I Want to Tell the Stories of Women

“I am pursuing an acting career at the moment, but I did not always have the awareness that this is the path I would take. It is difficult to know what you want to do 18 years old.” Beatrice Sandri, born in Brescia and currently living in Rome for work, is an emerging TV and movie star. She played one of the main characters in the film Questione di Stoffa by Alessandro Angelini, which aired on Rai 1, and also was cast in the upcoming TV series Estranei, directed by Cosimo Alemà. On her CV, you will also find mention of two Bocconi degrees. “I arrived at the university after compromising with my parents. I wanted to enroll in humanities; they suggested an economics study path. The Bachelor of Science program in Economics and Management in Arts, Culture and Communication (CLEACC) combined both aspirations. I was always a curious and focused student, so once I joined Bocconi it came natural to me to stay busy, study and work hard. And it paid off.” After graduation, she continued her education at Bocconi with a Master of Science in English — Economics and Management in Arts, Culture, Media and Entertainment. “Bocconi offered me so much and simultaneously helped me understand that my path was elsewhere. During my university years, I began to study acting and it became my passion. For a while I thought I could pursue it by working in the film industry undertaking behind-the-scenes roles, but I quickly had to come to terms with wanting to be on the other side of the camera and studying acting professionally. It was not easy to overcome this personal crisis, thinking about all the time and energy spent studying for my degrees… It made me realize, though, that if you feel like doing something, the best way out of the crisis is just to do it. So, I went for it.”

The time and energy that her university studies required, though, did not end up in vain when the alumna decided to change careers. “I may not need the technical know-how anymore, but there were many other teachable moments,” continues Beatrice Sandri. “The international environment at Bocconi gifted me not only friends who are scattered all over the world, but also an excellent command of English. I got used to traveling, becoming more open-minded, surviving in a highly competitive environment, and planning and organizing my work — all aspects that have proved useful today, since the acting industry is unstable as well. You must develop an entrepreneurial mindset and constantly grapple with uncertainty, analyzing both your weaknesses on which to work and strengths to harness in order to grow in the industry.”

There is another thread that unites the ‘old’ Beatrice Sandri with the ‘new’ — concern for the gender gap issue, which she addressed in her graduation thesis on women’s presence in the productions of major studios. Now, she is living it first-hand on film sets. “There was a precise moment in my life where I realized that I would not have the same opportunities that my brother did. With the same starting conditions, I was penalized just for being a woman. I wanted to better understand the inner workings that result in this difference, searching for answers even during my university years. For example, among the electives for my Master degree, I enrolled in a legal studies course called Gender Law and Women’s Rights, which I was extremely passionate about. I decided to examine these topics in the movie industry through my thesis research, and it is something that is very dear to my heart. Today, as an actress, I want to give a voice to women’s stories — even better if they are told and written by women themselves.”