The Academy Award-nominated actress turned animal behaviorist shares her journey of reinvention, the joy of learning, and the emotional world of animals.
“I think the woman who wrote sleeping beauty must have had chickens.”
These are the words of model, actress, producer, writer and artist, Isabella Rossellini—full-time actress and full-time animal lover. Now, the first-time Academy Award nominated actress has a Masters in Animal Behavior and is exploring her passions. Let’s talk about the woman that does it all.
When you think of your future career it can be hard to not be tunnel visioned. We have a version of ourselves we want to be and throughout our years of school or craft, work towards getting to the place we want to be at. Yet, what happens when our passions collide? When there is not a clear path outlined for us?
That is exactly what Isabella Rossellini felt after her years within the world of Hollywood. She was already an acclaimed actress with years of experience and numerous accolades, but she knew there was something more calling her.
As we sat in the Barnard Auditorium on the evening of Wednesday, February 13, it was clear that many of the attendees were aware they were in the presence of stardom. As she walked onto the stage, there was a sense of anticipation… and maybe even a sense of confusion. How could this great woman of Hollywood open our minds to the world of dogs, sheep, or other animals? What could she possibly know?
But that is exactly what she did. A master of four languages, Rossellini took us through a visionary experience of the ways in which her short films have tested the boundaries of how we learn about animal behavior. While one may assume these films could have only been in a foreign language, all of Rossellini’s short films were filmed and produced in English.
Engaging with the audience was a key part of this event and Alexander Horowitz, Senior Research Fellow and Adjunct Associate Professor within the English and Psychology Departments at Barnard College, was able to show us clips from a few of Rossellini’s short films, Green Porno and Mamas. Quite frankly, the audience did not know what to expect amidst seeing this traditional and acclaimed actress dressed as a hamster discussing the birth of animals, or pretending to be a fly describing the mating behavior of these aforementioned animals. These films revealed a different side of her character and the passion that she truly has for animals.
Horowitz played into the narrative and always brought the conversation back to dogs, a seamless way of making sure we learned exactly about the nature of this creature that is so relevant in our lives. Rossellini not only brought a new perspective, but also shared her journey of going back to school in her fifties as a way of opening up her mind to the possibilities of what it means to really follow your passions.
Even though she lives in a very animal-centric way (a glorious farm by the name of “Mama’s Farm”) and supports the guide dog foundation, her journey and infectious nature also spoke to the excitement of learning. There can be joy in embracing a new path and there can also be joy in understanding that life does not stop once traditional school ends.
Her passion was shown from her smile and the comical tone of her describing that she “names her sheep after women artists,” but they “only come when she says sheep, sheep, sheep.” She was able to open our eyes to the understanding that animals have emotions—there is a side to them we do not know and language can be universal.
We may not think creatures can understand us, despite scholars being skeptical about the study of emotion within animal behavior, but Rossellini reminded us that even if we may not know what the animals are experiencing, emotions are always present.
I can only imagine the magical world those animals get to experience, and the joy that Rossellini gets to experience doing something so impactful everyday through art and animals.
Rossellini via WikimediaCommons