Interviewing the actress Gio Di Oliveira

1-How was your childhood?

I can’t think of my childhood as being anything other than perfect, if I’m being completely honest. I’m not sure if it’s just the power of nostalgia or if the good things really outshine the bad, but I have a very happy, wholesome memory of it all. I was always very extroverted and kind of a social butterfly, so it was pretty easy to make friends, and in a way I’m glad that this was before the internet and social media took over, which I feel made things more precious and lighthearted. Also, I could’t have asked for a better, more involved and caring family and I was very lucky they brought me the opportunity to experience living abroad from a such an early age – my parents moved to Portugal when I was about to turn eight, and despite us being immigrants with humble lives, it was like an adventure to me. It really opened up my mind to a whole new world, I got to experience a different culture, meet incredible people who I’d remain very good friends with to this day... The impact that had on me not only was very positive but just straight up priceless. So, yeah, no complaints there.

2-From what age did you decide to be an actress and how did you know you had the skills to go on TV?

One of the reasons why I’m so sure this is for me is precisely because I’ve always wanted it. It's just such an essential part of who I am, I can’t imagine being as personally accomplished doing anything else. It sounds like bullcrap, but I actually remember the first time a movie caught my attention when I was around only three years old and my mother basically explaining to me what it was and about how it was like playing make believe with bigger toys and a team to prepare everything for you, and how those people on screen were called ‘actors’ and this was actually their job. From then on there was no turning back, which is funny considering kids usually change their minds about what they want to be throughout the years until they finally settle on something later on. It never happened to me though...

I’ve always wanted to act, and that never changed once. I was also a bit of a drama queen as a kid haha... So I never missed a chance to participate in school plays, presentations and things like that, and people would always go out of their way to show appreciation for what I’d shown, congratulate my parents, tell me I should totally go for it. So I assumed I had some level of natural talent for it, and I just kept building upon that. But it was a calling for sure.

3-Did your parents support you in the decision you made to be na actress?

Thank God, yes! They’re so selfless and supportive, and always had my best interests in mind... They would never force me to suppress my biggest dream in life, so I’m very glad they chose to understand how important this is for me and genuinelly root for my success in this field. I know it must not be easy as a parent, especially as people with humble roots, because artistic careers are so unpredictable and you want your children to have the best life, and as an actor you usually deal with a lot of rejection and basically depend on others to

take a chance on you. But they have so much faith in me and it’s so contagious; it helps me believe as well. I don’t know if they’ll ever have any ideia how much easier they made it just by being there for me. It makes me kind of emotional haha

4-What was your first appearance on the screens?

It was an extra gig, but I remember it very fondly because it was my first time ever acting on a professional set and I remember feeling so excited. It was for this portuguese soap opera called “Alma e Coração” (‘Sould and Heart’), back when I moved back to Portugal around 2018, and I kept paying attention to everything and taking notes in between breaks and just being very intense about it all even though I was just a background actor. It was kind of hillarious looking back haha But I’m proud of being 100% committed from day one. And it put a big smile on my mother’s face as well, so it was a win either way.

5-What was the role you liked the most?

My repertoire on the big screen isn’t that extensive – yet! –, but I played a ghost girl who returns to haunt her abuser/murderer in an indie short back in the U.S., and it was so much fun! I was covered in fake bruises and fake blood, and the director encouraged me to go all out for my character’s sweet revenge haha I’ve also noticed that I’m especially attracted to more dramatic, darker roles, maybe because it feels like they have more room for emotional depth. But this one has a special place in my memory.

6-What do you think led you to fame?

Well, I’m not famous haha But I can tell you what I think will help me attract the spotlights: apart from me just being a painfully persistent person, I think the fact that I don’t really prioritize fame will probably be for the best. This is not a path you want to choose for the wrong reasons – as I mentioned before, it’s more often than not very tough and demands a kind of resilience and devotion that I don’t think a lot of people can handle long term, at

least not if you don’t absolutely love the craft. So if you end up caring too much for fame, then it becomes a setback. But, sure, I allow myself to dream big and, as an actor, your face is your literal greeting card, not to mention your biggest tool, so even though I don’t concern myself much with fame itself, I’m also not naive. I know that, when I become as successful as I want to be, it will be simply not possible for a lot of people to not know who I am. It just comes with the territory. So I just try to be balanced and stay aware of the things that will probably not be so fun – like the lack of privacy, the internet’s tendency to form rushed and radicalized opinions, and such –, while also keeping it lighthearted and allowing myself to enjoy the things that can be, like traveling the world and dressing up for events, for example. I think as long as you have your priorities straight and keep yourself grounded, it will turn out just fine.

7-What types of characters would you like to interpret?

Like I mentioned before, I often find myself leaning towards characters who are inserted in more dramatic circunstances, like coming of age protagonists or anti-heroes, for example. I like to dig deep and have room for emotional catharsis, so that’s probably why. But if I had to be more categoric, I’d say I’m a sucker for well-written morally gray characters and women who arent’t necessarily likeable but very complex and real. Roles like Fiona Gallagher from “Shameless”, Lisa from “Girl, Interrupted”, Amy March from “Little Women”, Ladybird, Fleabag and Gina Gray from “Peaky Blinders” are some of the first ones that come to mind. They’re my ideia of an artist’s gold mine. That’s not to say, of course, I inted to be limited by any archetypes or genres. I’ve just recently watched “Bottoms”, for example, and I’ve never been more jealous of actors who got to participate in a comedic project in my life! Also, Lara Croft is one of my dream roles since I was kid, and she’s closer to the clean-cut heroin protagonist than any of the characters mentioned above, so... Cheers to range! Haha

8-What actresses and actors do you feel comfortable working with?

I like working with people who are very passionate about their work and who respect and value their fellow actors no matter who they are or what level of experience they have in the industry. Maybe this is a big deal for me because I’m still in the beginning of my career and it can be very intimidating being on set with people who are masters in what they do, but the one thing I know for sure is that the best experiences I’ve had were the ones where the artists genuinely cared about the project they were in and treated me like an equal part of the equation. There’s nothing more off-putting than coming across someone who makes it their mission to show they’d rather be anywhere else but there, or who can’t have respect and empathy for those who haven’t yet had the chance to stand center stage. It rubs everyone the wrong way and just makes the whole experience worst for everyone involved. But to end on a more positive note, I can name Zendaya, Jennifer Lawrence, Wagner Moura, Timotheé Chalamet, Mia Goth, Anya Taylor-Joy, Cillian Murphy, Florence Pugh, Vincent Cassel and Viola David as some of my dream job colleagues!

9-In what other genres of art would you like to participate (works of theatre, music, among others)?

I also sing, dance and write from a very young age, so I do hope those career paths are still on my cards. I’d love to do more theatre work as well, especially musical theatre. The thing about acting is that any other skils you nurture can be integrated into your craft, so there’s this sense of being able to do a lot of things adjacently. In fact, it’s super common for artists to branch out and end up finding out they’re actually pretty decent in other areas that feed into their artistic vein. And I do intend to become as best a well-rounded, multi-talented artists as I can, so it’s perfect, really.

10-Do you have any anecdotes that have marked you in your life and as a person?

I promise I have a sense of humor, but all I can think of right now is this sentence that I always find myself saying in various random situations, which goes: “To dream is to suffer”. I know it sounds dark, but I think it’s ironic and true and oddly fitting as a funny answer to many things, not to mention relatable, so... There you go haha

11-What has been your greatest achievement?

I want to say having had the courage to leave my country by myself at a young age to pursue my dream of acting, but the more primitive part of me just wants to admit that making it this far without giving up having gone through and sacrificed so much is probably what takes the cake lol

12-What projects will you make next and which ones do you have in mind?

I’m actually not sure if I’m allowed to say much and I’m super scared of pulling an early-stage Tom Holland, so I’ll just stay quiet haha But I am in talks to some pretty exciting projects and I can’t wait to share it when it’s finally time.

13-Would you like to make a movie in Spain?

Oh, that’s on my bucket list for sure! I grew up watching so many amazing spanish artists and projects, I would be crazy not to set my sights on that at one point. I do hope I have the chance to accomplish such an amazing achievement.

14-Do you like spanish cinema?

I can’t pretend I’m the greatest conoisseur, but the projects I have seen definetely made an impression on me, which is why I’m so enthusiastic about potentially working in the spanish industry at one point. “Volver” and “El Ángel” are two titles I absolutely love. Also, at the risk of sounding somewhat generic, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t go nuts over La Casa de Papel haha