Today we’d like to introduce you to Arianna Wellmoney.
Arianna, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I am from Casoretto in Milan, Italy, but I knew from a young age that I wanted to be an actor living in the United States because American films and TV shows were always my favorite ones to watch and recreate with my friends. I filmed my first movie when I was ten years old, it was part of a school project of my elementary school and I remember having tons of fun, filming over months in different locations (including a Medieval castle). Throughout my teen years, I would participate in school productions and record short films with my friends.
During my senior year, I participated in an Acting on Camera class at Campo Teatrale (one of the main Acting Schools in Milan) led by Michele Ciardulli, one of my favorite acting teachers ever. I was able to learn the basics of Acting and Improv and the skills I learned helped me with my audition to get into the American Academy is Dramatic Arts in New York City. I moved to the Big Apple right after high school and started working ever since graduating AADA in 2016.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
It has not always been a smooth road – sometimes it is hard to balance an acting career with your personal life, especially in a city as busy and as crazy as New York. I think, when you pursue a career in the arts, you always need to have things in your life to keep you grounded. You will not be a well-rounded artist if you spend ALL your time on your craft – you need to be a well-rounded human being before anything else – have friends, hobbies, ideals and little things that make you happy that do not necessarily have to be related to your acting career.
It is not always easy but I think I have also been pretty lucky. I have a pretty supportive group of friends here and back in Italy – my parents and my family included. I know it is not always that easy for everyone, though. When you are a woman, especially a young woman, you will often find in your life path that your voice will try to be silenced, you will not be taken seriously or your work will be credited to someone else, often, a man. It sucks, it really does. I have often tried to stay quiet to keep the peace but I found with time that it never got me where I wanted. It is okay to stand your ground – sometimes you cannot always be the “nice one” and that is okay. As women, we are always expected to smile and be nice, but it just does not work that way. So yeah, that is the advice I would give. Stay true to you and stand up for yourself, basically!
We’d love to hear more about your work.
I do both theater and film- and recently have filmed my first TV Pilot (“La Santera”, coming in 2020). One of the things that I am most proud about myself is that my work, especially in the past couple of years, has been very specific, almost “taylored” to who I am as a person. Things that make me “Arianna” have been part of my recent projects.
For example – I am a foreigner and in 2018, I was part of the YouTube Webseries “Immigrants Eat It”, where people from different countries try American food. It was so much fun! Another thing that has to do with immigrants that I was part of was “Extraordinary Aliens”, a play that I co-wrote and also acted in last year. It was a true story- we were even able to take the play to the Hollywood Fringe Festival – it was a dream come true for me to finally go to Los Angeles and perform there!
As a member of the LGBTQIA+ community, I was thrilled when Tinder asked me to be part of their Ad for its new feature. I am very happy to be part of these projects where I get to express myself or share my experience about things that are not enough talked about. I am proud that all of these were part of life so early in my career.
Do you think there are structural or other barriers impeding the emergence of more female leaders?
As a woman, you are faced with a lot of struggles and double standards, generally and in the acting industry. When you are a woman, you are not a “leader”, you are considered “bossy”. You have to be “nice” to everyone, but you cannot be too nice or you will be “fake”. You always have to be grateful to be included, even when it is your hard work that got you where you are. It is hard because sometimes even us women have to unlearn our own misogyny, being raised in a sexist society like ours. It is a process. There has been so much progress but you also have to be the one standing up for other women, calling out a wrong situation and fighting for others. Progress starts with you.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.ariannawellmoney.com
- Email: ariannawellmoney@gmail.com
- Instagram: Www.instagram.com/ariannawellmoney
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ariannawellmoneyactor
- Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/ariwellmoney
- Other: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm8333604/
Image Credit:
Jeremy Crocker
Giuseppe De Lauri
Stephany Yantorn
Emily Lambert
WHO
Mark Wyville
Ted Ely
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