L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, AUGUST 20, 2015 www.italoamericano.org 16 L'Italo-Americano ITALIAN SECTION | W i t h F a n t a s t i c F o u r currently in theatres actress Kate Mara, w h o p l a y s S u s a n S t o r m , t h e I n v i s i b l e W o m a n , i s f i n a l l y g e t t i n g h e r s p o t i n t h e s u n among Hollywood stars, after y e a r s o f s u p p o r t i n g r o l e s . Despite the heavy criticism the m o v i e h a s r e c e i v e d a n d t h e production troubles splattered over every industry publication, F a n t a s t i c F o u r i s s t i l l a superhero blockbuster that can broad the notoriety of its cast members. K a t e ' s l a s t n a m e w o u l d suggest that her Italian roots lie on her father's side, whereas it is really her mother who is of I t a l i a n d e s c e n t ; M a r r a c c i n i being the family name. There's an added value to the actress's f a m i l y . S h e w a s b o r n i n t o American sports royalty. Her p a t e r n a l g r e a t - g r a n d p a r e n t s were the founders of the New Y o r k G i a n t s f o o t b a l l t e a m , while her great-grandparents on h e r m o t h e r ' s s i d e w e r e t h e f o u n d e r s o f t h e P i t t s b u r g h Steelers. Throughout generations her extended family has been in c o n t r o l o f b o t h t e a m s ; a s o f today her father is a scout and t h e v i c e p r e s i d e n t o f p l a y e r evaluation for the Giants, while her mother is still tied with the Steelers. A trip to the ballpark f o r K a t e a n d h e r s i b l i n g s (including sister Rooney, also an actress of The Girl with the D r a g o n T a t t o o f a m e ) h a s always meant a family reunion. B o t h K a t e a n d h e r y o u n g e r sister, whose first name is really Patricia, have their mother's maiden name Rooney as their m i d d l e n a m e ; t o a v o i d confusion Patricia uses it as stage name and goes by Rooney Mara professionally. Kate was the first to start in the business with a brilliant debut, when she w a s o n l y 1 6 y e a r s o l d , i n Random Hearts directed by the late Sydney Pollack, which saw her playing opposite Harrison Ford and Kristin Scott Thomas. L a t e r s h e a p p e a l e d t o h e r f o o t b a l l b a c k g r o u n d b y a p p e a r i n g i n W e A r e M a r s h a l l , s t a r r i n g M a t t h e w McConaughey, which recalled t h e a f t e r m a t h o f t h e 1 9 7 0 Marshall University plane crash that took the lives of most of the football team. In her career she has taken part in several O s c a r n o m i n a t e d f i l m s l i k e Brokeback Mountain and 127 hours but it was TV that made her face a familiar one with l a r g e r a u d i e n c e s . F i r s t , a s c o m p u t e r a n a l y s t S h a r i Rothenberg in the fifth season of the action filled series 24 and more recently in the critically acclaimed House of Cards. In the Netflix's political drama Mara played the part of Zoe Barnes, an ambitious reporter from Washington, D.C. with seductiveness and intelligence in her array of qualities, which ultimately gained her an Emmy Award nomination. As it became apparent with the release of Fantastic Four the actress is at a 'turning point' in her career and for that she was recently crowned Women in Film Max Mara Face Of The F u t u r e A w a r d 2 0 1 5 . I t ' s a r e c o g n i t i o n t h a t t h e I t a l i a n fashion house awards annually to an actress able to embody grace and style in and out the m o v i e r o l e s . T h e M a r a m o t t i family created the award about ten years ago to support women in developing their talent and e m p l o y e d t h e h e l p o f t h e organization Women in Film, which encourages the idea of w o m e n b e i n g e q u a l l y r e p r e s e n t e d i n t h e i n d u s t r y . K a t e f l e w i n f r o m B e l f a s t , where she had been shooting M o r g a n , a s c i - f i t h r i l l e r produced by Ridley Scott and d i r e c t e d b y h i s s o n L u k e , exclusively to be present at the lavish party taking place at the C h a t e a u M a r m o n t i n L o s Angeles. More than the award itself, h e r r e a s o n t o a t t e n d w a s t o show her gratitude and confirm how the stories she chooses to t e l l c a n a n d d o m a k e a difference. In fact she's become more and more conscious about c h o o s i n g p r o j e c t s t h a t a r e challenging and can enrich her life. It may be working with a director she admires or wanting to explore a subject she would like to get more knowledge of, s h e w i l l a l w a y s g r a v i t a t e towards roles outside of her comfort zone. Also, as she grew older, she felt the responsibility to fight for the right of women t o b e a c t i v e p a r t o f t h e c o n v e r s a t i o n i n t h e f i l m i n d u s t r y . N o t j u s t m o r e significant roles or equal pay as their male counterparts, but also the right to assume important decisional roles in the business such as producers, directors, writers. Mara recalls how too often in her past experiences she was the only woman on set; that is something she would like to see c h a n g i n g i n a H o l l y w o o d system that still sees itself as men's game. Before the end of t h e y e a r M a r a w i l l b e s e e n alongside Matt Damon in The Martian, which is supposed to be a big award contender. She will be playing an astronaut, something she says, she could have never been in real life; enclosed spaces drive her crazy. Once again it's a testament to her will to take on something that scares her in order to better herself as an artist and human being. MICHAEL TRAVERSA Kate Mara, breaking through with Fantastic Four and promoting equal opportunities for women Kate Mara

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