Life & Work with Joy Libardoni

Today we’d like to introduce you to Joy Libardoni.

Hi Joy, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today. 
I was born and I grew up in an enchanted valley on a lake near the city of Trento in the very north of Italy, near South Tyrol. So, I’m a different Italian than the ones you usually encounter in the US, even as newer immigrants. Trento is a city near The Dolomites, developed in Roman times and now part of the Unesco, with art, lots of nature and stunning views. Trento is just one hour drive from Venice, the magic and majestic city of history and arts on the water. The area where I grew up carries a heavy burden because it was heavily hit both by the First and the Second World War. But the inhabitants are strong people and didn’t lose faith in the goodness of life. Today, I’m proud to say that Trento has just been nominated European and Italian Capital of Volunteering 2024. When I was 20, I started my modeling and acting career and I moved to London and Rome. 

When I was in school, I always played the Madonna or some other important Saint in recitals and I loved it! At that time, I had no idea that those were acting skills! In Italy, kids don’t start acting professionally as they do in LA. We do not have those kinds of opportunities and therefore start late. I let myself be driven by my passions for literature, languages, and a huge curiosity for human beings. We are so differently wired from one another and yet so similar in many ways. I wanted to truly discover what makes people tick! 

I worked in some of the most important Italian TV prime-time shows and in the biggest box office comedy. Later on, I started working behind the scenes of American productions shot in Italy. 

I loved the “Inferno” movie with Tom Hanks by Ron Howard; it attracted me to Hollywood. 

The high stakes and the accuracy of the craft brought to the greatest degree possible, just made me want to move to LA. 

In Los Angeles, I trained at the Beverly Hills Playhouse (I live just around the corner of the theater) and online with master teacher Susan Batson. 

I got some roles in indie movies, I acted opposite John Travolta, the Italian American legend, my dream was coming true. 

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?
Smooth? What is smooth? I don’t know anything smooth if not the soft white clouds in the sky. I met language and cultural barriers. I speak Italian and English is obviously not my mother tongue, so, first thing, I had to learn English very well. I was terrified by my bold move to the States, a brand-new Continent! But also, a new culture and new ways to explore! 

LA is so interesting and exciting that the attraction has been stronger than my fears. 

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am an instinctive actress and I learned to trust that, and I have a strong imagination. Here in USA, I learned how to stay grounded and to channel my energy. After some role in movies and working in production in order to see and learn, I realized that I have a very good eye for stories. I try to pick screenplays that spark my imagination. I have been lucky enough to find a good script, and I brought it into production during the pandemic. I got even a small role in the movie for myself (my accent was still so strong!) The movie “State of Consciousness,” a psychological thriller, ended up being picked up by no less than Lionsgate, and it will be released on March 15th. 

How do you think about luck?
Luck is essential in many ways: being at the right place at the right time… meeting the right people. However, you have to make your own luck and work hard and try to be better all the time. Learning from the people you work with and that you encounter every day is probably more important than just having luck. You can go just so far with referrals and being lucky, what is really critical is the work that you can do and the things that you believe you are able to accomplish. And this will help me in my artistic future in Los Angeles. 

Ciao! 

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joylibardoni/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gioialibardoniactress/

Image Credits
Fabrizio di Blasio
Giovanni Gastel
Daniele Venturelli