We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Antonio Cocuzza a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Antonio, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?

I wish I could say that the moment I discovered I wanted to pursue an acting career happened on stage or on a film set. I could describe the lights, the energy, the other actors, or the crew—but I can’t. Because it wouldn’t be true.

Up until I was 20, I knew that acting was the thing I loved the most. It pushed me every day to run to my hometown theater (Teatro Verdi di Pisa) as soon as the school bell rang. It gave me the chance to discover other people’s emotions, as well as my own. It offered me the space and confidence I had never felt before.

I knew I loved it—but I was always afraid of it. I couldn’t imagine a future in which I was an actor. It felt out of reach.

After finishing high school, I moved to London for two years. I didn’t want to go to university, and I wanted to focus on acting. During that time, I worked as a charity fundraiser on the street. I tried to convince people to make small donations to organizations like WWF or Cancer Research UK—and I loved it. I was in the middle of the street, stopping people on their way to work, using different techniques: singing, clowning, dancing.

And after a while, I realized two things:

Almost everyone I met out there—on the sidewalk—was an actor or a director.

That little stretch of pavement, that square, that street… most of the time, it was a stage.

I was acting again. Without a script, without a costume, without lights—just me.

Every time I tried to distance myself professionally from acting (and it happened a few times), acting came knocking at my door—through an artist who wanted to collaborate, a film, a play I hadn’t even read, or a job.
The warmth I feel when that happens is indescribable.

Every time I open that door, I remind myself—this is the job I want to do.

Antonio, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I consider the beginning of my career to be when I was selected for the Drama School L’Oltrarno, directed by Pierfrancesco Favino (Narnia: Prince Caspian, World War Z, Night at the Museum).
It was a very selective program, accepting only 14 students out of 1,000 auditioners.

At the time, I was 20 and had the chance to work with incredible teachers who introduced me to Meisner, Linklater, Laban, and countless other techniques.

Being in an environment that allowed me to build the confidence, strength, and vulnerability that an actor needs was truly life-changing.
During the three years I spent at the school, I met many wonderful directors with whom I began collaborating as soon as I graduated.

I performed as Brighella at Teatro della Pergola in Florence under the direction of Marco Giorgetti and took part in La Pergola – Confessioni di un teatro, a film directed by Giorgio Testi and starring Stefano Accorsi and Simona Tabasco (The White Lotus).
Those experiences gave me a clear understanding of the work ethic and discipline required to pursue this career.

Later, I performed a one-man show I wrote called Remember Me, produced by Teatro della Pergola and presented at the Fringe Festival in Milan and at Teatro Goldoni in Florence.
The experience of being alone on stage for an hour was both terrifying and extraordinary. It helped me realize that I didn’t just want to be an actor—I wanted to produce my own work, too.

Then, unfortunately, my father passed away—and that changed everything.
I felt the need to change the landscape around me, to go explore new places.

That’s when I came to New York.
I was accepted into the Stella Adler Evening Conservatory, where I learned how to act and perform in a completely different language.
It was incredibly challenging—but I loved every single second of it.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

I think the main goal in my creative journey is to work and make a living doing what I love.
I know it might sound simplistic, but for me, reaching a point in life where acting is my only source of income would be the achievement of a privilege that’s incredibly hard to attain nowadays.

Artistically speaking, I hope to collaborate with as many artists as possible.
I hope that my journey toward artistic fulfillment will be shaped by people who challenge my perspective and push me to grow.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

I think the most rewarding aspect of being a creative is the ability to put into art your thoughts.
Often when I speak to people, I feel that the realm of the words is to small for me.
Having the freedom to have someone witness your thought process through a show, a painting, a book it’s incredible.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: antonio.cocuzza

Image Credits

I can’t remember the names of the photographer