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

Hi Julia, thanks for joining us today. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?

I think there are a lot of answers to this question. At different points in my career, both as an actress and as a theater director, there have been projects that were really important and shaped each phase. Sometimes because they taught me things that I still carry with me today, or because they gave my career a big boost… I think for each of those moments, there are special projects that are really memorable.

A more recent milestone that was super important for me was moving to NYC. I’m originally from Brazil and I’ve been living here in New York for three years now. I came with a lot of courage and a desire to study the Lee Strasberg acting Method, which I’d always wanted to dive into. I learned a ton! It was definitely a bit risky to start over in a new country, kind of from scratch, but I’ve been really rewarded with the projects I’ve done here. One that I’d like to mention is a play called “Saudades”, which was my professional debut here in NYC. It was directed by Marina Zurita, who’s also Brazilian, and written by a Brazilian playwright, Fernando Segall. We performed it in Manhattan and at the Jack Theatre, in Brooklyn. It was so special to play this character, an immigrant fighting to survive in this country… It’s a beautiful story about her relationship with her daughter. It was a really delicate piece. I’d say this moment has been super fruitful for both theater and film projects, and I’m really making the most of it.

Julia, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

As I mentioned, I’m an actress and theater director, and also a voiceover artist. I started working as an actress pretty young, in my teens, mostly in theater. I come from theater; I usually say my roots are grounded in stage acting. I graduated from the University of São Paulo in Brazil, I also studied at the Célia Helena Acting Conservatory, and recently I graduated from the two-year Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute program here in New York.

Some of my most important theater credits include playing Ania in “The Cherry Orchard”, Electra in “The Atridas”, and Alma in “Summer and Smoke”. In film, I starred in “The Young Baumann”, which played in Brazilian and European festivals, like in Madrid, Cartagena, and Brasília. More recently, in New York, I did an adaptation of Chekhov’s classic “The Seagull in the Hamptons”, where I worked with the director Tom Rowan. I also worked with Chilean director Atilio Rigotti and I’ve been part of the cast of the feature film “Awake”, directed by Peter Azen, “Blood Drive”, by Gurinder Singh, and “Terra Natal”, by Lucas Manuel-Sheibe.

As a theatre director, I was the artistic director of the Brazilian theater group Teatro da Peste for six years.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

I think I have a lot of different goals, both specific and general… There are areas in the industry I’d like to explore more. I really want to focus more on film and TV series, taking on characters that challenge me in new ways within these audiovisual spaces. Being in New York and figuring out what kind of space I can occupy in this industry, especially as a Latina, is also something I’m thinking a lot about. I guess the big thing, my main goal, is to never lose my curiosity and to always push myself artistically and keep working on the craft.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

I think in this job it’s important to focus on the rewarding things it brings, specially because it’s such a rough profession! Lots of no’s, a lot of challenges when it comes to producing independently, etc. For me, the biggest reward is having a creative, imaginative, and sensitive practice.

The world, the society, really needs that breath of fresh air that art brings. It’s a profession that connects with people through a sensitive, subjective perspective – which I think is pretty essential, vital even. Art has this role of expressing and communicating about the present moment, and that transforms the audience individually. It brings relief, makes people think, shakes things up, heals, processes, and creates a sense of urgency for change in the world. I think being able to work with that, while actually enjoying what you do, is incredibly rewarding.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.juliaburnier.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/juburnier/