Gaia Girace. Photo: Courtesy of Salvatore Ferragamo
Italian actress Gaia Girace, known for her work in My Brilliant Friend, is the star of Salvatore Ferragamo’s newest campaign. Shot in Milan under the direction of the award-winning director Wim Wenders, the campaign takes the form of a film within a short film and features the brand’s FW21 collection. Girace plays a director on the fictitious set, alongside Swedish musician, Felix Sandman, who plays a crew member. Titled A Future Together, it tells the story of the ensuing love story between the two, depicted entirely through subtle glances and brief moments. The campaign also adds a th
Gaia Girace. Photo: Courtesy of Salvatore Ferragamo
Here, Girace shares her memories from working on the project, and advice for aspiring young actors.
What is the most memorable moment you had on set while filming the campaign?
As a newcomer myself, I was excited when I found out that I will be working with Wim Wenders, an acclaimed global cinema icon, directing me in this fashion movie A Future Together. Some of his movies are masterpieces of cinematic history and I’m aware that I’ve been given an amazing opportunity. We only spent a few days on set, but I will always have the indelible memory of a silent, thoughtful, highly professional man able to grasp every nuance of the personality and gestures of his actresses and actors.
How did you prepare yourself for the short film?
I simply put myself in the shoes of a young director, taking inspiration from the various directors I met. For the rest, I played the typical girl in love.
What is your favorite piece from Salvatore Ferragamo’s FW21 collection?
I love fashion as I can express and stand out from the rest of the crowd. I don’t like homogenization and I always try to create my own style. I think that clothes reflect a person’s personality and define them, but the opposite is also true: a strong personality brings out the best in what someone’s wearing, and in this, I find a link with Ferragamo fashion, timeless pieces that ooze elegance and style that able to boosts my confidence and look good. I really loved all the leather items and the shorts in particular, as well as the trenches. Colors are amazing: we need color in winter too, to match with white or black.
Salvatore Ferragamo FW21. Photo: Courtesy of Salvatore Ferragamo
What was working with Felix Sandman and Wim Wenders like?
I’m still starting out as an actor. Getting a call from a company like Ferragamo, which represents Italian excellence in the world, was naturally a source of great pride and joy. We only spent a few days on set, but I will always have the indelible memory of Wim Wenders as a silent, thoughtful, highly professional man able to grasp every nuance of the personality and gestures of his actresses and actors.
With Felix was fun. He was pure and such a sweet gentleman. He helped me with English, and I taught him words in Italian, which he enjoyed repeating on a loop. We talked about what we’d done and what we’d like to do. In those few days, we had fun and I think you can tell that during the short movie.
In what ways does acting for a campaign differ from acting for a film?
In a film, actors are the protagonists and the clothes are the “side dish.” In a commercial for fashion, the clothes are the protagonists, so even the acting is marginal. I always prepare my roles to the best of my ability, regardless of the project, but obviously studying a character that is on a fashion set – even if this is directed by Wim Wenders – had a different imprint.
Wim Wenders, Gaia Girace, and Felix Sandman, on the set of A Future Together. Photo: Courtesy of Salvatore Ferragamo
What are some of the most important lessons you learned from this collaboration?
A wonderful thing I learned is that all the characteristics that we usually classify as flaws or weirdness in the fashion world, become strengths that make us different and more beautiful.
Who is your biggest inspiration?
I am not one who imitates or who draws inspiration perhaps from an actress, I am a girl who draws lessons from what she lives and experiences, in private and in her working life, regardless of people.
Girace for Salvatore Ferragamo FW21. Photo: Courtesy of Salvatore Ferragamo
How have you changed as an actor since the first season of My Brilliant Friend?
Let’s say that now I’m more aware of who I am and what I can do, what my strengths and limits are. Little by little, I feel I can improve more and more, maintaining spontaneity but putting it in a more “harmonious” key.
What do you think are the benefits and pitfalls of starting your acting career as a child?
One of the privileges is that you have the possibility to play multiple roles even characters of different ages. You meet many people from whom you learn many things, you travel, you have many different experiences, you become more mature, you learn to relate, to communicate and to assert yourself. The biggest disadvantage is that you grow up too fast, you miss your adolescence, creating relationships becomes very difficult and you lose your private life and privacy right away.
What is your advice for aspiring child actors?
Never neglect your private life, for any reason in the world.
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