Alice Lussiana Parente is an artist who has made the blending of different artistic languages her distinctive signature. An actress, performer, and lover of painting, sculpture, music and dance, the Turin-born artist, who has lived in New York for the past twelve years, retraced her story with ilNewyorkese as a guest on the podcast Ritratti.
It is a story that moves through artistic experiences, decisive encounters and the deep bond with the city she now considers home.
During the interview, Parente explained how her relationship with art is rooted in her childhood. Raised in a family where creativity was part of everyday life, thanks to her mother, a painter and teacher of artistic disciplines, she developed from an early age a sensitivity toward different forms of expression.
“I think I was very lucky because I was born surrounded by art and beauty. My mother is a painter and a painting teacher at a high school, so I grew up watching her paint. I think that dimension entered my heart when I was still a child.”
For her, the various artistic disciplines were never separate compartments, but complementary elements of a single education: “Dance, movement and music are still part of me, and I believe they make an artist more complete.”
The actress then recalled one of the key moments in her professional growth: her encounter with British director Peter Greenaway. She was just sixteen when she auditioned for the first time for a project at the Reggia di Venaria.
It was an experience that left a deep mark on her: “It gave me so much. First of all, it was my first real professional experience, but on an emotional level it is difficult to explain the gratitude I feel toward a master like Peter Greenaway.”
Even today, she clearly remembers that first day on set and the most important lesson she learned: “I understood that I could do this job, and above all I learned a fundamental lesson: love is not enough to make art, you need dedication. You have to work hard and have discipline.”
Another decisive encounter was with Gigi Proietti, who chose her for the role of Annika in the stage production of Pippi Longstocking. Looking back on that period, Alice Lussiana Parente emphasized above all the rigor and passion of the great Roman actor and director. “What stayed with me was his absolute love for the craft of acting, for acting as craftsmanship.”
It was an experience that lasted two years and allowed her to observe up close a master who personally followed every stage of the theatrical work: “He was extremely present, he followed every phase of the work.”
The next chapter of her life took her across the ocean. Twelve years ago, she arrived in New York with the idea of staying for only a few months, but that temporary plan soon turned into a life choice: “I had grown up with the myth of this city, of Marlon Brando, Robert De Niro and great American cinema.”
The turning point came through the chance, unexpected but revealing, to enter the Stella Adler Studio of Acting, one of the most prestigious acting schools in the United States. “My initial idea was to stay in New York for only three months to attend a preparatory summer course,” she explained. After being admitted, however, she received a form of scholarship that allowed her to attend the academy. She then made the decision that would change her life and her professional path: “I went back to Italy to prepare, and then I left. In a way, that journey never ended. I’m still here.”
New York, however, was not only about opportunity and professional growth. The actress also spoke about the more difficult side of the American experience, made of loneliness and adaptation. “If I had to choose the most difficult moment, I would say the first month. It was a very cold winter, I was alone and I didn’t know anyone. Loneliness was the greatest challenge,” she said.
And yet that very phase proved essential to her personal growth: “That is when something clicked inside me. I think it happens to many people who arrive in New York. You go through a moment when you feel lost, you want to go home and you don’t know what direction your life will take.” The answer came through school and through the relationships she built over time: “I built my New York community. The stories of success, difficulty and personal growth that I encountered along the way enriched me and made me understand that I wanted to stay in this city.”
Among the professional achievements she has earned in the United States, a special place belongs to the Golden Film Award she received in Los Angeles as Best Emerging Actress. For Alice Lussiana Parente, that recognition meant much more than a simple prize. “Receiving that award was a great confirmation. It was my first recognition in the United States, and it came right in the heart of Hollywood.”
She still has a vivid memory of the return trip: “The award was made of glass, and during the flight back to New York I held it as if it were a treasure.” It is an episode that captures well the enthusiasm and gratitude with which she experiences every milestone she reaches.
The conversation on the podcast also brought out a reflection on time and artistic maturity. At 35, Parente looks to the future with serenity and without fears related to age. “I am proud of every year I have lived, and I wouldn’t take away a single one.” It is a particularly meaningful message in a field such as entertainment, where actresses often face stereotypes and pressures related to age: “I hope to continue being proud of every year that passes and to experience this growth as a richness.”
One of the projects awaiting her in the coming months is the docufilm dedicated to the birth of ilNewyorkese, in which she will play the role of Chiara. It is an adventure the actress approaches with enthusiasm, but also with the respect she brings to every character: “I don’t know how much I chose the character and how much the character chose me. I like to think that Chiara chose me.” For Alice Lussiana Parente, the value of the work also lies in the fact that it tells New York through a story born in the city itself: “For me, telling New York through a story born in New York, that loves New York and tells its story every day, is an enormous emotion.”
Finally, the actress emphasized the value of the dialogue between journalism and cinema, a central element of the project. “I believe that communication between different languages is something very precious.” It is a concept that echoes her own artistic experience, built on the encounter between different disciplines.
