Charisma is a quality that only great models possess. Perhaps for this reason, Steffy Argelich (29) was the focus of this industry since she was a child. The camera is for her a common, natural element. She made her debut before them when she was only one year old and by the time she turned three she had already starred in campaigns such as Freixenet and Benetton.
A regular on the pages of Vogue, her path on the catwalks was more than written. But this chameleon-like artist with wild hair and carefree eyes has decided to take the reins of her own story and dedicate herself to her great passion: cinema. With freshly washed hair, her signature curls look tousled and fresh. Like a spotlight in a studio, the Los Angeles sun pours in through a picture window to illuminate her, sitting cross-legged on a sofa and grinning from ear to ear, even though it’s only 7 in the morning there.
Where do you serve us from?
I’m at the Sunset Tower Hotel in Los Angeles because we’re working on a documentary with Abel Ferrara as a retrospective of his work on the big screen.
You have done a 360º turn. You have gone from modeling to film directing, what attracts you to the big screen?
I like the ability to create a story. Cinema is entertainment and you can create whatever you want and play with many things that cannot be done in reality.
How was the jump from the catwalks to the big screen?
I was obsessed with making a movie and when I met my husband in New York he was just editing his first feature film. He helped me in everything necessary to make this dream come true. He told me: “If it’s what you want, we’ll do it.” So it was.
Is he the person you admire the most?
I am absolutely inspired by everything he does, he is the best person I know.
What is more complicated, being behind or in front of the camera?
Both. It’s something I’ve always enjoyed, both as a model and as a film director. I only do things that I like to do and since I enjoy doing them, it comes naturally to me and seems easy to me.
The process of making a movie, however, is not so much. How did you experience the production of his first work, ‘Vera’?
We got everything in order pretty quickly. We started writing the script and then the actors started to make it their own. As a director, I find it interesting that they take the script and adapt it to their life.
And how has your relationship with the actors been like as a director?
We were lucky because on the set of Vera we were all friends. Alejandro Castro, for example, is a very good actor, he took the script and created his character. Marta Torné also did a great job knowing how to put herself in the shoes of a mother without being one.
And the premiere came at the Beverly Hills Film Festival. Do you remember any comments that were made to you about the film?
I was very nervous, I thought: ‘Will someone come?’ But the people who came to the premiere welcomed the project very well. I remember that after the screening someone told me that it was similar to the movie Lolita (1962) and that it was very aesthetic.
What do you mean by aesthetics?
I come from fashion, which is extremely aesthetic, so it was very important to me that the photography was impeccable. Each shot, scene, sequence was thought out in detail, we filmed on a tripod so that the image was clean and there weren’t many cuts, like in movies today.
Are you very demanding of yourself?
I am very detailed. Everything you see is very thought by me. I decided the smallest detail. I am critical to the point where I get what I want.
What do you seek to reflect with ‘Vera’?
That there are people who have all the chances to be happy and don’t know how to see it.
Have you reached any conclusion about it?
I did not plan to interact with it, but I do believe that the issue of mental health should be given importance and help all the people who need it.
His film debut has been a success. Does it imply that she will abandon fashion?
Right now I want to dedicate myself to the cinema. In the end I will always be linked to fashion, which is something I am passionate about. But I am clear that I want to direct my career as a film director. I’m already working on my second film. Everything is ready and written to shoot it in September.
You live between Barcelona and New York, which do you consider home?
Since I was little I have traveled a lot and that is why being in the same place, in the long run, overwhelms me. Now I am living in the countryside, on a farm in Montsiá. It is a virgin place, with the mountain in front of the sea.
Did he need to flee the city?
I have lived in Barcelona, ??then I went to Paris and then to New York. I was overwhelmed and needed this change to regain mental clarity.
What does it take to succeed?
Be sure of yourself and courage to fight for what you want to achieve.
