Acting Talk with Christina Mani

We had the pleasure speaking with the young talented actress Christina Mani who recently stayed in LA studying at the famous Ivana Chubbuck Studio. Christina who is also the narrator of the upcoming film of Dimitris Vorris “December Riots” told us about the experience she had in the States, about the work she has done so far as an actress and about her future plans.

 Tell us about the experience you had in the States and also how was it studying at the Ivana Chubbuck Studio.

During my visit in LA I had been actively pursuing the path to establishing a career as an actress by studying at a local school. I remember the first day I arrived in LA I met an actor who had landed roles in the movie “Fame” (2009) and in Law and Order. He suggested I should definitely take acting classes at the Ivana Chubbuck Studio. So I contacted the studio and they placed me at the advanced level. It was such an exciting and life-changing experience! Having studied in London, LA was a totally different story! I literally loved everything about  la-la land, the people, the lifestyle, the aura and I know it sounds weird, but LA felt like home…I familiarized myself with the LA area, as I was lucky to make many good friends and meet people from the showbiz industry. I also had a number of job offers, but unfortunately at that time I had to return to London to complete my bachelor degree, hoping to return back one day.

 How did you decide to get involved with acting?

Acting is all about going from “me, me, me to you, you, you”! Its about dealing with people’s psyches, examining in depth human nature and life, in other words it’s all about stepping into the unknown. That is the main reason why I got involved with acting. What’s more exciting than that? An actor can be whatever he or she wants!

Tell us about the collaboration you had with Dimitris Vorris and about your role in his movie.

Dimitri Vorris is a very talented screenwriter-producer. When I met him he was looking for the narrator of the movie “December Riots”, he auditioned me, and decided I was perfect for this role. Working with Dimitri was fun, as he is extremely professional and a very nice person, thus I believe that the end result was exceptional. The role of the narrator required a soft-spoken and melancholic spirit, as the narrator had to portray the cold-blooded execution of the 15 year old student Alexander Gregoropoulos. As the narrator of this movie, I highly believe that December Riots’ greatly honors Alexander’s memory and I do hope filmgoers around the world are going to see through the film a new perspective on the systemic corruption and the looting of Greece.

 Tell us about your hobbies.

My greatest passion, other than acting, is composing music. I have been playing the piano since I was 5. Composing is much like my art. I do it whenever my mind strikes. Melodies just pop into my brain, so composing music feels like finding the answer to life problems, while travelling to a different dimension.

I also enjoy going to the beach, as I love the sea and when the wind is good I enjoy wind-surfing. I also love to dance, but I mostly do modern dancing, and will be soon enrolling in tango classes!

What are your future plans?

Well, I am currently working on a Russian Play, “He who gets slapped”, by Leonid Andreyev, and will be playing Consuelo, “the equestrian tango queen”. Other than that, I will be working again with Dimitri Vorris on his  projects, “The Land of the Angels” and “The Carnage of the Zombies”

…I feel very excited about portraying accessible and highly entertaining characters in feature films as well as stage dramas that explore complex social issues and I feel very lucky that my life has come by a purposeful meaning through these acting opportunities in Los Angeles and in Athens.