There are those who chase a dream their entire lives, and those who are forced to chase it twice. The second time, however, with the fierce awareness of someone who has already looked death in the eye.
Giulia Spettu is 29 years old, comes from Quartucciu and today works on Roman sets as a stunt performer , the stand-in who enters the scene when the risk becomes real.
But her story doesn't begin in front of a camera: it begins under an imaginary tent, among sawdust and lights, when she was just a shy little girl who dreamed of being a "gypsy", a nomad, free.
"The circus was my reward from Mom and Dad if I was good: standing in front, watching the performers. Ultimately, the circus has always been my soul."
A soul that then changes shape: from circus to musical, from theater to cinema, passing through a long series of deviations, falls and restarts.
Giulia soon discovered that the stage was an antidote to her shyness. "I was a very reserved child. Theater saved me: it's thanks to it that I learned to communicate."
She studied in Sardinia, then made the big leap to Milan, at the Music Art Show. It was a very tough year: twelve hours of study a day, classmates from prestigious schools, a constant feeling of having to catch up. "I came from Sardinia, with fewer opportunities. It was formative, but tough. My mother took me to the audition. When I passed, I realized that maybe I could make it."
But no. Or at least not right away. Returning home to Quartucciu, convinced she could build everything from there, she collides with an unforgiving reality. To survive—literally and professionally—she becomes a personal trainer. She opens a gym, becomes a fitness influencer, and works tirelessly to save enough money to start over. The dream remains there, waiting.
Then came the most violent interruption possible: an infection, fulminant endocarditis, two months in the hospital. Sepsis. "I arrived here dying. One day you're here, the next you might not be here anymore." It was there, in that bed, that Giulia made a definitive decision: if she had made it out alive, she would try again. For the last time.
Not musicals, not theater. Film. She began studying acting with Maurizio Pulina , who became a crucial mentor. "He was the one who gave me the right input, who made me realize that this could be the path." The first auditions came, including a missed opportunity—the series Il Mostro—but every closed door seemed to push her closer to her true calling.
That place has a little-known name: stunt performer. The stunt double.
"I discovered there was this guy who replaces the main actor in the most dangerous scenes. I knew it was perfect for me." Second time in Rome, Termini station, an illegal taxi, and a conversation that would change everything. "I told Emiliano Novelli from EA Stunt what I wanted to do. He looked at me and said, 'Move to Rome and then we'll see.'"
Giulia doesn't think twice, she returns to Quartucciu, packs her bags and moves to the capital.
And Rome, this time, responds. Today she works on major productions: she's involved in Mel Gibson's new film, in La dolce villa, in Che Dio ci aiuti 8 as a stunt double for Ambrosia Cardarelli, in Iris on Sky as a stunt double for Maya, in Italianna (Netflix), also as a stunt double for Lucy Hele, and, finally, in the new season of Monster on Netflix as a stunt double.
Hers is a job that lives on the edge. But there's no room for recklessness. "I do dangerous things, yes. But you can't be reckless. You have to be sporty, trained, and above all have total awareness of your body." Every fall is calculated, every risk studied. Perhaps because Giulia has already experienced the real risk.
Yet, even now that the dream has taken shape, there is a nostalgia that does not leave her.
"I suffer terribly from Sardinian nostalgia. One day I'll return to live here, in my home, in my land." It's a promise. Like the one he made in the hospital, when he decided to truly pursue his dream.