Meet Olivia Martini | Actress, Director, Producer

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

Hi Olivia, other than deciding to work for yourself, what else do you think played a pivotal role in your story?
I really love being around people. Truthfully, a little too much. Deep down, I’m always seeking acceptance. I was terrified of not being accepted. The most important decision I’ve made was to try to overcome this. I think the best thing you can do for yourself is to constantly try things that scare you. The times in my life that were filled with the most success, I would make lists of everything that I was afraid of and then, I would do them. I remember in fifth grade ballroom dancing class, someone told me that I danced like a rag doll. After this moment, anytime I danced in front of anyone, the only thing I could think about was what they were thinking about me! This haunted me so much I remember thinking ballet classes were the scariest possible scenario I could be in. So of course, I had to do it. I quickly found out that I loved to dance. If I let myself be afraid of it I would have never experienced that. I learned I didn’t have time to worry about what my instructor thought. If I spent my energy thinking about the people watching me, I would miss the cue or I couldn’t land my grand jete. I keep that principle in my head a lot. I still worry about what people think of me, but I try to not let it stop me from landing my next jump.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
When I was eighteen, I literally woke up one day and decided I wanted to be a director. I had been an actress for as long as I could remember and up until this point it was all I aspired to be. Yet, I always felt like I was fighting an uphill battle. If I’m being real, I’m a total control freak. I’ve always been this way. I feel like it’s ingrained in girls that being controlling is a bad trait. This trait in men is exactly what creates successful businessmen but in women it’s never really found an audience. Finding a way to hide this about myself made life seem a lot easier! Acting became my deepest joy because it taught me how to find happiness outside of being in control. But every time I was on set, I had so many ideas for shots and how to bring performances out of the other actors. I would try so hard not to say anything as I have an immense respect for the vision of the writers and directors. Professionalism is incredibly important to me. Then it came to me that maybe I could be the director. On that day, I realized that this trait I spent so long hating about myself is exactly what’s going to make me successful. I decided to channel that and focus on how I could make control into a helpful thing for myself and others. My directorial debut, Seen (2023) premiered at The Chinese Theatre about a week ago. My biggest dream is to direct and act in my own film. This would perfectly encompass my skills and I’m already working on it. I’m also learning how to write and produce because I think it’s important to try everything. I just finished shooting a short yesterday that I co-wrote, produced, and acted in. I really want to inspire women to try to work through their beliefs about what they can and can’t do and to push themselves.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I was born and raised in L.A. I honestly like to do touristy activities because it reinforces my appreciation for growing up here more. My version of L.A. is simply based on convincing myself I’m living in a movie. The first thing you need to do to experience Olivi(LA) is the Sunday Sunset drive. It begins with brunch on Beverly, followed by a drive along Sunset boulevard all the way to PCH. We will go up the coast with the top down until you start shivering and politely ask me to go home. The next day, we have to forget everything and pretend we’re in Italy. We start the day off at the Getty Villa, spend the afternoon walking around Westwood village, and end up in Studio City for gelato at Fatamorgana. After that, we will take the long and treacherous venture to the east side. I really love Huntington Gardens because it was my favorite spot as a kid. During the drive, you will listen to me babble on about everything nostalgic to me ever. I’m sure you’re going to want to see an iconic landmark, which means we have to catch the sunset at Griffith Observatory. I think this is the absolute best thing to do in the city. While we are going up the hill, I will play The Rebel Without a Cause score so we can get the full immersion. As the sun goes down, I’ll surprise you with a reservation at Musso & Franks where we can act like we’re movie stars.

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’m more than grateful to all the friends I have who stayed by my side through all the years. My friend Emily Hopper, has really been a huge inspiration to me. Not only has she been a wonderful, understanding friend of seven years (a very long time for me) but she is also an incredible success story. We met in an acting class and I was blown away by her talent, specifically her ability to do impressions. Every time I’m sad, she calls me as Jennifer Coolidge. It’s impossible to be sad after that. It was so amazing watching her in Moxie (2021) as I know how much she looks up to Amy Poheler and it was so cool to watch her work with her idol. She killed it and the reviews were craving more of her. It’s her dream to be the first bi-lateral amputee in a Marvel movie and I know she is not far from accomplishing it. She’s never afraid of sharing her dreams and her heart with the world and there is nothing more beautiful than that.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/olivemmartini/?hl=en

Other: https://pro.imdb.com/name/nm5387761?ref_=hm_prof_name

Image Credits
Mawj Gulistani, Miguel Castillo, Roxanne Pasiliao