At the moment my biggest project is a short film that I'm producing with the help of the Malta Film Commission and their Malta Film Fund. This is the first time that I'm producing a project that's completely my own and it brings with it a lot of responsibilities (read 'stress') and hard work. On top of dealing with the management of it all, I also play one of the two characters in the film, so I've also had to divide my time between producer and actress duties and making sure I perform both roles in the best possible way.

I have also just finished presenting a documentary about the Malta Pavilion at the Venice Art Biennale. This is the first time that Malta has taken part in such an important art showcase in many years. I attended the opening in May, which was a great experience, but I didn't know I would be presenting a documentary about it at the time. Then the producer asked me if I was interested and I jumped at the opportunity to talk about something that I had seen firsthand and enjoyed so much. The documentary should be airing soon on TVM.

 

How would you describe yourself in three words?

Lively (more like 'full of life', but that would have taken up my three-word credit), creative and determined.

 

How did you get into acting?

I guess I could say I was always into acting from when I was a very little girl. I remember taking part in every single school play that the teachers would allow me to, and that was always the favourite time for me at school. I did well academically too, but I always knew that my place was on the stage. 

 

What is your dream in terms of your career in the future?

Sometimes I find it hard to understand people who say they don't know what they'd like to do in life because it was always crystal clear for me. The problem is that real life gets in the way of our passions and sometimes we give up on them - at least temporarily. At the moment, I'm doing exactly what I always wanted to do, which is working as a creative on a full-time basis, mostly in the area of the performing arts.

 

In terms of what I dream for my career, it is basically coming true at the moment with the short film that I'm producing. The idea is to create work that excites me, perhaps create work that I myself would like to see. Another dream would be to have a more international career, but that is very hard to achieve, especially once you take the decision to have your base in Malta. If we're talking big, big dreams, then it would be playing a meaty role in a film directed by Pedro Almodovar, David Lynch or Baz Luhrmann. I would also love to be in a successful Maltese theatre production (which could be in the Maltese or English language or a mixture of both ideally) that tours internationally. 

 

What is your role in the drama series Hbieb u Ghedewwa and what is the work like?

In the soap opera Ħbieb u Għedewwa I play the role of Ashley. This will be the third season in which I've interpreted this colourful, impulsive, bigger-than-life character that seems to make people smile with all her mishaps. As for the process, once the production team sends us the filming schedule, I look up what scenes I'm in and wait for the script to come through email. I read the scenes and let them simmer in my head for a few days, and then I go back to them a few days later to study the lines by heart.

 

At this point, I don't need to work hard on getting into character because I know Ashley so well and she comes very naturally to me. Before filming, I have to prepare the clothes, shoes and accessories that I need for the scenes and pack huge bags, since we usually film quite a few scenes at one go, and sometimes spend whole weekends filming. My friends have begun to realise when I'm filming the next day, especially when I leave parties on Friday or Saturday nights early - which would absolutely not be the case on normal days! We have been filming with a core team of crew and actors for the past three years, so we've come to know each other very well and we always have a laugh on set.

 

Tel us about the series on books with which you have been involved?

I've just finished filming a series of programmes called Xi qrajt dan l-aħħar? (What have you read recently?) which was produced by the National Book Council and aired during prime time on TVM. It was a very successful series that I thoroughly enjoyed, as I interviewed authors, publishers and other people involved in the publishing industry about a book they had read recently and they spoke about it for five minutes.

 

The format was very simple and the guests had to be concise to fit in what they had to say about the book so, in today's fast world of very short attention spans, this worked very well for our audiences. I also met so many local authors, which was a huge pleasure as they're all quite unique characters.

 

However, this is not the end of my collaboration with the National Book Council as we are also working on a new series that will also be based on interviews with authors, but in a completely different format. We'll have to wait for more details about this one.

 

And your other recent projects?

This year has been great and I haven't really stopped working. One recent project - of which I was very proud - was co-presenting the opening and closing ceremonies of the Valletta Film Festival in June. I love the world of film and I think that Malta really needed a film festival and finally we got a great one. Co-hosting these ceremonies (with fellow actor Thomas Camilleri) was a lot of fun and everyone seemed to have enjoyed our attempts at making the whole event nice and light.

 

Another great project was playing the Police Commissioner in the cabaret Balzunetta Towers, which was part of the Malta International Arts Festival. I loved creating the character together with the director, and the fact that I had to sing and dance on stage was also quite a new challenge for me, but one which I'd be very happy to take up again. Audience attendance was great, and so was their feedback, so the whole project left me wanting to do more of this sort of show.

 

What are your communication tools?

I always try to keep up-to-date with today's technologies and social media. When I lived and studied in Los Angeles, one of the first things they teach you there is how to market yourself properly because the competition in LA is so stiff that you have no other choice but to learn the ropes very quickly. That is why, since then, I've tried to keep all the tools of an actor updated and that means taking professional headshots regularly to keep your look updated, having a good show-reel that showcases your range on screen, having an informative website where people can get all the information they need about you and, of course, being active on social media.

 

What's next for you?

I have many things coming up: I never really stop! So apart from the short film that I'm producing and the new programme with the National Book Council, I'm also preparing to present a few events at the National Book Festival in November and a few more events here and there.

 

Find out more about Antonella Axixa:

Website: www.antonellaaxisa.com; Showreel: https://vimeo.com/188869244;

Facebook: www.facebook.com/antonellaaxisaofficial; IMDB: www.imdb.me/antonellaaxisa