Editor’s note: This edition of 20Q with Lorenza Izzo was written by Tori Lynn Adams and was originally published on Playboy.com in July 2019.
Q1: Los Angeles plays a crucial role in Once Upon a Time In Hollywood, Quentin Tarantino’s latest film, in which you have a relationship with Leonardo DiCaprio’s character, a struggling actor. The film has been described as a tribute to the Golden Age of Hollywood. In that respect, the city sounds a character in its own right, correct?
The movie is four-hour epic that intimately takes you through what Hollywood was like in that golden era of filmmaking. As I saw it, it’s a personal love letter to Hollywood, Quentin’s hometown. It is about the ups and downs and ebbs and flows of that decade of the 1960s, when so much change happened within Hollywood.
Q2: Is it true that Playboy Bunnies make an appearance?
Playboy Bunnies do make an appearance. PLAYBOY was one of the big cultural powerhouses at that time—it was a pioneer in its explorations of sexuality and sensuality. It’s cool that I get to do an interview with PLAYBOY in a such a pivotal year for the magazine, and for the world in general.
Q3: What was it like diving into the turbulent era of the ‘60s?
My character is Italian, so I not only got to dive into the world of the ‘60s, but the world of the ‘60s in Italy. The film starts in 1967, but most of the movie takes place in 1969. It’s interesting that no matter how far away countries can be, the sentiment of a decade—or of an era—really does translate everywhere. The history of that time is so rich. So much was happening politically, economically, culturally, and all of them are intertwined. Even music and fashion were representations of what was happening at that time.
Q4: From Woodstock to Neil Armstrong walking on the moon to the Stonewall Riots, 1969 was a watershed year for this country—one that signaled a news sense of liberation and progressive attitude. And then the Manson Murders happened.
It was the first time that murders were televised and celebrated. It’s one of those first events that shifted the way we looked at tragedies. It became something that you could consume. In a sense, was Manson a Kardashian? One could argue that American history has always had that. The way the public digests news is very much like going to the movies.
Q5: How did your perspective on the Manson murders change after working on the film?
For me, black and white is not always black and white. I think that’s so much of what’s happening today with “fake news” is how you digest news. There’s a big difference between what happened and the fantasy around it.
Q6: How does your character fit into the film’s overall narrative?
My character, Francesca Capucci, is not based on a real person. She is an homage to different types of people. Francesca is an Italian actress, and she has a joie de vivre about life. Tarantino is known for making these female characters who are powerful and not what you’d expect out of a woman, and she fits into that.
Q7: What is working with Tarantino like?
Tarantino is a true magician in the way he writes. He is, first and foremost, one of the most exceptional novelists of his generation. I think that’s what he’s masterful at; it’s how he tells the story. He will tell it in a way that you do not expect. He will go against every set rule and completely do a 180 on you.
Q8: I heard that on his sets everyone has to put their phone away and because of that, everyone becomes more connected to each other. Is that true?
You’re not allowed to bring your phone on the set. You have to leave it at “Checkpoint Charlie,” as we call it. It’s so much fun, because you are forced to connect between scenes. I really changed my performance. It’s agonizing at times when I realize how much time I spend looking at a screen and how dependent I am. That set is such a special set. You know, that crew works together in every single project. It’s like entering this very well run machine and at the same time, family.
Q9: I’ve seen some prolific feminists on Twitter pushing against the male-centric storyline. As a woman, what is your take on this?
We’re living in a climate where everyone is very reactionary. There’s not a lot of time for reflection because of social media. People are quick to react rather than sitting down and analyzing it.
When I hear something like that, I’m like, “I’m sorry. This is an entertainment business where people tell stories.” Quentin sat down and wrote a beautiful story. We are all entitled to have our opinion about it. However, we are not entitled to attack him for not giving a certain character or a certain storyline more attention. That’s not our place. I mean, look, if I’m directing a movie and I have Margot casted, I’m giving her everything! [laughs] But that’s just me, you know?
People become so aggressive, that they don’t realize that they’re doing exactly what they are fighting against. If you feel angry, I respect that. Feel that anger. That’s a fair feeling to have. However, in order for us to evolve as a society, we have to move forward with love, not with incendiary comments. It’s easy to look at people’s faults and push back and tweet. It’s so easy to be angry. Love takes so much more effort.
Q10: Anne Frank famously said, “I still believe, in spite of everything, that people are truly good at heart.” Then you look at a person like Charles Manson and that becomes hard to reconcile. Do you think people truly are good at heart?
I think people are naturally good. It’s so easy to just look at all the bad shit that we’ve done as a race. I just think we’re all so imperfectly human. And as human beings, we have feelings, emotions, drives, and urges that we can become imbalanced. We’re meant to screw up, because we’re built to learn and adapt. When you look back at all the big horrors in our history, the wars, famines and all the awful things that have happened, in a sense it’s all been about growth and evolution.
“Women are being given more opportunities to write, direct, and produce. I feel a responsibility to take on roles that actually benefit women.”
Q11: On a personal level, what is something that you struggle with?
I always feel like I’m never enough. I grew up surrounded by love, but somehow at a very young age, I developed a feeling of never being enough, and that has held me back. It’s very easy for me to tell myself lies about who I am or where I’m at and what I can do. We live in a world where phones can make us very self-involved. We think everything is about us. You’re looking at yourself through a lens all the time, and you’re comparing yourself to other people and other lives.
I mean look, I’m an actress. I’d be lying if I said ego wasn’t getting in the way of things. I got into acting because I love making people laugh and I love communication. Growth comes from communication and honesty. I think that’s why I do what I love. Each role I do teaches me more about me. It gets tricky when you get too in your head about it. But then it’s nice to drive home and see the Hollywood sign, and I’m like, “What the fuck? I’m living in LA!” I think, in that sense, I’ve done good. I’ve never lost sight of how cool all of this is.
Q12: What are you longing to see in future roles?
Growing up in Chile, I missed seeing badass Latin superheroes. I’ve always said like I’d love to play Bond, but I don’t want to be a Bond girl. I’m really trying to manifest that into being.
Q13: We’re finally seeing characters on screen that you don’t normally see. Why do you think that is?
Netflix has completely changed the industry. It’s exciting to get to be a part of a time where things are shifting and we don’t know where it’s going. There’s more room for people that before didn’t have the opportunity before. That’s going to open up stories that we were never exposed to before, and we’re starting to see that. I think that is really fucking cool. That’s what makes my work fulfilling.
As a woman, I am thirsty for opportunities and excited about the fact that there’s change. Women are being given more opportunities to write, direct, and produce. I feel a responsibility to take on roles that actually benefit women.
Q14: What drives you as an actor?
A big drive in my life is to make my family proud. I’m from Chile, South America. I came to America with a dream, not really knowing what would happen with it. There’s no formula that guarantees you’re going to become a successful actor. Slowly but surely I’ve somehow managed to make a real career out of that dream. I got to see the film in Cannes for the first time, and I got to be there for that seven-minute standing ovation, and it was truly a “pinch me” moment. And mind you, I’m not the lead character. I could be a tree, just to be on a set run by Tarantino. Are you kidding me? Of course, it’s like the height of my career. I remember Margo and I went to dinner and we were gushing about the fact that we could be in a movie like a Tarantino movie.
Q15: What are you passionate about outside of acting?
I have learned that I can’t separate my personal life from acting. The more I grow as a human being, the more I grow as an actor. I think they’re directly related. You can’t separate one from the other.
“I was taught to not be empowered by who I was. It’s been a lot of therapy and hardships to accept my body and myself.”
Q16: You recently went through a divorce. Your ex-husband, Eli Roth, told the press, “We are divorcing so we don’t fucking kill each other.” I love that you guys handled it with a sense of humor. What did you learn from getting married and getting divorced?
Life is all about change. It never fucking stops. With a marriage and a divorce, things change a lot. It’s real-life taxpaying shit. I was lucky enough that my ex-husband is a beautiful human being. We had the most incredible relationship. I love that guy. I mean, he’s awesome, and I looked up to him, and I still do. I learned so much from our time together as husband and wife, and now I’m learning a lot as an ex-husband and ex-wife.
With every big change in my life it just makes me realize I am part of a much bigger thing. I remember that happened when my dad passed. It was one of the most difficult experiences of my life, but it gives you a new sense of awareness.
Q17: Looking at love now, how does that look for you? How has your perspective on relationships changed since getting divorced?
I’m a mother-fucking hopeless romantic. Since I first felt what it was like to be in love, I’ve never not been in love. I love my friends. I love my sisters. I love my partners. Love is single handedly the most epic part of life. It’s so incredible, because my mom’s journey has been insane. My mom was married three times.
Q18: That’s a beautiful way to look at it. As a society, we put so much pressure on one relationship working for our entire life.
It’s funny because when I got married, I fully believed that was the person for the rest of my life. The next time I do, it’ll be the same thing. I have my own perspective on monogamy, but it’s 2019 and people should be free to love whoever the fuck they want to love—whatever gender, whatever country, whatever religion. People should do it however they want to do it, whether it’s traditional or not traditional.
Q19: I feel like we also take nudity way too seriously as a society. You seemed so comfortable on set today. What’s your perspective on it?
I find the female body to be one of the most beautiful things in the world. Once you strip everything off, the clothes and the trends, you discover who you are. I was taught to not be empowered by who I was. I struggled with eating disorders and self-worth growing up. It’s been a lot of therapy and hardships to accept my body and myself, and understand that who I am is enough. Today, I am completely comfortable with who I am on the inside and outside.
It’s so dependent on the context though. It comes down to the people around you on set. You want to feel comfortable, safe and not judged. Today, Sophie made me feel comfortable in that intimate setting. I was a model before I was an actress and I had a lot of really icky situations with photographers where I really thought that’s just the way it went. It’s so refreshing to be respected and given the opportunity, many times, to make decisions and change my mind if I don’t feel comfortable. I think that’s important.
Q20: What has been the biggest life lesson you’ve learned in your twenties?
When I first moved here there were a lot of boxes I had to check. I was like, “I want to win an Oscar.” I still do, but I’m 29 years old, about to turn 30, and life has become simpler. I want to have an incredibly rich life—rich in the sense of family, friends and traveling. That really drives me. I strive to be content—happiness is a fleeting feeling.
For the longest time, I believed life was like a race. Like if I got to a certain point and if I got a certain movie, then I’d be happy. Or if I got married, then I would be happy. If I weighed a certain amount, I would be happy. But that’s bullshit. We’re all doing our best. I’m not that important. I’m part of a much bigger picture, and there’s freedom in that.