Today we’d like to introduce you to Helena Geraci.
Hi Helena, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I am from Sicily, Italy, specifically from the city of Catania. Since I was a kid, I loved the stage, I used to organize small events to entertain my neighbors and I was taking care of the costumes, the schedule, the music, the planning, casting other kids actors, etc.
When I was in high school, I was noticed by a Model Agency and I started modeling. I did it for about eight years in Italy and that was my very first encounter with the stage, on a professional level. I always felt very at ease on stage, for me it was a moment of proud and excitement!
I started approaching acting when I was 20, I was at my first year of college and I joined an acting studio in my city. It was an experience that blew my mind! After that I continued for a couple of years, joining another studio and doing few plays in theatre.
Then I got a job opportunity in Paris, France and I really wanted to do an experience abroad and learn new languages so I took it. From Paris, a new world of traveling and exploring opened for me. I started living in different countries, speaking new languages while developing my professional career in the marketing field.
With all the traveling and moving around, my creative soul was put on the side for about 12 years, years when I built my professional career instead.
When I moved to LA in 2018, I got inspired by other artists and talents and I wanted to act again, this time for film and TV. Now after less than two years I am proud to say that I already got some good achievements: among other things…I was cast as lead in the short film “Quaranteam” by Bianca Dubeux and Ayu Logan, written by Ana Silvani, I was the lead actress in the short film “La Llorona” by Director Josh Quintero, I was cast as the lead in the Zoom play “A Harmony of Both” and I was part of the cast in the short play “PinUp”, both plays by the Big Break OC Production. Recently I also played a supporting role in a feature film “High Risk” directed by Yaw Agyapong, this project is going to be big but I can’t share the details yet, more to come!
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It’s not a smooth road as Los Angeles is an extremely competitive market for actors. Each casting call posted has thousands of submissions and artists here are very talented so the bar is very high. I am working at improving my craft each day and be the best actor I can possibly be. My challenge is probably the fact that I am a foreigner actress so I am dealing with accent reduction, which means doubling the work, but I love to take the challenge!
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am an actress who moved to Los Angeles in 2018, originally to pursue my career in Project Management but then I found myself discovering my artistic side and I have been cultivating it in the last two years. I was already acting in Italy for few years, for stage, then my life took another path as I decided to concentrate in my career in marketing and project management. I lived and worked in Italy, Spain, France and US for bout 12 years, working for several companies, then a change. I felt I wanted to give acting a second chance now that I was in the “city of the entertainment” and I took the challenge to start again. I am currently studying acting at The Actor’s Lab in Los Angeles and I love all the great work we do each week in terms of scene study, character development, commercial copy, voice and movement, improvisation, just to mention some.
I am proud of my courage, changing my career path to do what I love and to express myself artistically in a very competitive country where I am a foreigner. I think the fact of being an Italian actress in Los Angeles sets me apart from others as I can play a lot of international roles, given that I also speak French and Spanish. I am currently in the process of finding my niche and I want to excel in that.
How do you think about happiness?
Being at home in Sicily with my family is what makes me happy the most. When I get the chance to travel and spend time there I’m really content. Being in nature, especially close to the sea, in a sunny day. Listening to the sound of the waves or doing a hike surrounded by trees really grounds me and makes me be grateful for all I have. It also reminds me how small we and our problems are compared to nature. I also love the warmth of the sun on the skin, it recharges me and I feel in peace.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: https://www.helenageraci.com/portfolio
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/helenofsicily/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/helena.geraci/
Image Credits:
Headshots: Josh Quintero – @josh_thedirector – @four13_photography La Llorona photos: Brian Lau @still.brianphotography
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