New York is not just a destination, it’s a feeling. For Marialaura De Vitis is a place of observation and inspiration, where individual freedom becomes a living matter for art. From fashion to TV, to the therapeutic writing of Ashes of me and to the study of acting, its path is marked by the constant search for awareness and new perspectives. With Manhattan in the background, he tells us who is today and who wants to become tomorrow.
New York is a city you love. Why? What does it represent for you?
New York makes me feel small and, at the same time, important. It’s spectacular, full of things to do and see. Changes neighborhood and changes the world: atmospheres, people, energies. It is an incredibly inclusive city, which you can live alone without ever feeling alone. There are many Italians, and it is easy to create communities. I love the New York spirit, especially autumn: the colors are breathtaking, Central Park is pure poetry, and walking in the Village between pumpkins, skulls and Halloween decorations seems to be inside a movie. In this period I am studying film recitation and I was very impressed to walk without a precise goal, to suddenly find myself in places I had seen a thousand times at the cinema: Sex and the City, There was once in America, One Night at the Museum, The Wolf of Wall Street. I stepped on the same floor as big actors. It was a very strong emotional involvement, almost physical: I was breathing cinema.
How does the New York scene affect your artistic path and shape your identity as an actress, other than the model or influencer that the public knows?
Studying acting I realized that, in order to really enter the characters, you have to observe people in real life: in the metro, on the street. Ask yourself questions about human action. New York is perfect for this, because it is inhabited by very different people. On one day you can meet ethnicity, age, opposite lifestyles. It is an inexhaustible source of inspiration to build characters. Here you learn to look, listen, study people.
Why did you choose to pursue a career?
I moved from Milan to Rome, which is the hub of Italian cinema. For years, I’ve been told not to be brought to the recitation: I put my stakes on my own. Then at some point I jumped. Acting is liberating, it makes me feel good. Even if it was just a hobby, it would still be essential for me. This study gives me joy, and a little I’m sorry I didn’t start earlier. In Rome I took the opportunity and did well: try it is always worth it.
Who inspires you between Italian and American actresses?
Among the Italians, Benedetta Porcaroli: he is young but has already built an important film. Among the Americans, Julia Roberts for her class and smile, and Meryl Streep for her incredible ductility: she manages to interpret soft and hard characters with the same truth.
Your favorite movie? And what’s most New York for you?
Interstellar is a film that made me think deeply: look to the future in an intense and accurate way. For New York, instead, I say Sex and the City: a “full package”, iconic, emotional, indissolubly linked to the city.
Your career was born as a model, then TV comes. Lights and reflectors, also many pressures. How would you describe your experience in the entertainment world?
I started working in fashion at age 16, by my choice, without external pressure. However, physical exposure also exposes you to judgment and continuous confrontation. You are always tested, always looking for the best version of yourself. This does not help stability, but as a teenager he also gave me security and direction. Over time insecurities have emerged, often linked to comments received on social or in person. At first you don’t mind, then you get into your head and stay there. Every woman judges, wants to improve physically; in the world of show this happens even more. I do not deny this world: I continue to take pictures and parades, but today I choose more. I give myself to what I really like, like wedding campaigns and wedding dresses. I like TV because it is not just aesthetics: there is content, I can express myself and make my voice heard. Of course, when you get out, criticism is part of the game. If they are educated I accept them, if they become evil they hurt. Often those behind a keyboard exceed the limit.
In your book Cenere di me stories a dark period, marked by food disorders. How much did the entertainment world affect?
I’ve been suffering from food behavior disorders for a few years, but I can’t say the guilt is in the entertainment world. It influenced, yes, but later. This kind of disorder arises from deep suffering, which goes beyond wanting to lose weight: it is a desire to disappear, to lose life. It leads to isolation, to rigid ideas, become the enemy of yourself. In my case there were wounds since childhood, like the loss of my father. I somatized a lot, until the vase, drop after drop, overflowed. The comments have engraved, but were not the only cause. The disorder starts from the mind, then manifests itself in the body.
What really helped you out? And what role did he play?
Writing black on white what I was living was liberating. Publishing the book was like throwing away a painful part of my life. I healed because I decided. Until a person really chooses to live, he doesn’t heal. He has to take that spring that makes you say, it’s worth living. I chose to surround myself with a few people, but good. To seek beauty in small things, in nature, in travel. The TV at that time helped me a lot: working made me happy, it was an extra saver.
The book’s message is hope. I wrote it to free myself and to help others: who suffers and who is next to those who suffer. If I can save one person, I will have achieved my purpose. From the ashes you can reborn. Speaking is fundamental, though difficult. Admitting the disease is already the first step towards healing.
Often you tell the freedom that you breathe in New York, compared to a more judging climate that sometimes happens in Italy. What can we learn from this city?
Walking around New York I realized that judgment practically does not exist. You can dress like you want, be who you want, and it’s okay. I walked happily, without fear of the eyes of others. Some girls just stopped me to give me honest compliments on the makeup or ask me where I got a bag. It is another way of living: more acceptance, less judgment.
If your life was a movie, what story would he say?
The story of a shy and introverted child who, between ups and downs, falls and laughter, becomes a realized woman. A film about resilience.
To the Marialaura who felt “wish”, today, from the top of a New York skyscraper, what would you say?
I would scream that life is beautiful and worth living. Not to be afraid to live. You can always change place, perspective, world. The world is great, beautiful, all to explore. I will always travel, because travelling makes me happy. Living, acting, discovering.
L’articolo Marialaura De Vitis, from ashes to New York proviene da IlNewyorkese.
