Life & Work with Gabriella Vergani of Los Angeles

Today we’d like to introduce you to Gabriella Vergani.

Hi Gabriella, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I started my career as an actress in Brazil, where I worked in theater, film, and television for over a decade. I was trained at Centro de Pesquisa Teatral (CPT), one of the most respected theater research centers in the country, and went on to act in numerous short films, feature films, and television series. During that time, I also went through countless auditions, which became a constant part of my professional life.

Along this long path of auditions and industry expectations, I began to feel increasingly trapped by the system.

During the COVID period, the industry came to a complete shutdown. For nearly two to three years, there were very limited opportunities to work as an actress, and the pause deeply affected both the industry and artists worldwide. In the middle of that period, I lost two family members. It was through my husband’s encouragement that I was able to break through that standstill. He encouraged me to put my stories on paper and reminded me that, like most actors, I had always been a storyteller — not only through performance, but through imagination and narrative.

When I arrived in the United States in 2024 to study at an arts conservatory, this creative impulse found continuity and expansion. In Los Angeles, while my husband remained in Brazil, his encouragement led me to reshape part of my artistic journey. Although I had written scripts before, it was here that I truly began to consolidate my artistic identity and authorial voice.

Los Angeles inspires me on many levels — through human relationships, social dynamics, its landscapes, iconic film locations, the studios of so many classic films, and the stories of the people who shaped the history of cinema. All of this naturally feeds into my writing and creative process. This year, my husband, Yghor Mamedio, and I officially opened our production company, VM Films, and began producing my projects in the United States.

I am currently launching a documentary series on YouTube that follows my journey as an immigrant actress in Los Angeles. The series has two main protagonists: myself and the city. It explores the pulsating heart of Los Angeles alongside my own emotional and artistic transformation — the meeting point between this city and this woman becoming an artist in a new place. The first episode premiered on January 12, and new episodes are released every Monday, featuring real portraits and projects unfolding in real time.

In parallel, I am in pre-production for my first narrative film in the U.S., Framed, inspired by a historic location connected to Alfred Hitchcock. Across all my work, my writing is deeply focused on human relationships and emotional complexity, always shaped by how this city continues to pass through me and influence my perspective as an artist.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It has not been a smooth road. An acting career involves constant auditions, often followed by long periods with no responses at all. Spending years moving through this cycle creates ongoing uncertainty, as expectations grow alongside the dreams artists build, frequently without clarity or feedback.
As social media became increasingly influential, an additional layer of competition emerged. In the Brazilian industry, where digital presence carries significant weight, casting dynamics began to shift. It was no longer enough to perform well in an audition; decisions were often influenced by visibility, follower counts, likes, and online reach. This numbers-driven logic intensified pressure and gradually affected mental health, confidence, and one’s relationship with the craft.

At the same time, engaging with an exciting and expansive perspective here in Los Angeles — as I begin to develop an international career — brings a different set of challenges. Living apart from my husband during this period adds an emotional layer to the process, alongside the difficulties of working in another language, navigating cultural differences, and adapting to unfamiliar professional codes. Even as this path represents the fulfillment of a long-held dream, it requires constant adjustment and resilience, as I learn to move forward without losing my cultural identity and artistic essence.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
In Brazil, much of my work as an actress centered on dramatic characters shaped by intense emotional and situational complexity. The roles I was drawn to — and often cast in — lived in moments of rupture: loss, uncertainty, and profound vulnerability. These characters were usually placed in extreme circumstances, where fragility and strength existed side by side, sometimes reaching an almost superhuman level of endurance.

One performance in particular became deeply impactful for audiences. In Mother’s Love, a series produced for Globoplay, one of the largest streaming platforms in Brazil, a scene in which my character loses her child — desperately trying to save him in a hospital and failing — resonated strongly with viewers and even went viral on Twitter at the time. Many people reached out saying they were deeply moved by the rawness of that moment. That experience reinforced something essential about my work: my emotional truth on screen creates a strong, visceral connection with people.

When I act, my process is very instinctive. My heart leads the way. It’s a moment where I stop overthinking and allow emotion to take over completely. That same approach has naturally carried into my work as a writer, producer, and director. My creative path has been an organic extension of this emotional honesty — letting the heart speak first, even when it feels risky.

I believe that not every story needs to reach everyone. Every work has its audience, and the right audience always arrives at the right time. Today, my projects are increasingly guided by this belief. In my current documentary series on YouTube, Hollywood on the Streets,I explore different layers of Los Angeles through my own perspective and lived experience as an actress and Brazilian immigrant. Topics such as the drug crisis in downtown Los Angeles appear as one example among many — alongside my daily encounters with the city, its people, and the realities that shape my artistic journey.

What I’m most proud of is my willingness to stay emotionally exposed in my work — whether as an actress or as a creator. What sets me apart is this commitment to emotional truth and full presence. My work consistently explores what disturbs us, what moves us, and what lives in the deepest layers of human experience. That level of emotional connection with audiences is something I’ve carried throughout my career and into everything that I create now.

Are there any important lessons you’ve learned that you can share with us?
Although many things have shaped my artistic journey and I’m constantly learning through my work, the most painful — and powerful — lesson I’ve received came through grief. Losing two loved ones suddenly, within a very short period of time during COVID, profoundly changed the way I see life.

That experience showed me how important it is to do the best we can for the people we love — and also for our dreams. We don’t have all the time in the world we think we have. Because of that, the time we are here needs to be treated as something truly special.

Grief taught me that what ultimately matters is the depth of our experiences and the honesty with which we live them. Love cannot be postponed. Care cannot be postponed. Creation cannot be postponed. Our work, just like our relationships, needs to be aligned with what fulfills our soul and reflects what we genuinely believe in.

In the end, what remains is the story we have lived here. That understanding pushed me to be more present, more courageous, and more faithful to myself — choosing to live, create, and love fully now, rather than waiting for a tomorrow that may never come.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.instagram.com/liveeu__
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gabriellavergani
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@gabriellavergani

Image Credits
For first image (orange shirt) Luiza Clen.