Multi Hyphenate Livia de Paolis has been surrounded by the entertainment industry and all of its magic since she took her first steps on a movie set. I.N.C.I.R, founded by her grandfather, is the only studio structure that is privately owned in Italy, and housed films from the works of Federico Fellini, Bernardo Bertolucci, and Roberto Rossellini.
Today Livia is bringing us back to the childhood story of Peter Pan, or rather to the time when the fairytale ends, and the harsh reality for Wendy Darling and the following three generations of Darling women begins. The Lost Girls is the film adaptation from the novel by Laurie Fox which Livia wrote, directed, and stars. With the help of screen legends Vanessa Redgrave, Joely Richardson and the rest of this stellar cast, Livia pulls at our heartstrings as we watch the Darling women heal multigenerational family trauma through a journey of love and re-enchantment. The Lost Girls premieres theatrically and streaming in the US, UK, Ireland, Canada, China, the Middle East, South Africa and Greece on June 17th.
NEW YOU sat down with Livia to chat about the film, the creative process, and how she incorporates her self-care ritual into her busy schedule.
1. You wrote, direct, and star in an exciting new art house drama, THE LOST GIRLS which releases in June… What can you tell us about the project without giving away any spoilers? The movie is an adaptation of the novel by Laurie Fox, which I read back in 2003 and it clearly affected me quite deeply. I’m very happy that Simon and Schuster are reprinting the novel in conjunction with the release of the film. The premise on which both the novel and the film rest upon is found in the last chapter of Peter Pan which is titled “When Wendy Grew Up”. In that chapter, as J.M.Barrie set it up, Peter comes back to visit Wendy and asks her to fly away with him once again to Neverland but unfortunately Wendy has now grown up and she’s forgotten how to fly. It’s a very moving moment when Wendy reveals to Peter that she now has a daughter. As J.M. Barrie wrote, Peter will then take Wendy’s daughter and then again her daughter “and thus it will go on, so long as children are gay and innocent and heartless.” In The Lost Girls we see Peter Pan visiting four generations of Darling women, from the original Wendy, who is now a grandmother wonderfully played by Vanessa Redgrave to her daughter Jane, played by Joely Richardson and Tilly Marsan, to her grand-daughter Wendy, played by yours truly alongside little Amelia Minto and Emily Carey, till the fourth generation played by Ella-Rae Smith and little Ava Fillery. This hyper realistic ensemble piece chronicles Wendy’s life from her childhood till her forties, when the lifelong struggle with becoming an adult that Peter Pan represents ends up greatly compromising her relationship with her own daughter Berry. The multigenerational trauma that unravels through the movie finds its emotional resolution in Wendy’s conflicted connection with Berry: it is clearly a mother/daughter story which sort of repeats itself through the different generations. By looking at four generations of Darlings and how they evolve through different times The Lost Girls ultimately speaks to women of all ages as it contemplates the contradictory human yearning for freedom and safety in a moving and upbeat story of motherhood, re-enchantment and love.
2. What has your journey been like over the years as a female filmmaker? Do you think that the industry is becoming more welcoming when it comes to women behind the camera, or are there still challenges? Compared to when I made my first feature film things have definitely changed for the better and yet there are definitely still serious challenges. I believe that the shift that shook the industry and our entire society in 2017 was kind of instrumental in getting my movie made. I first pitched it to Peter Touche of Ingenious (which is a film and media fund based in London) in March of 2018 and his enthusiasm for the project was partially due to the desire to offer more opportunities to women behind the camera and also to tell more female led stories. In that first meeting I noticed an awareness of the issue that I had not encountered before. Fast forward to 2022 we’ve seen daring work helmed by women succeeding in both film and television. I have often been told The Lost Girls is “timely” and I love to hear that – and at the same time I feel that women’s stories and issues have been timely for quite a while, so I am happy to see the industry catching up. The challenges are certainly still very present though, mostly because having had less opportunities in the past it’s been harder for women to develop the type of “resume” that could be considered competitive compared to that of a man of the same age range. And while we cheer and celebrate the success stories of the very few women that have been able to get the attention of the gatekeepers there is still an ocean of amazing and very qualified women directors that are not getting hired, and that is ultimately a loss for everyone as we lose a number of original creative voices and point of views that could and should be part of the cultural dialogue the industry generates every day, every single time someone watches something on TV.
3. You star alongside and worked with such an incredible cast… Vanessa Redgrave, Joely Richardson, Julian Ovenden, and Iain Glen, just to name a few… Did you know who you wanted to play each role, or did the actors have to audition for the film? What was it like to direct such an incredible ensemble of actors? I am still in disbelief at the amazing opportunity that I had to work with such incredible talent. Working with actors is very much the thing I love the most and that I find the most rewarding. We cast the film through the first lockdown in the UK and I was very fortunate to work with Gemma Sykes, who is a very very gifted casting director and who has been one of my closest collaborators through the process of making the film. None of the adult actors auditioned but I did take the time to look at their previous work and also at clips of interviews, before meeting them in person or on zoom. The young actors auditioned and that’s also quite a fun process for me as it’s the first time you get the chance to see scenes coming to life. All the young actors totally won my heart with their audition. Being an actor myself I understand auditioning is stressful and I was so impressed by how truly cool they were. It has been such an adventure for me to be able to approach this material with the help of a legendary multigenerational cast. Everyone contributed to each character coming to life in a very personal way and despite the obvious difficulties of making an independent film during the end of the first lockdown I am immensely proud of what we have achieved.
4. How would you describe your creative process, and what is it like for you taking an idea and making it a reality? Everything really does start with an idea, followed by the decision to commit to it. Once I commit to the idea then I’ll follow through with it and eventually it’ll become a bit of an obsession and I won’t let it go until it has become a reality. This has been my approach to the work thus far. I guess it’s safe to say I’m a “get it done” type of person. I get all sorts of ideas though, so I do take some time before committing to one as I am aware of the amount of work and time I’ll have to dedicate to the process once I commit to it.
5. How would you describe your journey from starting out in the industry to where you are now? Has the road traveled been easy or difficult? It’s been quite the journey and while I see that I have in fact traveled thus far and actually gotten somewhere I also typically see myself as someone who is just starting out. When I look back at the work done, what I treasure the most is the people I’ve met along the way, the people I worked with and the things I’ve learned from them and with them. In the past I felt that the work was dominating my life and kind of dictating all my choices but now the whole thing feels more organic and while my work is still the compass that kind of shows me in which direction I intend to move towards I no longer feel that as a constriction or something that requires sacrifices – I just feel very lucky that I get to do something I love and collaborate with people who challenge me and inspire me. So I guess yes, things have become somewhat easier, or at least what’s become easier is the way I look at things.
6. When it comes to self-care and unwinding from a long day, what would you say is your go-to ritual? I’d say my days are made of go-to rituals. I meditate regularly and I’d say that is my number one tool for clarity and self-care. I’ve been practicing yoga for the past 20 years and while you won’t find me twisted in a pretzel very often, I still experience the much raved about benefits of the practice every single time I step on the mat. Other very simple things I do to feel grounded and happy are taking a walk in the park with my dog, a nice bath or cooking a delicious meal. I think the most essential element to “unwinding” is just taking a bit of time, slowing down, savoring that time.
7. How do you maintain balance when it comes to personal and professional? Is balance something that is important to you? Balance is definitely important to me and yet I do tend to work pretty much all the time. I’m lucky though as I love what I do so I don’t feel the need to mark a sharp separation between my private and my professional life. I think over time I’m learning to create balance and a sense of presence while I juggle all the different aspects of my creative life. This is where I’m at right now, maybe things will change in the future but for now I am content being pretty much immersed in the work all the time.
8. If you could describe your life in terms of what you are hopeful for in five years what would that look like? I’d love to just continue to work. I think my ambition is mostly pertaining to the people I’d like to work with. I’m hoping to develop strong relationships with creative collaborators I can then work with time and time again. I guess that is my dream now.
9. Any advice for others who are looking to pursue a dream? I actually fantasize about offering a sort of workshop for dreamers who are ready to take action. I feel that the pursuit of a dream can only enrich the dreamer’s life and so I strongly recommend acting upon your dreams. Many years ago I was working assisting a costume designer on a theater show. I remember asking her if she thought my dream of becoming an actress was “impossible” and I still remember her answer – she thought it was very possible and the only problem was that generally people tend to give up.
10. Lastly, what’s next for you? Anything fun plans to share beyond the release of The Lost Girls? I’m very much looking forward to going on vacation with my boyfriend right after the release and I am working on a number of projects that I’m thrilled about but unfortunately as of today I’m not ready to share anything yet – that might change quite quickly though.
Photo Credit:
Photographer Jemima Marriott
Stylist JO Shippen
Hair & Makeup Emma Osborne @onerepresents
