Tatiana Luter

Tatiana Luter is the kind of presence that feels at once cinematic and elusive, a woman who grew up between Milan and Dallas, moving fluidly between two cultures and never quite belonging to one. Her mother introduced her to the ritual of going to the cinema, while modeling from age fifteen exposed her to the rarefied language of image and gesture. This duality, half dream, half discipline, has defined her trajectory, making her more than just an actress or model, but a figure who carries the weight of multiple worlds with a quiet self-assurance.

Her path into film has been similarly offbeat, cutting across Italian auteurs and international stages. Luter has appeared in Abel Ferrara’s Pasolini and Paolo Sorrentino’s Youth, both works that demand a performer attuned to atmosphere as much as narrative. She is not the type to settle for glossy archetypes; instead, her characters breathe in fragments of melancholy, resilience, and defiance, a mix that reflects her own fascination with cinema as a mirror of contradictions. Each role, whether large or small, seems to anchor her further into a career built on curiosity and refusal to conform.

Today, Tatiana Luter feels like a figure on the cusp—neither strictly European nor fully American, but something transnational, trilingual, and borderless. She moves with the independence of someone shaping her own mythology, taking projects that align less with market demands than with her own sense of art. In an industry often obsessed with clarity of brand, Luter’s appeal is that she remains deliberately undefined, a woman who understands that ambiguity, when lived fully, can be its own radical form of style.

Reserved Magazine: Where were you born, and what are the earliest memories you have of performing?

Tatiana Luter: I was born in Milan, Italy. My earliest memories of performing go back to when I was a little girl, whenever my mom’s friends came over, I would sit them all down in the living room and put on little shows for them. At eight years old, I booked my first commercial, and I remember telling my mom that with the money I earned I wanted to buy the Mel B Barbie, I loved the Spice Girls, and Mel B was my favorite. Those moments were my first stages and first dreams.

RM: How has growing up between Europe and the United States shaped your artistic identity?

TL I’m Italian-American and a Gemini, so duality is kind of built in. Italy gave me this deep love for culture and cinema, but when I visited my dad in the States, he and my stepmom would take me to the movies twice a week. Once he even took me to see Face/Off when I was six or seven, I was totally terrified, but also kind of hooked. That’s when I fell in love with the whole American cinema culture. So I grew up imagining myself in both worlds: the Italian arthouse and the Hollywood blockbuster.

RM: You’re fluent in Italian, Spanish, and English. How has trilingualism influenced your approach to different roles?

TL: Language is never just words, it carries an entire culture with it. Speaking Italian, Spanish, and English has given me three distinct lenses through which to understand a character, the passion of Italian, the fire of Spanish, the openness of English. Each one shapes how I listen, how I respond, how I inhabit a role. I recently signed with Get Agency in Mexico, which I’m thrilled about, because it allows me to expand even further into Spanish-language work. And yes, sometimes I wish I could be in Italy, Mexico, and the United States all at once, but perhaps that’s the gift of acting: you get to live in many worlds at the same time.

RM: Which family or cultural traditions from Italy and/or the U.S. do you still carry with you on set?

TL: From my Italian mom I carry a Renaissance, romantic vibe. From my American dad, the ADHD and daddy issues. Together, that’s my fire on set.

RM: Your breakout came through Italian productions. What were the turning points that led to international collaborations, the movie Maserati?

TL: The real turning point was meeting Andrea Iervolino… We were at dinner and he offered me the chance to meet Bobby Moresco in New York. I didn’t think twice, I just hopped on a plane and walked straight into his class. That connection led to Maserati, where I had the honor of playing Al Pacino’s daughter… but the real magic is now, with Bobby writing my role for Bugatti. Sometimes, life just feels like a movie, doesn’t it?

RM: You’ve worked with Paolo Sorrentino, Francis Ford Coppola, and Gabriele Muccino. What did you learn from these collaborations?

TL:  Sorrentino gave me poetry, Coppola vision, Muccino emotion. They each shaped me in ways I’ll never forget.

RM: Tell us about your role in “Maserati: The Brothers” (2025). How did you prepare for a historical drama with high-profile expectations?

TL: In Maserati: The Brothers I play Lillian Vaccaro, opposite Al Pacino, which was honestly incredible. Preparing for a period drama meant diving into the history and the atmosphere of that time, but what mattered most was finding the emotional truth in her story. Working with Al was amazing, he’s so generous on set, and you can see from his eyes the passion he still has for this job. He was so excited, even talking about his upcoming Lex Lear project, and that energy pushed me to bring even more of myself to the role.

RM: What attracted you to the projects “Bugatti” and “Bunnyman,” and how do they challenge you as an actress

TL: Bugatti is filming next year, and I’m excited to work with Bobby Moresco again. Bunnyman took me somewhere very raw and unsettling. I like projects that challenge me in completely different ways.

RM: How do you choose roles that allow you to explore “complexity and humanity” in your characters?

TL: For me, it’s about whether a role feels honest. I’m drawn to characters who carry contradictions, who aren’t easy to define, because that’s what humanity is. We’re complicated. If I can explore that on screen—both the light and the dark—then it feels worth stepping into.

RM: How do you build emotional depth while maintaining a strong screen presence?

TL: It’s about being present. If I’m really connected to what the character is feeling, the emotional depth comes naturally. Screen presence isn’t something I think about—it’s more about honesty. The more truthful you are in a moment, the stronger it comes across.

RM: In which role did you feel you truly surprised yourself, and why? How do you approach a character?

TL: Louise Gladwell in Bunnyman really surprised me. She’s the judge’s wife, played by Giancarlo Giannini, and she’s very manipulative. I don’t think I could’ve played her earlier in my career—I needed the maturity and confidence I have now. It gave me the chance to explore her complexity in a way that felt freeing as an actress.

RM: How do you establish trust with directors and fellow actors on set?

TL: For me, trust comes from just being there for each other. If you listen, if you show up prepared, if you’re willing to be open, people feel that. And once everyone feels safe, the work just flows—it feels real.

RM: What do you look for in a director’s vision when you consider a role?

TL: I’m drawn to directors who know what they want to say, but who also leave space for discovery. Every role is a chance to learn something new, about myself, about the story, about humanity. That search, that openness, is what keeps the work alive.

RM: You’re involved with Earth League International. How did you become engaged in environmental advocacy?

TL: I’ve always cared deeply about animals and their rights. Working with Andrea Crosta and Earth League International, I created a short documentary to support their mission, and it showed me how powerful storytelling can be in bringing hidden issues to light.

RM: If you could use a single film to raise awareness about wildlife trafficking or environmental crime, what message would you want to convey?

TL: I’d want people to understand that wildlife trafficking isn’t just about animals, it’s about us. It fuels organized crime, it destroys ecosystems, it impacts communities. The message would be simple: protecting the natural world is protecting ourselves. Our documentary carries that message. In collaboration with twenty-six actresses from around the world, we used the nurturing power of womanhood to highlight Mother Earth’s fundamental role. I’m grateful to have worked alongside Mariela Garriga and Gabriel Beristain, my partners in this project. At its heart, it shows that wildlife trafficking and environmental crime aren’t distant issues, they affect us all, and protecting nature is protecting ourselves.

RM: What kinds of roles or genres are you eager to explore next?

TL: I’m drawn to roles that make me a little uncomfortable, stories that demand honesty, whether in intimate dramas or larger, more daring projects. I want to keep surprising myself.”

RM: Are there historical figures or contemporary icons you’d love to portray?

TL: I’ve always been fascinated by women who carried both strength and contradiction, people who weren’t easy to define. If the right story came, I’d love to explore someone like that, someone who broke the mold of her time.

RM:  How do you envision your career evolving over the next five to ten years?

TL: I see it as a balance. I want to keep challenging myself as an actress, but also to create more , to develop stories, to produce, to make films that say something about the world we live in. For me, it’s about growth, discovery, and staying true to the work.”

RM: If you could collaborate with any filmmaker (living or past), who would it be and why?

TL: There are so many filmmakers I admire, past and present. If I could choose, I’d love to work with someone like Ingmar Bergman, because he understood human complexity in such a profound way. Among living directors, I’m always drawn to filmmakers who take risks and search for truth in their work. For me, it’s less about a name and more about the courage behind the vision.”

Written by Jules Wood 

Photographed and directed by Alberto Badalamenti | @albertobadalamenti.official

Fashion editor – Jules Wood | @juleswstylist_

Videographer – Lei Phillips @leiphillips

Makeup & Hair – Barbara Lamelza | @barbaralamelzamakeup

Production – No-Name Productions | @nonameproductions