Interviewing actress Olivia Phoenix

 Olivia Phoenix is an actress from Brazil in Ireland based in Dublin.

1-. How was your childhood? 

I was a real tomboy when I was a child. I wanted to play football with the boys out in the field nearby but my dad would go after me as he didn’t think a girls should be playing be around boys like that. But then I also loved playing with a doll I had, I called it Molly. I also like to cook rice in the grass, so yes nowadays I cook some real lovely rice. I was a healthy and active child.

2. - From what age did you decide to be an actress and how did you know you had theskills to go on TV? 

It wasn't till age 26 that being an actor became an idea. Prior to that I wanted to be a singer, and so I dreamt of making it as a singer. I was 13 years old when I sang on stage a couple of times for like a thousand people from my town, but then being an actor was an idea that was born suddenly while I was working in a café and someone, a filmmaker invited me to be in his directing debut from last year’s college. Shortly after I discovered I was expecting a baby so it wasn’t until 5 years later that I would pursue it seriously.

3. - Did your parents support you in the decision you made to be an actress?

Yes, they did, or at least, they didn’t mind. When I emigrated to Europe, I was already pretty much my own person, so anything I wanted to pursue was accepted and supported. They never discouraged me or made negative remarks about how hard it would be. Given everything I had been through in my childhood, they knew whatever path I’d take would probably be related to the arts. My father used to call me “an artist” long before I ever thought of myself that way. For him, that label came from hearing me sing when I was younger.

4. - What was your first appearance on the screens?

My first appearance was with adds I booked at the time to keep money coming in like Laya Healthcare for example. But if we’re talking about film, my first appearance was in A Dangerous Fortune, a screen adaptation of Ken Follett’s novel.

It felt a bit surreal, we often imagine this industry as so glamorous, and suddenly you're on set, then on screen, then in cinemas. You feel a certain sense of pride and accomplishment... and also that little fire that says, “Yes, I want more of this.”

5. - What was the role you liked the most?

A recent project that I worked on with students who were not actors. That was a challenging project. I cared a lot about the project. It required that I learnt the Sumerian language, as I’d have to speak poems of it during the filming. What excites me about being an actor is the possibility we encounter to learn different skills and, for a moment, embody different thinking in the process. As Ghestinnana, I thought of myself as wise and a visionary, a scribal, something very high level at that time, it had me understanding that the choices we make for the roles we want to play, are part of what we are and feel inside somehow, or at least things we are interested about.

6.- What do you think led you to fame?

I don’t consider myself famous in the full sense of the word. In the small circle I belong to, I’m known as an actor. I’m also quite modest and terrible at marketing myself, only learning it now. When I finished my training, I started booking more work, and at the time I was the only Brazilian actor around, so I stood out, different look, different voice, different vibe. I definitely made a bit of noise. Then Covid hit, and things became quiet for me. But I’m slowly making noise again, with some great work lined up and, thankfully, some solid work in the past that still holds everything together.

7-. What types of characters you would like to interpret?

The characters that really speak to me are the ones that carry some sort of trauma or grief as I had some real tough life experiences that brought sadness, so I want to give voice to characters who are going through something that can be hard to talk about. I’m quite serious as a person, or at least I have a face that can seem introverted, shy, or like someone with a chip on their shoulder. It’s easier for people to see me that way because of how I look and the way I tend to be which is quiet and serious rather than chatty or smiley.

8-. What actresses and actors do you feel comfortable working with?

I feel safe working with all, but anyone that is unnecessarily confrontational I’d avoid. That said, I’ve worked with many actors and have felt comfortable with all of them. There was one occasion in which an actor charged forward without announcing to me and I absolutely didn’t like that at all, as even in rehearsal we communicate how we are about to go with things to keep the thought process clear for both sides. This particular event it felt like the statement was personal and so I wasn’t up for working with that person anymore.

9-. In what other genres of art would you like to participate? (Works of theatre, music, among others)

I would like to do some theatre. It’s been a good few years since I worked on stage, and I believe actors need to do more theatre to build strong foundational muscles. That said, I love film and screen acting, it’s where I feel most at home for it is what I have been pursuing mostly.

10.- Do you have any anecdotes that have marked you in your life and as a person?

Yes, my mother once said, “The life you’re pursuing isn’t for us.” To me, that meant her beliefs were separate from mine. But I carried all the determination I needed to succeed, and I’ve shown her since that our beliefs shape our lives, so we’d better hold the right ones. She is currently convinced I am strong and determined.

11.- What has been your greatest achievement?

I have a few. One was traveling to Europe for the first time, I was very brave. My second was the birth of my first child; she is the light of my life. Another was completing a degree later in life. And one ongoing achievement remains : what I call resilience, my ability to endure through difficult and barren times.

12.- What projects will you make next and which ones do you have in mind?

I’m filming a short film soon where I play a police investigator, so I’m focused on that for now. After that, I’ll be composing music for a Sumerian poem short film I also participated in. Beyond that, I may begin something new, or possibly revisit a project that was in development but had to be paused.

13.- Would you like to make a movie in Spain?

Yes, I’d love to. I have a short film I co-wrote with my Spanish friend Juan from Jaén; it’s originally in Spanish. If we find the right team, we’d like to carry it on in Spain, if possible.

14.- Do you like spanish cinema? 

I love Spanish Cinema. I grew up with Almodovar Movies, Julian Medem. There Is this very distinct taste and vibe that Spanish cinema brings, it’s the story, the people, the culture, there is that heat, that southern, European Spanish heat that is quick and abrupt. Spanish cinema has that boldness, it doesn’t fear passionate emotions, trauma, and sensuality. The woman are always really strong characters, complex and very commanding figures. Me encanta!