Exclusive Interview with Grey's Anatomy's - Giacomo Gianniotti

Cipó

Por Brent Lambert

If life is a journey then Giacomo Gianniotti is enjoying every second of his trip. On the eve of this 29th birthday, the Grey's Anatomy star is at the top of the Hollywood ladder playing the role of Dr. Andrew DeLuca, is enjoying travelling the world, and is about to become a husband. Giacomo graces the pages of this brand new issue of BELLO, and we recently chatted with him about his love of Harley Davidson, his favorite restaurant in the world, and how he's helping transform the lives of homeless youth in Los Angeles with the power and beauty of the arts.

**BELLO Mag cover Spotlight story**
photo by Arthur Galvao

You were recently in Joshua Tree. Was that a mini vacation?

It was for an engagement shoot. My fiancée [makeup artist Nichole Gustafson] and I decided to go out there because we both have a fascination with the desert and neither of us had ever been to Joshua Tree, so we wanted to do a photo shoot there. We're going to be getting married next year with our families in Rome where I was born.

You're also quite a big motorcycle enthusiast. Where did that passion begin for you, and what's on the horizon for your Harley Davidson bucket list?

In Italy everybody has a motorcycle. Being on two wheels is very popular there, in Rome especially because of the magnitude of the city, the way it helps avoid parking nightmares, and being able to get around traffic so easily. So as a kid growing up in Rome, everybody had them. From a young age I was always very taken with motorcycles. When I was around 18 or 19 I started riding Harleys and began to develop a real passion for cruiser bikes.

What does that feel like when you're on the road on your Harley, you're in the now, and everything else in life disappears?

In life today we're so dependent on our phones for entertainment, stimulation, and connection. The motorcycle is so much more than transportation for me -- it's a form of meditation. When I'm in a bad mood, or even when I'm in a great mood and want to make it better, I'll go for a ride. It's a way of completely unplugging from society. I can't take a phone call, I can't text, I can't do anything. All I'm left with is my thoughts. I do a lot of my best thinking and brainstorming about ideas when I'm on the bike. I can go to all these far away places in my mind that I feel like I wouldn't be able to do if I was sitting at home surrounded by distractions. It gives me such a zen focus.

In other words, when you're on your motorcycle you're not only travelling through the landscape, you're also travelling deeper within yourself?

Absolutely.

Can you think of your all-time greatest #1 memory that happened to you when you were on your Harley?

About a year ago I took my fiancée Nicole from Los Angeles to Napa. It's about 9 hours because we stopped in San Francisco, and the ride from L.A. to San Francisco was so gorgeous. After we spent a couple days in San Francisco, we set off on the second leg of the trip (about an hour and a half) to Napa, and got to cross the Golden Gate Bridge. Driving across that bridge on my motorcycle was incredible. It gave me a tingly feeling because we've all seen that bridge in so many countless movies and TV shows, and I had never been there before. It was a gorgeous day and it was such a beautiful thing.

The season finale of Grey's Anatomy just aired. Does this mean you're on your summer vacation right now?

Yeah, we just wrapped season 14, then I came to Toronto right away to shoot a film which I just wrapped. Now I'm spending some time in Toronto with my family and friends and catching up with them.

You have such a huge fanbase in Brazil. Have you ever been?

No, but I can't wait to go. One of my best friends and business partner, well, his girlfriend is Brazilian so they've shared so many photos and stories of their trips with me, and it looks incredible. I love my fans down there because I connect with them so much on social media and they tell me how much they love the show. Even back when I was on the show Reign I knew I had a lot of fans down there. Brazilians are huge TV fans.

What are some of the things you're dying to do when you finally get to Brazil?

I would love to explore Rio and be with people dancing in the streets. I'm really looking forward to the beaches too. The movie City Of God makes me want to visit the favelas, too. Like any place of great beauty, there are extremes. I really want to see the full range.

You're also quite an amazing chef from what I've read. What would you say is the most incredible food experience you've ever had in your life?

Well, besides my grandmother's cooking which can't be rivaled and which I compare everything to, I'd have to say seafood is my favorite. I've been to the island Capri a few times and they have so much fresh octopus, shrimp, and freshly caught fish. Ugh, it's incredible.

Like any great chef, I'm assuming you're always experimenting with new cooking challenges? What are some new things you're trying out in the kitchen these days?

Although I'm pretty well versed, I'm not much of a baker. I'd probably screw up a cake pretty fast. I do love to make a great plate of pasta with salad. When I have company that's when I really have fun. I love cooking for other people.

What's your #1 most favorite restaurant in the world?

That's tough. I've been to a lot of really great ones. In Rome there's one called Ai Bozzi in the Trastevere area. It's my favorite and I always go back there when I'm in Rome.

You're also passionate about many social causes, but which one do you hold closest to your heart?

Definitely My Friend's Place. It's a drop-in resource center for homeless youth in Los Angeles. We deal with youth from 12-25, and a lot of our youth are parents. It's a very trying and traumatic time for them -- to be a youth living on the streets with a young baby to feed. It's very overwhelming and stressful for them. My Friend's Place just celebrated their 30th anniversary, so we had a big fundraising gala and raised a tremendous amount of money for them. Jack Black hosted the event, and the mayor of L.A. was there as well. I've been working with them ever since I got here four years ago. They also have so much arts programming which helps the kids express themselves, and there's also a lot of counselling resources to help them get on their feet. It's been very empowering to work with them, and I do everything I can to help them.

The arts have a great way of helping lift these disenfranchised kids out of a dark place.

Yes, and a lot of the youth are really creative. For example, we have a music studio and a lot of musicians and engineers come and help these kids record their music and get it out into the world where they can share it, be proud of it, and grow their confidence.

What do you think is happening inside a young kid's mind when that love affair with the arts begins and they start to blossom?

I don't think a lot of the youth that come through the doors have ever had someone say they believe in them, that they're worthy, or have ever had someone take a chance on them. I just spoke at my high school in Toronto and I gave a speech -- perhaps an all-too-real speech -- where I talked about how there's not just one way to success in any field. I know there's the narrative out there that you have to graduate high school, then go to college, then do this and that, get the house, the kids, the picket fence, etc. We're not living in our parents' generation anymore. It's a different time and there are different values and priorities. I was telling them to not listen to anyone who says college isn't as good as university, or that taking a year or two off after high school is irresponsible -- it's not. None of those things are irresponsible. Your journey is different than everybody else's, and you don't want to find yourself waking up someday and thinking, 'Oh no, I was chasing somebody else's dream and not my own.'

Do you have any indication of where your character is going next season on Grey's Anatomy?

I know nothing. The actors are always starved for information. My character's in a pretty dark place and is very heartbroken that his girlfriend had to leave the country because she was being threatened to be deported. Without his love he feels like he has no purpose. Then he had to attend a wedding, which is the last place you want to be when you're depressed about not having love in your life. So he gets really liquored up and makes a bad toast. So next season could go either way. I don't know how big the time jump is that the writers will take. Will it pick up the next day, or will it pick up a couple months later when he's a little more recovered and back on his feet? I'm not sure.

I just saw on your Instagram a photo of you and the Grey's Anatomy cast and you wrote, "Smiling from ear to ear because I work with the greatest cast around." What does it mean to you as an actor to have a professional family like that?

It's great. I love the people and the actors I work with. They're all tremendously talented people who are so much more than actors -- every single one of them. They all have different businesses and projects that they're a part of. For example, Debbie Allen executive produces, she directs a ton of our episodes, she's an actress and series regular on our show, she's a dancing legend, and runs several dance academies in her spare time. They're all such remarkable and inspiring people who are doing it all, and that's what I love. I love being surrounded by people who are thriving at life and inspiring me to get to the place where I want to be.

Sounds like you say a lot of gratitude prayers on your zen Harley journeys?

Yes, nothing but gratitude.