Today we’d like to introduce you to Sophia Rosetti.
Hi Sophia, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
My name is Sophia Rosetti. I’m happy to share some of my story – whether it ends up connecting with someone or simply filling a quiet moment in the internet. For two and a half years, I’ve been working on small sets and small stages. A few tiny roles on TV. I’ve performed in Off-Broadway plays and independent short films. Lately, I’ve been preparing for something that feels different; it’s a docufiction – a kind of hybrid – and we’re filming in Panama, in the cloud forest and the city. I’m the lead and now I’m co-writing too. It’s a bilingual project with no traditional script, just a loose constellation of scenes and a narrative that will evolve as we move through it in real time. The idea came from our director. The film explores memory and climate change. It’s supported by a fellowship through UCLA, Amazon, and MGM – and also ritual, reverence, and imagination.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Introversion is a hurdle in this business. And social energy and expectation can be an annoying part of life. But, when it comes to the work itself, my style is uncovering something honest – with empathy, I guess. Maybe an inward process allows for more specificity and precision in my work, maybe it influences my sense of humor a little bit – banality of life type of stuff, physical, observational, goofy. Maybe it keeps me from my potential. But I try to harness it. I think deeply about the subtleties of my character’s world. Growing up, I had two very curious role models: my mom a journalist who covered war and its aftermath and my dad an investigator who looked into nefarious corporate stuff. They’re not people who care very much about Hollywood. But they’re storytellers, funny and fiercely observant. That’s what I carry into what I do. Trauma. Just kidding. A low stakes mentality: I find you have to be able to laugh at yourself a lot. I love you mom and dad. Sometimes I do cold table reads and I enjoy peeking at how others mark up their scripts. I’ve never experienced boredom.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
My first job was in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel finale. I played a groupie – in an altered state of mind – for one of the principal characters. I’d never acted before that. Two things stood out: the costumer’s attention to detail was striking. And the engagement of extras reminded me of old films, maybe, back when they were crucial actors to the scenes and perhaps considered more by production. Someone wise once told me when they watch a production, they watch the actor who isn’t speaking. What are they doing? I do that now, maybe too much. Try it next time you’re watching a play; it’s entertaining. And if you don’t like the play, hey – maybe it’s a trick to keep things moving!
I learned from David Gideon (the aforesaid wise person) a bit about Strasberg’s teachings and sensory work. And around the same time, I had the opportunity to work with a generous director who allowed me to explore every single night of a summer run. And I was so grateful; this is how I learned how to act. I’m talking about James Jennings the longtime Artistic Director of the American Theatre of Actors on 54th St in New York who caught me doing some wackadoodle choreography in an experiential play and asked me to read for a piece he had written. For my new role (no dancing), I played a darker character – a young mother who is abusive to her father-in-law and daughter. I played her in my own mind as a hero and left it up to everybody else to make their own judgment. Women have negative qualities, women have anxieties, women have reasons why they are the way they are. And if anyone left the theater with empathy for my character then I did my job well, I thought. Truthfully, I don’t think anyone really did. And I was disappointed that I wasn’t able to convey enough complexity. One night after the show, my great aunt from Brooklyn said to me, “but you’re not really like that, right? You’re much nicer than that.” And I giggled, ‘no, of course I’m not.’ We walked on to have dinner with my cousin Pamela. But maybe what I should have said is: It isn’t me, but it’s there for me to access. I have to get there somewhere somehow, you know, the dark lives in all of us.
I never planned to act. I don’t consider myself a performer and definitely not an artist. I really just love looking at the unique circumstances of human beings, behavior, lifestyle, culture, languages. Some might be surprised but my preparation for a role is as research driven as it is physical and mental.
Can you talk to us a bit about the role of luck?
I think luck is an interesting word that is understood differently depending on experience and background. But in this industry, it’s over or misused – just in my opinion – and potentially takes away confidence and agency. There has to be balance, though, between self-reliance and humility. So, I hope I’m intentional and reverent; I think we all are. Not to get philosophical, but if I thought too much about luck and luck’s role in my career, I’d be way more of a lazy bones than my cats know I already am! What is true is that I have failed, I have been fired, I have been hurt. None of those experiences were bad luck, and they are all really important to my life and my work. I think that this is probably what helps me take those risks and leaps of faith. You don’t know what you’re capable of – until you do it!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.sophiarosetti.com
- Instagram: @sophiro
