Meet Malu Graciano

Today we’d like to introduce you to Malu Graciano.

Hi Malu, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
Born and raised in Brazil, I have always been a creative soul, acting has always been an essential part of me, even if I didn’t realize it at first. One of my first early childhood members is being cast as the bird in my preschool’s adaptation of Peter and the Wolf by Prokofiev. I still remember the texture of my white leotard filled with fake leafs (my first costume) as well as the thrill of performing.

Yet, being on stage was not a big part of my childhood, or at least not as big as I would have wanted. After my little debut as the bird, I didn’t go back to the stage until I was in middle school, at 13 years old. In Brazil, unfortunately, the arts are not supported as they should, with little investment or interest from the local government, which meant that schools (at least when I was a student) wouldn’t have a theater or an arts department. I was very privileged to attend a private school that valued the arts, so during the first two years of middle school, we had weekly theater and art classes, and in the following two years, we were able to choose one artistic class to pursue: and I obviously chose theater.

I still remember the day and the time of that class, every Wednesday was a happy day for me because my last period was theater (and it was a double class!). I was still very shy and sometimes was afraid to truly give my all to the performance, but even if I was in the back of the class, I was just happy to be there. My family is very artistic but also very traditional, so even though we appreciated the arts and had famous artists, there was still a big expectation for me to go to college and graduate with a “real” degree. I had good grades, I was smart and curious… why not?

In that sense, acting became this impossible dream to me. Something that would calm my heart, yet that I would never really pursue, at least for my 17-year-old brain it was too far-fetched to even try. So, at 18 years old and straight from High School (as it is the way in Brazil) I got into Law School. There I discovered my second greatest passion: Human Rights. And even now, I wouldn’t trade those five years in Law School for anything in this world. I grew so much, learned so much about the world and myself. I discovered a core part of my personality, my activism.

Yet I wasn’t happy, not truly. And as graduation approached, I became more and more anxious because I just couldn’t imagine myself living the life of a lawyer for the rest of my years. I just couldn’t. And that pesky acting dream just wouldn’t leave me alone. So, in a move that surprised everyone who knew me (even myself), I got my Law degree, passed the bar, and told my family: I am going to pursue acting now. I was 23 years old. It was December 2019.

Of all the privileges I’ve had in my family I would say my family is the biggest. Contradicting my expectations, they were (and still are) incredibly supporting. And I wouldn’t be here without them. I enrolled in the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in Los Angeles but had to postpone my studies due to Covid-19. But was finally able to attend acting school and graduated in May of 2022. And I have been re-discovering myself as an actor, as a performer, ever since. It has not been an easy road, but I have never been happier.

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 has definitely not been an easy journey. Not only did I have to deal with my own personal and internal misconceptions about acting and what success means, but also the industry itself. Just getting to LA was a struggle due to COVID-19 and Brazil’s delay and negligence in getting the vaccine. And again, for someone who never really acted on a professional level before, to enter the professional acting world at 25 years old in a different country, I was completely lost. The industry is tough, and you really need to be able to navigate it and find your own niche, to find ways to use your craft, let your creativity flow and not base your whole career in waiting for others to give you the opportunity you look for. Thankfully, I have been extremely fortunate in having some great people surrounding me, all new professionals like me, and have started to build my own community and support group.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I am an actor. While at school, I was in the production of the play Men on Boats, written by Jaclyn Backhaus and directed by Amanda Zarr, as Frank Goodman/ Mr. Asa.

In this first year off of acting school and navigating the industry in LA, my most significant project (both professionally and personally) has been the short film that I have written, directed and starred in: Letargia. This was my second time writing and first time directing. The script is extremely personal and autobiographical, it follows the day in the life of a woman who is really trying but just can’t seem to get things done. It is currently in post-production and will be submitted to festivals.

Yet, in a very personal way, the greatest achievement that this short has given me is the realization that through acting, through performing I can tell my own story… and maybe people will identify and relate with it. Or maybe realize that someone they love is going through something similar. And that is why the idea of people being in charge of their own narratives is so important to me.

And I do believe that one of my greatest strengths lies in my Law background, specially in dealing with Human Rights. Moving forward, I want to combine my activism with my art, by telling stories that need to be told, without losing the very real people who are behind it, making sure, again, to give people back their own narratives.

Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?
I actually come from a family of well-known artists in Brazil, the most famous being poet and writer Oswald De Andrade, my great-grandfather. His work has been so significant to the modern artistic movement in Brazil, during the 1920s that we even studied him at school. But he’s not the only one. His daughter, and my grandmother Marilia de Andrade, is a successful ballerina and dance teacher, as well as a feminist filmmaker. And my other grandfather, Clovis Graciano, was a painter. And now, my sister, Maria Gabriela Graciano is a fashion designer and painter, the brand she works for has recently had their runway debut at São Paulo Fashion Week. So I had the privilege of growing up in a family that knows the value of art.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/malugraciano/
• Other: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm11322298/

Image Credits
Deidhra Fahey, Brandon Ruckdashel, Emile Touri, Parker Ronan