Meet Luca Fontaine | Actor, writer, producer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Luca Fontaine and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Luca, how do you think about risk?
I believe that risk is a necessity to grow, thrive and succeed. We often envision risk as danger only and “failure” as the worst thing that can happen. I actually think that the healthiest thing people, especially artists can do is to jump in before they’re ready and step out of their comfort zone. I’ve had many “failures” in my life that I don’t even call failure because they were opportunities to try and learn which made me grow and eventually succeed in the end. The biggest failure in life would be not to take any risk, stay safely around what you think you know and never get out of it. We need to try. We need to be curious. We need to “fail”. We need to succeed. We need to take risks.
I grew up in a multicultural family between a little village in the french countryside outside of Paris, Grosrouvre, and a town outside of Venice, San Donà Di Piave. Today I live mainly in the US after having graduated from the Juilliard School in the Drama Division. I would say that taking risks played a huge role in my life and I wouldn’t be where I am today without it.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I auditioned for the first time to Juilliard in 2015 . I was coming from the French/Italian countryside to New York City. I didn’t get in that time but got very close. As we said earlier I took a risk which looked like a “failure” at first but eventually pushed me to take more risks. I came back and moved from France to London. I started from scratch once again, in a new country with a new language and culture. I stayed there for a little more than two years. I have to say that the first year has been so far the hardest in my life. It is quite a lonely city and I felt totally lost. Over time, and with the support of my parents, I was able to change my vision of things and started seeing opportunities around and meeting new people. I did a play there, a french/english adaptation of The Misanthrope and eventually shot a film in Budapest, Hungary. My time in London taught me about resilience, not taking no for an answer and the necessity to always be curious. Leaving the safe space of your house with your family is never easy but is necessary to confront yourself to life and grow as a artist and human being. I learnt a lot during that time and it made me who I am. I have learnt to ask questions, always, and be curious about the world, its people, languages and cultures. You need that to fill your soul as an actor and a person. When I got accepted into Juilliard, it was the right time. I had had my experiences, met new people, learnt about new cultures but mainly lived. Everything takes time, work, passion and determination. I was able to do my first play in New York right outside of school at LaMama (Off Broadway). It’s been an exciting journey so far which taught me that everything is possible with some work and belief.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I would take him on a hike, somewhere with water or an amazing view by the ocean. I am the happiest when I am around nature, probably because I grew up in the countryside. I would also try to go on a bicycle trip around the city. It is always fun to visit a city and certain areas by foot or cycling whenever possible. Another thing I love to do is catch a music show, a jazz jam session or concert around the city. Go out dancing salsa is also a thing I love doing. Moving to the US taught me a lot about latin culture, especially through music. A live show of Son Cubano is always something special, It’s one of my favourite type of music. Being a football (soccer) lover, I’d have to go watch a game somewhere to remind me of my french/italian roots.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I want to dedicate all of it to my family, especially my parents and brother who have always been supportive and encouraged me to take risks, go further and strive for the best and be the best in everything I do. I am who I am today because of them, period. They are the ones that signed me up to acting class and later audition for Juilliard. They are also the ones that pushed me to move to London to get experience and later re audition for drama school, after not getting in the first time. I always had unconditional support from my whole family. My Italian grandmother taught me the importance of being patient and believing. My french grandfather taught me the importance of a healthy life in accordance to nature. My french grandmother gave me the necessary spark and love for the arts. Everyone else has always and still believes in me. So I owe it first of all to myself but also to them to make it happen and realize my wildest dreams. As I heard once, and truly believe, happiness is to see the pride in the eyes of the people you care about. A career and success are made of many people that give you a hand, help you out and believe in you in the beautiful but also the tough moments. I also want to dedicate it to anyone else in my life who has been a stepping stone to achieve any goal I have and go further. Any teacher, coach, mentor, friend or stranger that consciously or unconsciously helped me on my way.
Finally, I’d say that Muhammad Ali and Bob Dylan are two great figures that always inspired me. Their mindset, vision of life and dedication to what they believe in has always been an example for me.

Website: www.lucafontaine.com

Instagram: @lucafontaine

Other: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm8026686/?ref_=tt_ov_st

Image Credits
T Charles Erikson Donatella Basso Thomas Brunot Rachel Papo