Gabriella Pession, born in vibrant Daytona, Florida, has led an illustrious life and career that spans the globe, featuring in major productions such as FOX’s acclaimed “Wilfred” and Disney’s captivating “Tell Me Lies”. A true multi-hyphenate creative, she also boasts a distinguished background as a competitive ice skater.

Recently, Gabriella completed filming Peacock’s epic new drama, “Those About To Die”, and is eagerly anticipating the highly-anticipated release of “The Count of Monte Cristo”. Additionally, she is even going behind the screen, working on writing her own series, “Mamma, non mamma”. We connected with this exceptionally talented actress to discuss her profound love for her starring role in the upcoming “Those About To Die”, her dedicated work on the new season of “Tell Me Lies”, and how the quality of writing plays a pivotal role in her decision to take on projects.

Hey Gabriella! Can you tell us about your character “Antonia” in “Those About to Die”?

My character, Antonia, in “Those About to Die” is the role I’ve been waiting for throughout all my career. I think as an actress it is a gift to get to play a role like this because it’s a very complex role – it’s a role that allows you to play with every color crayon you have in your pocket. She can be very evil, cruel, sexual, manipulative, fun, crazy, sadistic, tender, childish, vulnerable, angry, passionate – it’s a role that sums up all of the best emotions an actor can play within a single role.

Antonia is a patrician, of noble blood, and she is married to Marsus. He is not a noble, but is a military guy who she is really trying to make the Emperor. She is really the one pulling the strings; she is the manipulative, political mind behind her husband. She is the strategic mind – the one who sees things through and makes sure things turn out the way she wants them. She really seeks power, particularly through her husband (since at that time women were not able to have political power in their society). She is able to “stay behind”, but really she is the one who is moving things and pulling strings. Many of the things that occur during the show are provoked by her and her twisted, audacious, manipulative, clever mind. She is very calculating; knowing how to manage her emotions and play them to her advantages. She lives in a world of men, constantly facing the misogyny that comes with that. While it is easy for women to be left behind in a man’s society, she does not allow that to happen – she really is the boss. She’s the boss bitch of the Roman Empire.

To be given the opportunity to play Antonia was the dream of my career – it’s the role of my heart.

What was it like working with Roland Emmerich on “Those About to Die”?

Working with Roland has been one of the most nourishing, outstanding, unbelievable moments in my career. I started my career with Lina Wertmüller, who directed Swept Away – she was the first woman ever nominated for an Academy Award, and won three years ago. I started my career with her – she was my master, my teacher.

I had a large gap after that where I could really find a maestro – someone who really guides you, has a vision. A visionary, really – an artistic genius. Roland is all those things. He is so devoted to the set; he is a director who can have constant energy throughout the day and see every little detail in every single shot – he has epic visions that he makes fun. It was fun to play around, fun to be on set! It was an all-around amazing experience for me, and we became really good friends. I live in Rome, and he has been here for so long that we would occasionally go for dinner after being on set and talk about a variety of things. Everyone else was shooting outside of their own countries – I think I am the only person in the cast who is Italian – so making him feel at home while working alongside him has been one of the most incredible experiences of my career.

The new season of “Tell Me Lies” is set to drop soon. How has your character evolved in this new season?

Tell Me Lies has been a very nice prize for me because I shot the first season while I was living in Los Angeles, and then I moved back to Europe – to Rome. I didn’t expect to be taking part in the second season until the showrunner, Megan Oppenheimer, called me and said: “We all fell in love with Marianne and would love to write a storyline for her”.

It’s a really cool one, and I can’t spoil any details – but I can say that in this season you will see Marianne more than just behind her desk as a teacher. You’ll see some other aspects of this woman – who is a grown-up woman with a husband (played by Tom Ellis) really living in a younger world – and you’ll learn some interesting things about her that will make the audience jump in their seats. Megan is such an extremely talented showrunner who is able to put together the most interesting characters, filled with the dark and light simultaneously.

This year, we are going to see not just the teacher – but the woman and the wife. I can’t wait for everyone to see it! It was super fun to shoot.

Your career is diverse and spans different genres and countries. How do you choose your roles?

I choose my roles based on the writing. Without a real connection to what I am reading or instinctive impact, I can’t really do a role. That’s really the first element of when I approach a product.

Obviously, the directors and producers are fundamental – a lot of elements are. But really, it starts with the writing. For example, when I read “Those About To Die”, I was dying to play Antonia – I was like: this is the BEST role ever written for an actress. I mean, it was such a dream. The way it was written allowed me to go to the next level of being very creative. The base of the writing was so full, rich, and fun that it actually made my job very easy in a way. It’s with characters that the writing is more flat or predictable to make them more interesting.

But whether it is a play or on screen, I really look at the writing first.

What can you tell us about your experience working on “The Count of Monte Cristo” with Bille August and Sam Claflin?

Monte Cristo has been another amazing project that I am honoured to have taken a part of this year. Bille is very different than Roland – he is very delicate, he is really one of my favourite directors. I mean, I could talk for hours about all of the directors I love.

But Bille was really one of the directors I was looking up to after seeing Pelle (Conqueror of the World) – the movie that brought him the Academy Award. I love House of Spirits as well – he has done so many amazing movies. He is so amazing; it was really a dream come true.

But again, this role comes from a masterpiece of literature. I read Monte Cristo when I was in school many years ago – it is an old and long book, but it is so entertaining and fun to read. It is really modern, in many ways, the way Dumas wrote it. I remember reading it and loving the story and all of its characters.

This has been a very different experience for me, because it is based on a very famous book. You start from reading the script, the novel, meeting with the director, and also reaching for inspiration within yourself. A lot of things came together for me to play Hermine – the costumes were stunning too – it’s really a magnificent role. It’s a woman that goes through the most tragic, probably, thing in her life – she doesn’t know if the son she gave birth to is alive or dead. She is really eaten alive by this guilt and weight that she can’t handle – she descends into a world of madness and denial. It’s a great role.

Sam is unbelievable – I think he is one of the most talented young actors at the moment. I saw him in Daisy Jones & the Six – he is outstanding as the Count. Jeremy Irons has been one of my crushes throughout all my childhood – I was so in love with him after I saw The Doubt.

It has been an amazing experience; very different – amazing location. We shot between Paris, Malta, and Tirin, and Bille was such an amazing director. He shoots what is essential – never too many takes. He really allows you to trust him. We would often do one take, and it would turn out just amazing. To be working with a director who knows exactly what he is doing has been such an amazing experience.

What future projects or roles are you most excited about?

My future projects are hopefully shooting the second season of my love, Those About to Die, and bringing back Antonia, my favourite role of all time.

I am also writing my first TV show, along with three other female authors – we are quite far into writing and should go into production next year. That series is eight episodes for the main channel in Italy called Raí Uno, and I will also play the lead. It’s the first time that I will see something that I have created be realized, and it’s an amazing journey. It’s very different – very creative, nourishing, satisfying, and very free. Very free because I was not just playing a role, I was building the world and the other characters in it. Creating how things move and evolve over time is incredible – writing is the most creative and amusing thing I have ever done, probably. Hopefully this will not be my last time!

I am also putting together a production of Hedda Gabler, adapted by Patrick Marber (who is a Tony-award winning director and genius of our time). This time, Patrick will come and direct me in the very first Italian production of the show. Ruth Wilson played this role and was a massive success, but I am working on making this dream come true and come to Italian stages.

You also write screenplays and scripts. Do you feel that will be a focus for the rest of your career?

Writing has been, as I said before, one of the most exciting new steps in my career. I’ve always had ideas; they were always at the mental level or jotted down in notebooks here and there. But to structure the idea and have a team around it, and to be able to find producers to make the team work and deliver a new show – it’s something so fun. I’ve been very lucky as well to find extraordinary women who are working with me to write and produce this show. We created a little circle of ideas – it was magical.

I am also trying to write my first feature, which is a bit more delicate because it’s a personal story. It isn’t autobiographical at all, but it is inspired by my relationship with my father. It’s about a daughter who doesn’t fully know who her father has been; it’s a bit like Big Fish – one of my favourite movies (I cry every time I watch it). It’s a very delicate process that I am really trying not to rush.

I work on a lot of projects at once. You must plant many seeds so that some will grow into trees – they won’t all, but it’s always worth the try.

Looking back at your career, is there any moment or project that stands out as particularly significant or transformative for you?

So, looking back at my career – I’ve had a few moments that have been a turning point for my career and me as a person.

Meeting Lina Wermüller was the first one; she was just a genius. She was a force of nature, and I was very lucky to play my first lead in a feature (when I was 18) in one of her movies. There was a gap of loneliness after that, where I struggled finding the right connection or inspiration.

Then Roland came into the scene, and he has been another amazing turning point in my career – on an international level. I have been waiting for an international role for years; I have been flying back and forth from Los Angeles to Italy for years, screen-tested many times for different shows. I have been frustrated and wanted to quit, gotten fed up – you know, the usual actor drama that I think we all go through. Roland came in a moment of my life when I was more mature, where I was able to be happy without necessarily being an international actor. I was at a moment of peace in my career, very happy in my life with my son and husband. But then Roland came in out of the blue with this amazing project, which I think has been the biggest moment for me and will hopefully open more doors into the international market.

You can follow Gabriella’s journey on Instagram at @gabriellapession_official.