Actress Juliana Goncalves Shares Her Journey Into Acting

We all know how difficult life can be as an entertainer, but having the right attitude and people around us is what keeps us grounded. Actress Juliana Goncalves has taken her love for acting to the other side of the world -while remaining focused -and now she is reaping the rewards for her hard work. Here is what she had to say when we caught up with her for a recent interview

Please introduce yourself to the readers and how you first got into this field of work:

I’m an actress who has been passionate about acting and the arts since a very young age - when I was 4, I started taking ballet classes and performing on stage shortly thereafter; as I got older, I also started practicing drawing, painting, and playing the guitar. Acting was always the thing I wanted to do the most, but I was a very shy child and felt very intimidated.

When I was 17 and applying to different colleges, I decided to apply for a performing arts program at a university and got accepted. I received a scholarship to attend the New York Film School when I was 19, but even with the scholarship, I couldn’t afford it at the time. Two years later, I decided to try a summer intensive program in New York to see what it was like before making the decision to move there long-term -that was the last confirmation I needed that acting was ingrained in my soul. I proceeded to work back in Brazil (where I’m from) for a couple of years to save enough money, and moved to Los Angeles in February 2017 to attend the Stella Adler Academy of Acting Conservatory. It’s been two and a half years and it was the best decision I ever made.

Who were some of your influences growing up?

Winona Ryder was a huge influence growing up, and still is today. It’s fascinating to see how she still amazes me just as much in Stranger Things as she did in Heathers, and everything in between.

What kind of training have you had, if any?

I attended the world renowned Stella Adler Academy of Acting in Los Angeles.

As an artist, what has been your favorite project to work on so far?

One of my favorite projects so far was a film called Facsimile, directed by Chloe Feller and currently in post-production. It deals with the subjects of depression, self-harm and suicide, and it was a very difficult project to work on but deeply rewarding. I’m looking forward to seeing the result!

If you had a chance to work alongside anybody who would that be?

Brie Larson, of course!

What have you learned most about this business?

Talent is nothing if you don’t put the hard work and discipline into it. And being open to opportunities and going after them, non-stop.

What projects do you have coming up?

Facsimile is currently in post-production, and two other undisclosed projects still in the early stages of production — a play and a short film.

What is your best piece of advice for aspiring artists?

The best piece of advice I can offer is, be relentless, and be unafraid. I think the hardest part is keeping yourself motivated when the hardships and rejection hits, and that’s when you need to keep your head up the most and keep moving forward.