Stella Pecollo talks ‘You, Me, & Tuscany’

Italian actress and writer Stella Pecollo shines as Francesca in the rom-com feature film, You, Me, & Tuscany. 

You, Me & Tuscany follows Anna, a free-spirited, young cook who makes a brash decision to squat in an abandoned Tuscan villa owned by Matteo, a man she barely knows, leading to a whole new world of adventure, lies, and love when she meets Michael, the homeowner’s cousin. Stella’s character, Francesca, is one of Matteo’s loving and devoted family members.

The film is directed by Kat Coiro, from a screenplay by Ryan Engle, and is based on an original idea by Ryan Engle and Kristin Engle. The film stars Halle Bailey, Lorenzo de Moor, Regé-Jean Page, Stella Pecollo, Marco Calvani, and Nia Vardalos.

Born and raised in Savona, Italy, Stella developed an early interest in the performing arts, inheriting her passion for entertainment from her great-grandmother, who owned a traveling theater company. After graduating in Italy, Stella left her small hometown to explore the world, living in Milan, Rome, London, New York City, and Shanghai throughout her twenties. During her travels, she performed in the theater while developing a range of creative pursuits. 

Stella is extremely passionate about animal rights and body positivity, using her platform to destigmatize outdated beliefs and harmful stereotypes about the female body. Outside of acting, she enjoys dancing, swimming, traveling, and playing with her dog Berta. Stella is fluent in Italian, English, conversational in Spanish and French, and currently splits her time between Italy and Los Angeles.

Check out our interview with Stella:

Funny story: the costume designer, Massimo Cantini Parrini, whom I adore and admire and know from a previous movie, was in preparation in Rome with the director Kat Coiro. Kat was still looking to cast the role of Lorenzo (the taxi driver, played by Marco Calvani), and he told her that he knew an actress that might be perfect for the role if she was open to cast a woman, so he showed her my Instagram. She immediately sent me the self-tape request both for Lorenzo and Francesca’s roles, and less than 48 hours after I sent my self-tape, she called me to let me know that I booked the role of “Francesca”!

How would you describe Francesca and how did you prepare to play her?

Francesca is an explosion of joy and passion — she loves gossip, loves men, loves food (both cooking and eating) and devours life at its fullest. I prepared by working on the script; I created a story on Francesca’s background and especially worked on developing her relationship with every single member of her huge family as that is very important to her. I also worked on finding all the things that I have in common with her (spoiler: a lot of them!) I was lucky enough to have been given the chance by Kat Coiro to add my own flavor to Francesca, improvising some of the lines.

What was it like working with your castmates?

I had a blast. First of all, I was honoured to work alongside actors that I already admired so much, such as Isabella Ferrari, Paolo Sassanelli, Stefania Casini, and obviously both Halle Bailey and Rege-Jean Page. But the best part was discovering how easy going and generous they all were, and it made working such a fun experience. On my last day of filming, I was a wreck because I did not want to finish! But the best part is that we still keep in touch and have dinners whenever we are all in the same city!

Being born and raised in Italy, what was it like for you to return to the country for filming and did you get to visit your hometown during breaks in filming?

It’s always nice to come back to Italy for work, to be able to visit my family and friends. It also happened during my birthday, and it allowed me to celebrate my 40th birthday with all my best friends and family. I loved it.

Are there any places in either Rome or Tuscany (or both) that you would recommend as a must-see for visitors?

Rome is the most beautiful city in the world, hands down. If you go, make sure to walk. Explore the ancient city by walking around, getting lost in the little streets of Trastevere, taste local food in Testaccio, and watch the sunset on a hill. Tuscany is gorgeous as well — definitely ideal if you wanna be in nature and relax while sipping great wine and eating amazing local food.

What are you most excited for people to see when they watch You, Me, & Tuscany?

The scenery, the gorgeous costumes, the food, as well as the heartwarming and hilarious relationships between all our characters.

What is up next for you?

I am working on a few projects as an actress and writer. Some of them are inspired by my book “Io Sono Bella” (I Am Beautiful) and others are still “top secret”, but I cannot wait to let you know!

Where can we follow you to keep up with you and your work?