“We must remember that we are free, strong and aware women. We must learn patience from sport and tame anxiety, like I did.” Word of Barbara Venturato, actress born in 1995, on Rai1, on 12 and 13 February, in the miniseries “Mameli, the boy who dreamed of Italy” and soon in the other two series, “Doc – in your hands” and “Concordia”.
In the series, the 28-year-old from Vicenza plays a marquis, Geronima, who, trapped in a patriarchal context, chooses to be at odds with that world. “We are in the Risorgimento and the mother says to Geronima a phrase that remains: What can we do if our destiny is already written? Why – I ask myself – associate the idea of the future with the fact that everything is already written? This is the question that all of us women inherit. Of course, society has changed. But there is still a lot to do to feel free and equal.”
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Why is being a woman still difficult?
“It should be natural to know that we are women, as happens for men, and instead, it is commonly said “She is a woman, but also a manager: she has the characteristics”. As if the position held was a counterbalance to the denial of being women “.
What can be a way out?
“We must be aware that the rights achieved must always be underlined. Let’s not take them for granted, because this allows us to move towards a future in which gender equality will not just be a periphrasis”.
How much does the digital universe help or hinder you?
“We have many tools at our disposal thanks to the web and social media, but these cannot fill cultural gaps. School, on the other hand, can provide keys to working on oneself and improving oneself, as I did.”
What relationship do you have with your body?
“It has been a long journey, because we are led to think that the body is just an accessory. As I grew up, I realized that we are as much spirit as matter. And learning to understand the needs of the body was fundamental. In the Academy, thanks to the many hours dedicated to mime, to the study of body movement, I understood how to give vent to the muscles blocked on a chair for the hours of study”.
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What do you suggest to teenagers, who are often in conflict with their own bodies?
“We learn to look in the mirror and breathe on our own: by concentrating on breathing, we enter into communication with our material part. Movement is more important than aesthetics.”
Speaking of body, how important is sport for you?
“As a child I did dance, to be with my friends, then I practiced tennis for six years, at an amateur level. At the academy I rediscovered that I had muscles. Today I run and do pilates, I practice relaxing activities to listen and relax the body. I would like to start playing group sports again, because it creates a very positive network.”
How is the competition managed?
“Sport taught me patience. Being in competition makes you feel as if things around you are against you. Instead, you have to feel in harmony with others. Tennis, in particular, taught me that the game is played in a longer time, not at cannon”
But it’s difficult to erase anxiety: can you do it?
“I often watch videos on YouTube on how to manage anxiety: I’m a big consumer of tutorials. The thing that works a lot for me, when I feel agitated, is going out into the open air and understanding that in perspective what agitates me inside is smaller and more manageable than what’s outside. Being among people makes me put everything back into perspective.”
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Often, however, disappointments and defeats are inevitable: how do you react?
“It helps me to think that we are privileged and that we have the time to change our path. Defeat makes you grow: it’s an experience… tomorrow will be better. In the Academy they repeated to us: remember to have a path ahead because life is a marathon.”
Do you have your own technique for dealing with the challenges of everyday life?
“I write on a sheet of paper and proceed by thematic areas. I list concepts, names, words inherent to what I have to face. I make concept maps”.
What relationship does it have with rest and sleep?
“Before going to bed I stretch. I lie upside down to lengthen my spine and relax my neck: I release the tension accumulated during the day. I struggle to fall asleep, but when I fall asleep, not even the bombs wake me up… “.
