Sabrina Impacciatore Gains Stardom in the US with The Paper

New york: Sabrina Impacciatore’s remarkable journey into American stardom continues as the Italian actress, initially introduced to US audiences through the second season of The White Lotus set in Taormina, prepares to captivate a new wave of fans with the series The Paper. The series premiered in the US on September 4th, and

According to Ansa News Agency, it has set her on the path to becoming a notable star beyond Italy. The Paper is available on Peacock, NBCUniversal’s streaming platform, and will be released in Italy this winter. The show is a spin-off of the American version of The Office, created by Greg Daniels and Michael Keaman, which was a highly popular series in the 2000s. The Paper comprises ten episodes set in the newsroom of a local Ohio newspaper, The Toledo Truth Teller. In the series, Impacciatore portrays the character of Esmeralda Grand, a manipulative and ambitious editor.

Mike White, the creator of The White Lotus, recognized Impacciatore’s talent while searching for Italian actors for the series set in Sicily. He cast her as Valentina, the manager of a luxury hotel in Taormina. Impacciatore, a 57-year-old from Rome, had aspired to be an actress since her childhood. She joined a theater company at 16, and after starring in Gabriele Muccino’s The Last Kiss, she almost secured a Hollywood role with an audition for The Sopranos, which she declined.

Driven to enhance her skills, Impacciatore studied with a coach at the Actors Studio, funding her lessons by working as a cleaner. An improvisation during her classes revealed her comedic talent, leading to a career filled with television variety shows, comedies, and a few dramas, including a small role in Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ.

In the US, Impacciatore gained recognition through The White Lotus, with her portrayal of Valentina earning her an Emmy nomination. This role marked a turning point in her career, leading to English-language offers such as Julian Schnabel’s In The Hand of Dante and the action comedy G20. The Paper, however, was the opportunity that truly transformed her career.

Despite having never seen The Office, unlike her co-star Chelsea Frei, Impacciatore quickly familiarized herself with the show by binge-watching episodes. At her first audition, she improvised her lines, but Daniels and Koman requested a performance from the script, securing her the role. As Impacciatore revealed to the New York Times, the initial weeks of filming were challenging, yet Daniels admired her talent for physical comedy and spontaneity.

The series, as reported by the Times, includes several improvisations, one of which features Esmeralda using office tape for a facelift. Impacciatore confessed to the Times that every night she cried, not out of fear of inadequacy, but out of gratitude: “I thanked God,” she shared, “for these dreams that were coming true.”