
Giovanna Sannino: "I always have one foot in the past"
Interview with the actress who plays Carmela in Mare Fuori, ahead of the fifth season

January 13th, 2025
Sofia Atzori
When you prepare to interview someone, you never really know what to expect. Maybe you’ve formed an idea by reading or watching previous interviews, but the reality is always different. Because the timing is different, the approach, the atmosphere, the environment, the day, and even the very moment are different. The afternoon I was scheduled to interview Giovanna Sannino, a rising star of Mare Fuori and the Italian scene as a whole, I didn’t know I was about to have a captivating and natural conversation with a focused yet dreamlike young woman. She opened up a window into her existence, her work, and her inner world with great honesty.
"I am instinctive, energetic, and melancholic—very melancholic," begins the actress born in 2000. "I’m melancholic because I always have one foot in the past. I like to remember. I never like to forget anything. This also makes me a bit resentful, but I like remembering where I started and the moments of my life. I’m one of those people." Giovanna Sannino laughs and gestures, pauses to think, and all my questions blend into one seamless discussion that flows with surprising ease.
Giovanna Sannino: "I’m a student, in life"
Speaking of the past, she shares: "My passion for acting was born with me. My parents were always involved in theater. Now they do other things—my mom is a teacher, my dad a doctor—but I used to follow them during rehearsals, and inevitably, I absorbed something that stayed alive in me. I did my first play when I was 5 years old. At 13, I started working just for fun, and I never stopped." She adds: "I don’t remember a moment in my life without theater, without the rhythms of the stage dictating my time." An alternate reality where Giovanna isn’t an actress, then, seems impossible. Not that she hasn’t thought about it: "Initially, my dream was to become a doctor. I wanted to be a pediatrician because I love children, but I lack the courage. I only saw the beautiful, positive side, but unfortunately, it’s not always like that." Another striking thing about Giovanna Sannino is the natural way she drops profound statements here and there, almost as if by chance. "I’m a student, in life. That’s my forma mentis," she continues. "But studying medicine wasn’t for me. I could also see myself in law, because I’m very stubborn."
It’s impossible not to talk about Mare Fuori, which will soon release its fifth season and has, over the years, become a true cultural phenomenon in Italy and internationally, completely changing her life: "I’m no longer alone. Wherever I go, people greet me with smiles. Today, at lunch, a girl came up just to compliment me, without even asking for a photo. It’s wonderful. Mare Fuori catapulted me into the professional world, a career I chose for myself, and that’s the positive side" she says, adding: "The negative side is the same—not being alone. There are no moments to shut everything out. In Naples, people often go by the sea to think. I can’t do that, at least not now. Finding solitude is challenging. I’m always afraid of being out of place with my friends or acquaintances because someone might approach and interrupt the moment." Her overall verdict? Positive: "It’s worth it."
Carmela Valestra in the Fifth Season of Mare Fuori
Let’s dive deeper and explore the relationship between her and the character she plays, Carmela Valestra, wife of Edoardo Conte, portrayed by Matteo Paolillo. "Carmela and I were very similar up to a certain point," she explains. "She was like the me from a few years ago, the passionate me that I still am, though to a lesser extent. The me who would charge forward like a train, even when faced with a wall, convinced I could break through it. Now we’re very different. This year, it was challenging to find common ground, to understand how Giovanna could contribute something to the character. I believe that each of us, when stepping into another person’s shoes, adds our own touch." In short, as Giovanna has grown, Carmela and Giovanna have drifted apart, much like two old friends. "Carmela is now completely different, distant—a distance that cannot be bridged. They are two lives and two worlds that will never meet, so trying to bring in my personal experiences was almost impossible. Artistically, however, this made it much more interesting, because you must embody a character you would never otherwise portray. I had to let go of this character’s hand; I couldn’t align with her. What needed to come through was her extreme loneliness."
As for the fifth season of Mare Fuori, she remains tight-lipped, but we tried to get a glimpse anyway: "The fifth season is a season of radical change, but it doesn’t betray the soul or phenomenon of Mare Fuori. A change was necessary. For me, it felt like working on a completely different project; I felt like I was on an American set. It was electrifying, with very strong vibes on set. It’s an intense season, artistically challenging and demanding," she reveals. "It represents the growth and the explosion of these characters who are stuck in a cage of their own making, unable to find the tools to break free." Curious? We sure are.
Giovanna Sannino Beyond the Series: Books, Passions, and Her Future in Cinema
However, the actress’s inner and artistic life doesn’t stop at the series. A significant part of her creativity is expressed through writing: "I love writing. A few years ago, I wrote a book about myself, capturing a brief, tough period in my life. It’s called Non sempre gli incubi svaniscono al mattino, and it made me discover the pleasure of writing. As actors, we tell stories, and I hate the fact that my work always depends on others—on endless yes or no. So, I started writing again. I’m brainstorming ideas for stories to tell on stage, and I’ve begun writing short films that we’ll produce soon. I’m writing stories, stories about other people’s lives." And what about fashion in this self-expression? "Fashion plays a limited role in my stories. I’ve found it to be a world of appearances, which scares me a bit. If you want to create art, you need something to say, as Paolo Sorrentino has also stated; otherwise, it’s all fluff. That said, I enjoy it. I have fun telling my story through my looks, whether simple, extravagant, or elegant. But it must convey Giovanna, not a façade." She applies the same cautious approach to the beauty world: "I’ve always been vain but never a slave to beauty standards. With the stress of work, I started dealing with acne, so now I practice skincare, especially in the morning. I love Estée Lauder products."
Giovanna Sannino’s advice for anyone aspiring to follow her path is simple and almost emphatic: "Study. Not just acting, but also literature and writing. This is a job of horizons and perspectives—the more you know, the better. The more sources you have to draw from, the better. Be curious, never lazy. It’s a cycle that never ends; you never truly arrive anywhere—you plant seeds. Ignore the myths that destroy an artist’s fire. Myths don’t exist; we are all unique. It’s wonderful to be our own example, to celebrate our uniqueness." And as for her future: "Lots of work. I just finished filming a very intimate movie where I’m the protagonist, which will be released in cinemas. Lots of theater. I don’t know how much I can say, so I won’t say anything. And then there’s the sixth season of Mare Fuori," she says, laughing, before turning suddenly serious and very intense: "On a broader level, I’m searching for peace. My life has become hectic. My brother turned 18, and I didn’t even notice. I love spending time with family and cultivating my friendships; I need to find balance. Work comes first, but I’d like to make it second."
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