My parents divorced when I was very little which
caused me a lot of emotional pain. I grew up with a sense of incompleteness that
I never knew how to fill. This made me pretty shy and insecure. I soon
developed a love for animals which made me want to become a veterinarian.
Instead, I followed my father’s wishes and made him happy by studying and
graduating with a Masters in Visual Arts. In the end, this path turned out to
be very useful. When I was 13 I used to play with cameras
and I was making little documentaries and stories about animals and nature. It
was only at 22 after the studies that I took an acting seminary in Rome based
on Stanislavsky work that I realized acting was a real need in my life. That was the therapy that was going to heal me,
that was going to be the space where my feelings and my fears could be free and
serve a purpose. That was enough. I’m so grateful for this journey that has
allowed me to overcome the challenges I encountered earlier in life.
2.
How do you handle working within a large team?
I am a big believer that with team-work you can expand your knowledge
and make something good into something great. When I watch a movie I think
about every single figure who worked in the project and I value everyone’s role
in it. A movie is like a song. The people who make that happen are the notes of
that song.
3.
What type of role you like to perform the most?
Every role can give you something great to take with you for life. Is a
role is greatly written, small or big, it will give me an unforgettable journey
that I will take with me forever. I like introspective and challenging roles,
because it allows me to go to places I normally would protect and hide from
everyday life, like most people probably would do.
4.
How long have you been an actor? From where did you get started?
I started TV hosting and acting at 22, after the studies and
5.
Are you working on any current projects?
Yes, I am writing a story based on a true fact. I have been working on
it on and off due to the fact that is a very painful story and sometimes I had
to put it aside. I am looking forward to see it finished, I hope in the New
Year.
I am also working on a story that will support the horse rescue, it’s a
beautiful love story that will melt your heart.
6.
What are your strong points as an actor?
I think is the vulnerability. Truthfulness and honesty come with it.
7.
What have you learned from your senior actors?
Everything I know comes from watching and absorbing from great work.
When I work on a character it becomes a lifetime learning and everything I
learned from my mentors, co workers and teachers I will always keep it in my
work but also in my personal life. I have enormous respect for all the ones who
have contributed to who I am today beside my family, such as Martin Landau,
Penny Allen, Lou Antonio, Beatrice Bracco, Micheal Margotta, James Di Stefano,
Salome Jens, Allan Miller and other incredible generous talents.
8. What
are your educational qualifications?
I graduated with master in Visual Arts and History of Art; I have other
certifications in art that I personally wanted to get while acting was my
priority. I feel you can’t never learn enough and the more experiences you have
and the more rich range you can have as an actor.
9. What
are your hobbies?
My hobbies are many, acting is my biggest passion that I can’t live
without, and activism and philanthropy are also things I do everytime is
possible. I would like to use my voice for important causes, I volunteer for
animals and horse rescue.
10. Tell
us more about the charities you support?
I support horse rescue with Angels and heaven Horse Rescue and Ranch,
Dogs Without Borders, WWF, I grew up with animals and I love animals so much.
But I also support the amazing organization called Face Forward against
domestic abuse. I love women and I want to be helpful for those who need voice
out there, I strongly believe that any help can make a huge difference. I
support I hope that the project I am working on will support these causes even
more.
Born and raised in northern Italy, Carlotta Montanari discovered her passion for acting at an early age. She studied and graduated with a Master of Visual Arts from the Federico Fellini’s Institute in Riccione where she also studied journalism and communication sciences. Carlotta’s professional ambitions inspired her to move to Rome to study theatre full time and began working as a television host. That first media job propelled her into an on-camera career hosting several live TV shows, which enabled Carlotta to transition seamlessly into acting in commercials and films. Driven by an aspiration to work with the masters of the acting craft, Carlotta Montanari moved to Los Angeles where she landed her first American acting role. In addition to her commitment to the arts, Carlotta Montanari has a deep love and appreciation for animals. Carlotta Montanari began riding horses at the age of 5 and originally wanted to become a veterinarian or a professional horseback rider. She currently volunteers at dog and horse rescues in Southern California.
How did you become an actor
My journey is more precious to me than the actual outcome. My parents divorced when I was very little which caused me a lot of emotional pain. I grew up with a sense of incompleteness that I never knew how to fill. This made me pretty shy and insecure. I soon developed a love for animals which made me want to become a veterinarian. Instead, I followed my father’s wishes and made him happy by studying and graduating with a Masters in Visual Arts. In the end, this path turned out to be very useful. From a young age, I had an intense attraction to the big screen and dancing. Shortly after my graduation, I was invited to a Stanislavsky acting seminary in Rome. It took me some time to save enough money to afford that intensive seminary. I wasn’t even really sure why I was there, all I know is that as soon as I put a foot on the stage to play my first scene ever I felt like that was home. That was the therapy that was going to heal me, that was going to be the space where my feelings and my fears could be free and serve a purpose. That was enough. I’m so grateful for this journey that has allowed me to overcome the challenges I encountered earlier in life.
Carlotta Montanari in The Mason Bothers |
What acting technique do you use
There is so much to learn and know and as I believe techniques are important tools to better reach the range of emotions and the intentions you need, I also believe that the best use for acting techniques is to find ultimately your own style, your own best way. Whatever works best for you, it’s the right way. The closest to me is the Method and Meisner’s teachings are brilliant because is the most truthful acting I have ever seen, and whatever names you can attribute to acting techniques in the end the most truthful one is the one where you don’t “act” but you “live”.
How do you prepare for a role
Depending how demanding the role is, I prepare a lot internally, trying to get as close as possible to the way my character thinks and acts in life and why he or she does and says what is written in the script. And then there is the music which is fundamental for my preparation. It’s the tool I use to make my body and mind creativity open to anything.
Carlotta Montanari on the set of The Mason Brothers |
How did you get connected with writer director Keith Sutliff
In the simplest way! My long-time agency sent me to audition for this role. I got the script once I arrived and I immediately loved “Allena’s” personality.
In the simplest way! My long-time agency sent me to audition for this role. I got the script once I arrived and I immediately loved “Allena’s” personality.
Tell us about your experience on the set of The Mason Brothers
The fact that this was Keith’s first feature film, one of the things I appreciated the most on the set was that I had the creative freedom to express a strong passion the whole time. The intense effort that everyone put into making this movie was amazing. Working with a young director with less experience is always a double edged sword, because you don’t really know his style or his vision until you practically see the movie. It’s a risk that all actors experience sooner or later and for me, this is exciting. It’s thrilling to be involved in such an intense project where everyone is devoted to giving their best performance.
The fact that this was Keith’s first feature film, one of the things I appreciated the most on the set was that I had the creative freedom to express a strong passion the whole time. The intense effort that everyone put into making this movie was amazing. Working with a young director with less experience is always a double edged sword, because you don’t really know his style or his vision until you practically see the movie. It’s a risk that all actors experience sooner or later and for me, this is exciting. It’s thrilling to be involved in such an intense project where everyone is devoted to giving their best performance.
How would you describe the movie
None of the cast has seen the movie yet; this was the director’s choice to have everyone see it at the premiere. But I can tell that this movie has a nice kick of action and the story is very interesting and unfolds with unexpected surprises all along. I look forward to seeing what effect this movie will have on the cast members and the audience. I’m really looking forward to the red-carpet premiere on April 11, 2017 at Hollywood’s Egyptian Theater. The theatrical release begins in Los Angeles on April 14th.
Tell us about your character Allena
Allena is an assistant and love interest of one of Los Angeles’ most notorious wealthy crime bosses and shot caller, “Frederick”. Allena assists Frederick with organizing deals with smaller gangs and other crime bosses of Los Angeles. She is a confident woman who won’t take no for an answer to help Fredrick complete his deal with the Mason Brothers.
Carlotta on THE RIFT |
What traits do you share with her
I would say the fact that Allena doesn’t take no for an answer is already an aspect we definitely have in common, but she’s also is a fighter and she is strong and puts herself in the game. I like that she does it with a determination driven by the strong desire to do things right and be helpful and make a difference.
What are some of the ‘Behind the Scenes’ scoops you can share
The film was shot in only 12 days and everything was well organized and always on time, which is a pretty amazing feat! We all worked the graveyard shift since almost every scene (except for two) was shot at night from 6:45 pm to 6.45 am. Who says that acting isn’t hard?
Carlotta Montanari in Americana by Howard Wise |
Briefly tell us about your career
I’m very excited about some new projects I am working on. For now I can just say that I feel I am in the most interesting part of my career where things are starting to connect and I can truly measure myself and start playing my dream roles which involve the most challenging and raw characters of my career. I am very grateful and definitely had a lot of fun working on my last few jobs, Being American with Christopher McDonald and Sienna Guillory; Parenthood; Rome; and Trash. I worked very hard to earn the privilege to be part of the family of The Actors Studio and I feel truly blessed to have Mr. Martin Landau as director and to be working with the most genius acting mentors of all time. In addition to acting, I enjoy doing voiceover work, which includes The Vatican by Ridley Scott, Early Lingo- a super fun children’s audio book, Assassin’s Creed, Soul Surfer, The Malice of Fortune and a few others.
What actors would you love to work with
The list is too long! There are so many incredible actors I admire and I would be honored to share a set with. To name just a few: Meryl Streep, Sofia Loren, Johnny Depp, Al Pacino, Denzel Washington, Julia Roberts, Diane Keaton. And how about working with Bryan Cranston? I wished I were Jesse Pinkman in Breaking Bad!
Khaneye Bi Saghf-Home Without Roof |
What advice would you give to aspiring actors
I hope I will get to a point one day where I can give absolute advice. But for now, I can share my point of view! No matter what happens in your life, or what people say, try to feel your most deep instinct and trust the fact that until you have fire and passion for whatever you want to do, you must keep trying to follow your dreams, because this is what life is about. Luck is involved too, but I would say: fight for those dreams, work hard, be prepared for when the opportunity comes. If you believe it and work with faith, it all will come to you. Be nice to people, don’t have attitude because it takes you backward and it paralyzes the creativity that feeds your soul. We always learn and grow and we never “arrive” at the finish line, but rather just go through various stages of this wonderful journey.
Interview with Carlotta Montanari
Carlotta Montanari
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