Meet Stephania Sanquiz Donelli of Hollywood

Today we’d like to introduce you to Stephania Sanquiz Donelli.

Hi Stephania , please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
Stephania Gabriella Sanquiz Donelli is a Venezuelan-born Actor, Singer, Dancer, and animal advocate whose artistic journey spans television, film, musical theatre, music, and the preservation of nature and animals.
Born on December 9 in Caracas, Venezuela, Stephania was raised by her mother, Gabriela Donelli, a widowed mother, dancer, pharmacist, and fitness instructor. She grew up in a Catholic Italian family in Coro, Falcón, where her passion for the performing arts emerged at an early age. At 17, driven by her soul’s deep desire to become an artist, she moved to Caracas to pursue her calling professionally.

In Caracas, Stephania first gained public attention through a memorable and controversial audition for the televised singing competition Fame, Sweat and Tears, which placed her among the final eight contestants. Following this experience, she was awarded a scholarship to study Acting for Film at RCTV (Radio Caracas Televisión), one of Venezuela’s most prominent television networks at the time.
Her professional career began soon afterward, with appearances in Venezuelan television productions and telenovelas, including Mi Prima Ciela. Her time at RCTV came to an end when the network was shut down by the Venezuelan government following its coverage and reporting that exposed the realities of the country’s increasingly authoritarian government and dictatorship. The closure marked a profound turning point for Stephania and for Venezuelan media, ultimately contributing to her decision to leave the country in search of artistic and personal freedom.

Fleeing the dictatorship in Venezuela and seeking the artistic freedom she could no longer find at home, Stephania moved to New York City, the place she had always dreamed of living. There, she was awarded a scholarship to attend the New York Film Academy, where she completed a two-year conservatory program in Musical Theatre and Acting for Film.

Her career in New York expanded across stage, film, and music. She starred as Holly in the Off-Broadway musical The Wedding Singer at Connelly Theater in Manhattan’s East Village. She also worked in short films and movie musicals, including StartUp.com, while simultaneously developing her career as a songwriter and independent recording artist.

As a singer and songwriter, Stephania wrote and independently promoted her debut single, “Magic Is Here.” The song reached No. 1 on the Top Latino chart of Venezuela’s official Billboard Record Report, marking a significant milestone in her music career. Its accompanying music video subsequently became one of the most popular videos featured on HTV Música.

Stephania later portrayed Rita in Marriage Material, an Academy Award-nominated movie musical and a landmark production recognized as the first movie musical in the history of the American Film Institute.

In 2008, Stephania traveled to India, where she immersed herself in the study and practice of yoga and meditation. The experience profoundly influenced her personal and artistic evolution and eventually led her to embrace the path of a Yogini.

Now based in Los Angeles, California, Stephania continues to pursue her lifelong dream of creating films in Hollywood. Alongside her artistic career, she is devoted to raising awareness about the preservation of nature and the protection of animals, while also sharing her knowledge and practice of yoga and meditation.

She continues to create music independently, develop her own creative projects, and audition for film and television roles, remaining devoted to the dream that first inspired her at 17: to tell stories, create art, and leave a meaningful mark on the world through cinema, music, and her devotion to the natural world.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
In 2020, during the pandemic, I was in Venezuela under extremely difficult circumstances, caring for my mother while she underwent cancer treatment. In December of that year, I returned to Los Angeles to preserve my green card. The city was completely shut down and eerily empty.

I spent the following years working whatever jobs I could to pay my rent and build a life while pursuing my dream of becoming a U.S. citizen. I eventually achieved my citizenship, but the journey came at an enormous emotional cost. Years of isolation, anxiety, panic attacks, and relentless stress took a toll on me, and I collapsed from stress and exhaustion in a Los Angeles hospital in December 2020.

After the entertainment industry began recovering, the actors’ and writers’ strikes brought another setback. I spent a year relying on Uber and Lyft to make a living until the stress once again became overwhelming. I eventually became a licensed insurance agent, which gave me financial stability while allowing me to continue pursuing my creative career.

Losing my mother in 2022 while going through the citizenship process completely alone was devastating. At times, I questioned whether all the sacrifices had been worth it because the person I had made so many of those sacrifices for was no longer here to see what I had accomplished or to receive something in return for everything she had done for me.

Today, I work as an insurance agent while independently producing my short films, creating my own projects, and auditioning for film with a new agent. One of the hardest things to find in Los Angeles as an actor is genuine representation for film. After everything I have endured, I am still here building my career independently, creating my own opportunities, I keep making music and continuing to pursue the dream that brought me to Los Angeles in the first place.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I’m an actor, singer, dancer and filmmaker based in Los Angeles. My focus is on authentic storytelling through cinema.

I’m currently producing my own short films, developing original projects, and auditioning for film and television. I’m drawn to stories that explore transformation, resilience, love, the human experience and of course the fantasy genre.

What I’m most proud of is my ability to create my own opportunities and remain committed to my artistic path and my craft as an actor.

What sets me apart is my versatility as a performer, my triple threat artistic skills, my emotional depth, and the life experience I bring to my work. I’m not waiting for someone else to define my career, I’m actively creating a body of work that reflects who I am as an artist.

Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?
Something that might surprise people is that, despite my career in entertainment, I’ve always had a deep connection to nature, animals, and spirituality. I’m a meditator and Yogini, and my journey has taken me from television, musical theatre, and music to studying yoga and meditation in India and becoming deeply devoted to the preservation of animals and the natural world. That side of me is sometimes seen through my work, especially in the themes and stories I’m drawn to. I think that balance between the artistic and the spiritual is a big part of who I am it has shaped not only the person I’ve become, but also the way I see the world and tell stories.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://instagram.com/sukantti

Image Credits
Danna Patrick Photographer