ZOE MARIGO

I read on your Instagram profile that you define yourself as “an actress who can kinda dance and sort of sing”. So, who exactly are you, and what you do?

Ahahaha that’s a good question! I wrote description quite a few years ago and then it just sort of stuck. I guess, now that you point it out it it doesn’t really give a clear definition of who I am. Who am I? That’s a bit of a loaded question, isn’t it...I’m an artist. I’m an actress at heart and that is the career I am pursuing, but I also train in dance and singing (two of my greatest passions). However, especially during this covid-19 lockdown, I’ve been discovering creative outlets that I’d previously not considered: writing and songwriting. I’ve always written poetry and just kept it for myself as my own little self-expression and way of processing emotions and experiences, but lately I’ve been wanting more and more to share it with the world. So stay tuned, we’ll see where that goes! Songwriting, on the other hand, is a veeeery new skill that I’ve been working on since quarantine. I’ve written 3 songs all relating to different themes/experiences of my life. I can a strum a few chords on a guitar so I make that work when I put the lyrics and the music together.

This is a very long-winded answer to say, that there is no word to define what I am yet...I’m a work in progress! Experimenting through different art forms, trying to figure out who I am, just like everyone else. But in short: an actress who can kinda dance and sort of sing.

I know that you’re studying in London now. Which course is it?

How is this experience going?

Yes I am. I’m currently on the acting foundation course at The Young Actors Theatre in Islington. It’s a part-time one year course that allows aspiring actors to study with amazing teachers whilst still having the time to work to support themselves. It’s a really beautiful place with a wonderful ethos. I’ve been really enjoying it and have met and networked some amazingly talented people.

As for the experience in quarantine, it’s tough, I’m not going to lie! We’ve got our zoom online lessons going every day from 10am-1:30pm which is great and such a relief to have that daily contact with the people you used to share a room with nearly every day. It doesn’t come without it’s limitations though, acting via zoom is very tricky. As actors we work off other people’s reactions and energy so it’s definitely proving to be an interesting challenge! I must say though that I’m very grateful to still be able to follow my course and can see the effort that the whole team of teachers have made to tailor the curriculum to zoom! It’s a whole new reality we’re living in at the moment, so have snippets of normality is refreshing and greatly appreciated.

Acting means to interpret the life of someone else. Do you think that it’s important to maintain an identity while you act? Or more you’re able to detach from yourself, better will be the interpretation?

I think everyone has very different opinions on that. That’s why acting has so many different methods! Personally, I think it’s a combination. I like to fully immerse myself in a character, so much so that they become a part of me. I love creating background stories for then and find the little quirks and unique behaviours that make the who they are, and I genuinely believe that this makes for a much more realistic, interesting and engaging performance. However, in each of the character’s that I have the honour of playing, I always like to have a little bit of Zoe in there. Whether it’s the way they use a certain gesture or the intonation of a specific word, I like to incorporate some of myself into the character. I’m also an actress that definitely uses personal emotions and experiences that relate to what the character is going through. If I’ve been through something the character has also been through I certainly try to conjure up the emotions I felt to make a deep connection with both the character and the audience. However! I am the worst judge of myself and many time when performing a monologue or dialogue, the times where I felt the most emotionally detached from the scene were the times many teachers told me it was the most effective potrayal. So, really, I guess what works for me in the moment and the process is always different for each character I play.

I know you are very young, but have you ever had relevant experiences in this field? Not only for your career but also for your personal growth.

I don’t feel young! But yes, I have been lucky enough to get some acting experience under my belt. I actually started out in musical theatre and then redirected my energy towards “straight theatre”. I was lucky enough to play Gussie Carnegie in Sondheim’s “Merrily We Roll Along” at RADA Studios, that will be an experience I will never forget! More recently, I had a minor role as base civilian in Luca Guadagnino’s new series “We Are Who We Are”, that experience on set will stay with me forever! I’ve done a few student short films that has given me great footage for my showreel aswell as fantastic experience on sets and learning to work and network with people. These projects have mostly been about personal growth for me. I’m like a sponge, I like to absorb all the information I can from the environment around me...so all of these moments have been learning curves for me.

I’ve also done a little bit of TFP modelling as it is something I enjoy, might me something I may pursue more seriously.

Oh and catch me on 0.1 second rise to fame as a passer-by on Kevin Bacon’s latest EE advert shot at King’s Cross Station! It’s the little things :)

You said that you started out in musical theatre. Since when I moved to London I noticed that young people are more interested in theatre shows in London than in Italy. What do you think about it? Why is there this “lack of interest” in Italy?

Oh 100%, I’ve had the privilege of living bits of my childhood in both Italy and the UK and what shocked me the most whilst living in Italy was just how there was no theatre culture among young kids and adults. The huge difference is that UK children are exposed to drama and theatre from the very start, it’s actually a subject in the school curriculum. In Italy this just isn’t the case. the arts just are not given the attention and promotion that I think is needed to allow young people to develop their knowledge and interest for such a beautiful art form. Ultimately, I don’t think it’s so much of a “lack of interest” as much as it’s a “lack of exposure. We actually have a theatre culture in the UK, especially in London with the west end. In Italy, unforuntately, theatre is seen much more as something elite, inaccessible and unrelatable rather than something that brings joy and people together.

There’s also a huge lack of job opportunities in the arts in Italy in comparison to the UK which just underlines that the government and population just tend to prioritise things other that art.

It really saddens me, but it just makes me more convinced of my decision to keep living in London!

I understant that you are experimenting different fields, from acting to singing. But which project do you have for your future career? Are you planning your life or do you prefer just live the moment and to change in relation to it?

Ah this is the worst question! My goal is to be able to be a professional working actress. That is the main goal and what I work towards to every day. This is not to say that if other opportunities arise that are more centered around dancing, singing or writing, I would turn them down. I’m a very rational person and I like to be able to plan my life, however I’m realising more more that with the career path I’ve chosen that’s near to impossible! My current aim is to be able to get into drama school but due to the unpredicitability of this industry I always have to try and have a plan B and C! So really, my life is always changing. I always have to adapt to the circumstances and find ways to stay creative. From rejection to dry spells, creatives know how hard it is to live day to day, so although I stand firm on wanting to contine to be an actress I have become increasingly more aware that now you have to create your own opportunities. This means that I am experimenting with writing and songwriting because sometimes if a role isn’t written for you then you have to write it yourself. If there isn’t a seat for you at the table, build a new table. Am I right?

Last question! This one will be the same for everyone in this format: why you do what you are doing? why do you act?

I think the question for me is: how can I not? I can’t imagine myself or my life without. As a kid, I used to follow my mum around her acting jobs and that’s when I was bitten by the acting bug.

Acting makes me feel whole. When I’m on stage or on a set my whole being just feels lifted, full of light and happiness. It’s like a calling, you can’t imagine your body doing anything else. It’s the one place I feel like I can always be myself, the true Zoe.

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Follow Zoe on Instagram: zoemarigo