Acclaimed actress and filmmaker Isabella Rossellini was SCAD’s chosen speaker for the May 29 commencement ceremonies. Rossellini advised graduates to “just do” in order to start their careers in the arts, using her own experiences as examples. Her illustrious career began not only as the daughter of screen legend Ingrid Bergman and Italian director Roberto Rossellini, but also through her creative endeavors as a costume designer, fashion model, actress, writer and film director. Her latest projects include two series of short films titled, “GREEN PORNO” and “SEDUCE ME,” which portray the sexual habits and mating rituals of various animals and insects. Rossellini sat down with The Connector for a brief interview before Atlanta’s commencement ceremony to share her wisdom and advice for graduates entering the art world.
TC: How did the opportunity come up for you to speak at SCAD’s commencement?
IR: SCAD contacted me. So, I don’t know how the decision was made to propose my name…
TC: So, had you heard of SCAD before?
IR: Yes, I did — because I’ve been in fashion and design. And so, I knew about SCAD, but I’ve never visited it. In fact, I’ve always wanted to come and visit Savannah, but I never did. So there was also [that] opportunity. And I arrived a little earlier than my commitment [speaking at SCAD Savannah] so that I could go around and see the campus.
TC: And how did commencement [in Savannah] go this morning?
IR: It went well! (laughs) There were so many people — it was really moving, very touching.
TC: What advice do you have for graduates trying to make a career in the arts?
IR: Hmm, it’s difficult to give advice. (laughs) In my speech, I say that what helped me was always to “just do.” You know, to take any opportunity that came my way. Because often, doors are opened as you get to know people. One of the things that I realized, I think, when I studied for fashion to be a costume designer for films — and I was familiar with sets and films because my parents were in films — So, when I became a model, I never really realized how many workers there are behind the scenes. I mean, I knew there was a photographer, but I didn’t know that there were stylists and what it meant to be a make-up artist. I just thought they slapped some make-up on you. There are many levels of jobs that I didn’t know [existed]. So, I would say to do any job, even if it isn’t really what you dream of. Because once you are in that world, you find your path — you find your way. And it takes a little bit, you know. The first years, you do many different things that don’t seem very linear, but somehow at the end, it will all make sense. (laughs)
TC: Like you said, you have used many outlets for expression as an artist, including modeling, acting, directing, writing, etc. Which one is your favorite and why?
IR: They are all connected. The truth is they are all connected. To me, the great pleasure is to work with … I would work in jobs that seem to need collaboration, whether it’s for fashion or acting or writing. Sometimes I write by myself, but then realize, to film, you need collaborators. And that’s the way to find your group of friends, to work with people who are extremely talented. When I write my own little films, I have my little crew. And on my little crew, I work always with the same costume designer, the same set designer, the same photographer. And they are so good that you should see my original script and what they come up with when all of us work [together]. It’s always much better than what I could have imagined. So, I’ve always been in jobs where collaboration was very important. And that’s also when I said, at the beginning, just do anything that comes your way, because that is where you get to know your collaborators. If you’re a director, it’s very difficult to put together your crew — until you start working. And then you say, “I love that photographer; I get along with that costume designer.” So, eventually, 10 years later, when you do your own film, you can call the people that you’ve met along the way and they will enhance your work.
TC: Can you tell us about your series “GREEN PORNO” and “SEDUCE ME?”
IR: They were a series conceived for the Internet. The idea was that a lot of people might watch short films on small devices, like iPhones. And [Robert] Redford, who runs the Sundance Institute, Channel and [Film] Festival, thought that having a new canvas that was small maybe required a new aesthetic. You couldn’t show “Gone with the Wind” on an iPhone. So, maybe there were specific films that could be done for a small screen. That’s how “GREEN PORNO” got the very colorful and overly cartoonish [look]. The stories are short, also. Redford felt that on a mobile, it was difficult to look at an hour, even a half hour for that matter. And he thought that three to four minutes … and now I think they have them down to two minutes. One minute and a half to two minutes is really the right length for walking in the street and looking at a short film. So, this is a whole new world of the Internet — and traditions and formats and businesses are not yet established. We’re all experimenting. And little by little, we’re chin out, shape up. So, we will have many more answers five or ten years from now than we would have now, which is still very much in an experimental phase.
TC: I really enjoyed the visuals in “GREEN PORNO” and “SEDUCE ME.” They involve a lot of paper and cloth constructions to simulate the animal features and body parts. Were you involved in any of that construction?
IR: I draw. I draw them, but then I have my two collaborators, [designer Andy Byers] and [producer/art director Rick Gilbert], execute them. But, as I said before, if you see my drawing and then what they do … You know, when you have good collaborators, they take your ideas through the stratosphere. So, I always feel like, I feel embarrassed when I say, “I draw.” Yes, I do draw the basics. I write the script, I draw the basic solutions. But, then, they bring out so many details that are charming.
TC: Would you ever collaborate with students on any of your artistic endeavors? Or have you already?
IR: We have apprentices that we bring on our sets. It’s difficult to write — I feel like [with] writing, it would be difficult. I have some scientific collaborators, people who would know about the animals and the science. Though, one of the scientists wanted to co-write with me and that became a little bit difficult. Because so much I write for myself and I write for my own delivery, so I know how to … I think a writer sometimes is part actor, so he writes thinking — the actor has to own the words, you know. They have to make it up. So, when I write for myself, it’s automatic. When somebody writes for me, I still have to change it further. So, that really hits some sort of nerve and tension. But, you know, it’s very useful to have [scientific collaborators] help me with the science, definitely. And then, we do have people that help, but our operation is so miniscule. We are nine people and we do everything, so we don’t really have … we can’t accommodate a lot of people to come, which I really want to — [people] to come to learn.
TC: Both of your parents [actress Ingrid Bergman and director Roberto Rossellini] were great creative talents. Did they influence your own artistic endeavors? Or did they give you any advice?
IR: Well, you know, there isn’t that one [piece of] advice that is the silver bullet … Unfortunately, my parents died when I was relatively young — in my twenties. So, they hadn’t really seen my work. But, I do think that they influenced me immensely. You know, I do think that. Sometimes people say, “You make such original choices in your films” or even in “GREEN PORNO,” and I would say, “Really? Well, that’s what my parents did.” They were original, too. So, maybe the easiness at which I go from a commercial film to a non-commercial film to feeling confident that [I] can do an experimental film and everything would be alright — it might have come from the family.
TC: Great. Well, thank you so much.
IR: Thank you.