Maia Reficco Stars in Netflix Film : La Dolce Villa | Contents

After an incredible months-long run as Eurydice in the Tony award-winning Broadway musical Hadestown, the talented and dazzling Maia Reficco emerges from the Greek underworld to bask in the beautiful Tuscany sun in Netflix’s newest romantic-comedy La Dolce Villa. The 24-year-old actress plays Olivia, a young woman embarking on an adventure in Italy to restore an old villa. However, plans change when her father (Scott Foley) arrives in an attempt to halt her plans.

The Argentine-American actress and singer is best known for her starring role in Nickelodeon’s Kally’s Mashup, as well as lead roles in Do Revenge (2022) and HBO Max’s Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin.

INTERVIEW BY STELLA HOFFERMAN

Today, Reficco discusses her time in Tuscany shooting La Dolce Villa, her run in Hadestown, her self-care practices, and more!

Having recently starred in La Dolce Villa, and with the highly-anticipated adaptation of A Cuban Girl’s Guide to Tea and Tomorrow on the way.

Would you call yourself a fan of the romance genre?

Most definitely. I think romance has such a unique and special way of creating escapism for whoever it is that’s watching it, and I most definitely love kicking my feet and giggling along whenever I’m reading or watching a movie! So it’s a pleasure to get to hopefully make people smile whenever you’re watching either project.

La Dolce Villa had several different filming locations. Including Rome, Tuscany, and Lazio.

Did you find any time between shooting to explore?

Oh, my goodness. Did I? I spent most days, whether it was after work, before work or on my days off, exploring every single place I could. I walked around Rome for endless amounts of hours, I went to Florence, I went to the neighboring towns of San Quirico d’Orcia in Tuscany–which is where we shot…I made it a point to spend as much time outside and frolicking around Italy as I possibly could. I also went to Naples on one weekend. I went to Atessa, another little town. I was very lucky to be able to explore in my free time and on weekends and I truly put my exploring hat on and took it quite seriously.

© Photographed by Tyler Patrick Kenny

A large component of the story in your upcoming film is the exploration of a father-daughter relationship.

How did you and your co-star–Scott Foley, who portrays the father of your character Olivia–connect and work together to bring this bond to life for La Dolce Villa?

It was instant. We really connected over our sense of humor and the camaraderie grew hand-in-hand with the characters’ connection. I think it was beautiful to get to play with how as we were getting closer, our characters were also finding themselves within this relationship again. Working with Scott was undoubtedly one of the highlights of this movie, and getting to learn from him as a person and as an actor is something I’ll cherish for a long, long time.

Having recently wrapped up your tremendously impressive Broadway run in Hadestown as Eurydice.

What would you say is the most significant difference or challenge when transitioning from screen to stage, or vice versa? How do you adjust your craft to better adhere to each medium?

It is night and day. In all honesty–in every capacity–it is night and day. But, I do think there are a couple connecting points and through lines, and I would say that the biggest one is the passion and love and care behind them. But when it comes to execution, I think prep work for me looks completely different for stage. It is so intense and so physical, and I think it requires a lot from me. When it comes to lessons in the gym, I wanted to be as physically prepared to endure such a tough rhythm. When it comes to screen and stage, my prep work is usually more focused, unless it’s a character that requires a certain level of physicality to it. It requires more table work, and it requires reading and rereading and doing research and trying to connect with the character’s backstory and whatever it might be. So, it’s definitely different processes for each, but I love both of them very, very much.

© Photographed by Tyler Patrick Kenny

What is the most rewarding aspect of acting?

Getting to make people feel. I think it’s a privilege whether it’s something very emotional, or it’s to make people happy. It’s a privilege to get to make people feel something.

In between your busy schedule, how do you like to spend your days off?

I love to sing, and regardless of it being a part of my career, I think I spend most of my days off singing and connecting with that.

I also love reading. I am a “BookTok” girlie, and I love reading. It’s been a huge part of my free time. I think I went through a phase in which I got worried about how much I was using my phone and how addicted I felt to social media, and getting a Kindle and finding my love of reading again has really saved my mental stability. At the same time, going back to the romance question, I think it’s also reconnected me with the joy of simple, heartwarming, uplifting stories. I think I find so much joy in just reading banter. So I definitely would say that. And then always good food!

What are your go-to products for a self-care day?

My go-to products for self-care day would definitely be, A, a face mask. I love a good face mask! I love a good facial just in general. I have struggled with acne for the past couple years, and I think while sometimes exhausting and definitely hard–as struggling with your skin can be–it’s also made me really aware of how much love I need to put into my body and my skin. So most definitely something related to that, whether it is a facial or face mask. Then again, my Kindle, maybe like the guitar, or I think my biggest thing with self-care is feeling good. The gym [also] makes me feel really good, and eating something I really like makes me feel really good.

© Photographed by Tyler Patrick Kenny

If you could only use three makeup products for the rest of your life, what would they be?

Oh, easy. Mascara, blush, and eyeliner!

How do you choose to reflect yourself through your day-to-day makeup looks?

I’ve gone through so many different phases of how I feel the most “me.” I’ve had moments in which a lot of makeup meant the most confidence, and I’ve had moments in which not a drop of makeup felt really good, so currently, I think I’m somewhere in the middle. I’ve always been a liner girl, through and through, and I’ve been doing it every day for the past 10 years. So I’ve always stuck true to that. Other than that, I love blush and mascara. I think I try to go with whatever it is I’m feeling that day. Sometimes I feel more masculine, and I express that through maybe less makeup, and sometimes I’m feeling more feminine, which I – in my version of that – feels like more makeup.

© Photographed by Tyler Patrick Kenny

Though I imagine many other people will be enjoying your upcoming film La Dolce Villa on Valentine’s Day, as it releases on the 13th.

How do you plan to spend your Valentine’s Day?

Well, I’ll be watching La Dolce Villa with my loved ones. I’ll be watching back home in Argentina. I’m traveling tonight, actually! Hopefully, I’ll be at home with all the people that I love; with my dog, with good food, watching La Dolce Villa on Netflix. I really hope it can make people smile.

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Find the complete gallery on Maia Reficco France and the outfits she wears on the site Maia Reficco Fashion.