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.

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.

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.

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.