a personal success that I managed to see my own book, “Il suono del candore”, published by rueBallu. It’s an illustrated book on Antonin Artaud’s life. It’s something that I never thought I could accomplish in my life.

Where would I most like to live?

I chose to keep living in my city, Palermo. I wouldn’t stand to live without my sea and my sun. I know its vices and flaws, but I still love my city. However, if I had to imagine another place in the world to live in, I think I’d choose Paris. It’s always fascinated me. And there, to my knowledge, art and artists are helped, and considered a fundamental part of the country’s culture.

What is my most treasured possession?

My daughter. But that’s not a “thing”. And secondly, my cat. He isn’t a “thing” either. “Things” aren’t important to me.

What is my most marked characteristic?

I’m a passionate dreamer. That is, my dreams fill with absolute rapture every single action of my real life.

What is my most inspirational location, in my city?

The open sea. Mondello is the nearest beach to me. But I live in an island and I’m surrounded by sea. It’s the only place, other than the stage, where I feel at peace with the world and myself. It’s the place where I allow myself to abandon all my fears and pain, where all of my wishes seem to be possible.

What is my favorite place to eat and drink, in my city?

I don’t have any. Eating and drinking out are, to me, a chance to be with friends. Any place is fine when I’m with them.

What books influenced my life and how?

The first adult book I’ve ever read was Anne Frank’s Diary of a Young Girl. She showed me that pain can be transformed. Then came all the playwrights. They supported and deepened my artistic education. Through their works, my dream became a reality on stage. There’s two more books that I felt like they belonged to me: Blindness by Saramago and Be My Knife by Grossmann. With two completely different stories and writing styles, they both revealed two fundamental traits of mine: feeling part of a universe that needs care and a keen eye. Always looking for a way to love that doesn’t hide its pain and dives deep within the self.

You Only Die Once. What music would I listen on my last day?

Is dying really necessary? I’m always being followed by music. I usually pick one that matches my mood. So the soundtrack of my last day on Earth would be a heart-wrenching song such as “Mysteries of love” by Antony and the Johnsons.

Who is my hero or heroine in fiction?

Sophocles’ Antigone. A woman who fights for love and justice, who would rather die than bow down to unjust rulers.

Who are my heroes and heroines in real life?

All those who fight for justice, defend the weak, who don’t only live for success and money, are heroes to me. Our times are based on narcissism and ephemeral vanities. I don’t like the society we live in and therefore I think that, in general, anyone who finds themselves fighting windmills like Don Quixote seems heroic to me.

Which movie would i recommend to see once in a lifetime?

A. G. Iñárritu’s Babel. It moved me and touched me deeply. Iñárritu uses life’s unpredictability as an “excuse” to expose human difficulty (at any level) in accepting distance, and broken bonds. In other words – in fighting solitude.

What role play stories in my life and work?

I love stories. The fictional ones, as well as the real ones. Each of our lives is already a story, one that contains even smaller stories inside of it. Without all the stories we live and tell, life wouldn’t make any sense to me. This goes for my job, too. Thanks to theater and cinema, I’ve had the chance to interpret other people’s stories. Diving into those lives and sharing their spirit, their turmoil.

What do the words ‘You are the storyteller of your own life’ to me?

Life is made of stories, real or fictitious, so being a narrator means being alive. And life has in itself both joy and sorrow. Narrating it means living both of them intensely.

Who is my greatest fan, sponsor, partner in crime?

First of all, I don’t have any sponsors. Nor do I have fans. It’s not that I’m against it, but I’ve never really done anything to gain any. If I think about who believed in me as an actress and made it so that I became the actress I think I am, that was my father. I began with him, with him I learned how to fall and get up again, I was pushed to improve myself, I was supported and at the same time left free to be who I am.

Which people or companies would I like to work with in 2021?

Emma Dante, Roberto Andò, Federico Tiezzi, Lev Dodin, Ferzan Özpetek, A. G. Iñárritu, Cristina Comencini, Mario Martone, Elio Germano, Anna Foglietta, Giovanna Mezzogiorno, Pierfrancesco Favino… too many?

Which people in my profession who can make a real difference in my creative career would i love to meet in 2021?

The people above. Plus Fabio Grassadonia and Antonio Piazza. Two cinema directors with whom I’ve already worked and would work forever with.

What project, in 2021, am I looking forward to work on?

There’s one I care about a lot. But I don’t want to say it just yet. This 2020 has been tragic for theater. In general, I hope theater can come back to life, back to creating, stronger and richer than ever.

Where can you see me or my work in 2021?

You’ll find me on Facebook and Instagram. You’ll also find me on YouTube, where there’s a couple videos about me. You’ll find me in bookshops and on Amazon as well with my book: “Il suono del candore. L’abisso di cristallo di Antonin Artaud”

What do the words “Passion Never Retires” mean to me?

Simply put, that it never dies. As long as I’m alive, at least.

Which creative heroines should Peter invite to tell their story?

Stefania Blandeburgo, actress.

Dora Argento, costume designer.

Silvia Giuffrè, dancer.

Rita Collura, musician.

Nike Pirrone, Freelancer and visual artist

Serena Ganci, singer.

Vanessa Ambrosecchio, writer.

How can you contact me?

Facebook: Giuditta Perriera

Instagram: Giuditta Perriera

Mail: giuditta67perriera@gmail.com

Link YouTube: https://youtu.be/wst9D4Ux3-g