Between the quiet power of a lens and the unpredictable rhythm of storytelling, Clara McGregor has learned that true art is born from vulnerability. Against the magical and cinematic backdrop of the Venice Film Festival, she reflects with rare authenticity on a journey that goes far beyond the screen—navigating the delicate balance of a famous legacy while carving out a distinct, fearless path of her own. From the formative lessons of studying photography to the emotional depth and excitement of her latest projects and the complex characters she brings to life, this conversation is an intimate look into the mind of a modern storyteller. Together with Clara, who is our November Cover Story, we explored the art of shaping light, embracing new creative horizons, and finding the extraordinary in the everyday.

First of all, it’s a pleasure to meet you and congratulations for being chosen this year as an official ambassador for the Filming Italy Venice Award. How is it going?

Thank you. It’s been amazing. It was my first time at the Venice Film Festival. I love this city, it always blows my mind coming here. I’ve been here before, but seeing it again, seeing the canals, it’s such a beautiful place to be, and I’ve always wanted to come for the Film Festival. Being in a place like this, celebrating films surrounded by filmmakers, is really special. 

The award celebrates international cinema, as well as Italian cinema, and the bridge between them. How do you see the role of film festivals like Venice in supporting and amplifying independent storytelling today?

I think it’s crucial. International and independent films are the core of our industry and the core of what filmmaking really is. Any space that puts value on and uplifts independent film, international film, is very important. I think it’s incredible that there’s a space for that, because I think we need it.

You started your journey studying photography before moving in front of the camera and into production. How has your background behind the lens shaped your approach to acting?

It sounds obvious, but I think it really does go hand in hand. Once you’ve been behind a camera, it teaches you a lot about how to be in front of it, and while you’re in front of the camera, you also know what it’s like to be behind it. I think it informs both jobs – it gives you an understanding. For me, it helped me find my light, know where the lens was without looking at it, and just be aware of what the camera needed. So, I think it helped a lot.

Growing up in a cinematic environment while building your own distinct path, what’s the most important lesson you’ve learned about preserving your creative independence?

Never stop training and learning. I think we can always get better, grow, and become a different kind of artist: the learning is never finished. So always get yourself back into class; it kind of reboots things. Watch great movies and just keep being as great as you can be – like a sport.

“I think we can always get better, grow, and become a different kind of artist: the learning is never finished.”

Is there a movie or TV series you’ve watched recently that stuck with you?

I just finished “Furious”, which is a Hulu show with Emmy Rossum. I loved it, it blew my mind. I’ve been kind of slow at watching TV recently, but that’s the first thing that popped into my mind because I finished it the other day and I still have goosebumps thinking about it. She’s so good, and I think it was such a brilliant way to talk about everything, really, because there’s violence, for instance, and I think it addresses what women have to put up with in a system that doesn’t help or listen. The acting was phenomenal. That was the freshest thing on my mind, and I was really fond of it.

What makes you say yes to a project?

[Laughs] Sorry, sometimes I think of my own funny answers… 

Like… Money! [laughs]

No, no, no, don’t say that! [laughs] I think there’s great material, good material, and bad material, and I love reading something that’s super well written. I like a character that’s going to be challenging for me – something that’s maybe far from who I am. Every project I say yes to is kind of for a different reason. A story can be really compelling, or a character within a story can be really compelling. I just love getting to step into a variety of different characters’ shoes and live their lives; it’s really interesting to me. It can also be about who’s a part of it, but really it comes down to the script for me, first and foremost.

If the script is good, if I enjoy reading it and want to know what happens next, if I feel connected to the people – that comes in so many different shapes and forms.

“I just love getting to step into a variety of different characters’ shoes and live their lives.”

Your new play, “Bathers”, brings together a group of longtime friends who are confronted with grief, unresolved emotions, and the complexities of their relationships. What drew you to this story, and what was the most interesting thing about exploring your character?

Getting to play Taylor in the play “Bathers” was an amazing experience. I think it felt interesting because she felt very different from who I am, and I think it’s always fun to dive into a character that feels so different in so many ways because ultimately you always find a way to relate.

There’s something fascinating about the way friendships evolve as we grow older, especially when we’re forced to confront loss or difficult moments. Do you think “Bathers” is also a story about the distance between who we used to be and who we’ve become?

I think that’s kind of exactly what “Bathers” is about. I think it’s sort of the last time a group of friends hangs out and you feel all of their different relationships gaining different tensions and growing apart, which I think is often a part of life.

“I think it’s always fun to dive into a character that feels so different in so many ways because ultimately you always find a way to relate.”

We’ve already talked about your experience in film, but theater offers something completely different: there’s no second take, no editing, just you, the other actors, and the audience sharing the same moment. What has performing in “Bathers” taught you about yourself as an actress, and what have you discovered about the kind of connection you can create on stage?

It feels almost like a whole different craft being on stage versus being in a film. I think it felt like I was connecting to the true essence of what being a performer is and being an actor is, which was really special. It is so in the moment and every show is different because every audience is different and I think it’s a really beautiful thing when you’re up there on stage, you feel the support from the other actors and you’re all up there together and in it together and there to support each other.

“I was connecting to the true essence of what being a performer is and being an actor is, which was really special“.

Speaking of your past projects, in “Bleeding Love”, for example, you starred alongside your father while also serving as producer and co-writer, even though you originally wanted Nicolas Cage, as we all know [laughs]. How did that shared personal dynamic influence the performance on screen?

It influenced it massively. What a gift, to be able to act it out with the real person the story is loosely inspired by. Playing a daughter and getting to act with your real father, having that real dynamic, made it feel effortless. There were moments between takes – for example, in the movie I’m smoking a cigarette in his truck and he’s rolling down the window because he doesn’t like the smoke, and then between takes I’d be vaping and he’d say, “Clara, stop it.” It would mirror so much of our real dynamic. And so much of it was also very different from our real relationship, which we got to play with and improvise, just being and living in those moments together, which was so much fun. It makes your acting better, I think. When you get a chance to do that, it’s very fun.

Having worked on such diverse projects, ranging from indie films like “The Birthday Cake” to “American Horror Story”, what kind of roles or genres are you naturally drawn to next?

Right now, I’m really drawn to comedy, which I haven’t done a lot of, I really want to do more of it. I think maybe I’m just in a phase of my life where I want to have fun and not be so serious. I tend to do a lot more dramas, thrillers, and some horror as well, which I also love. I love doing horror films, I don’t like watching them, but I like being in them. Still, I’ve been really drawn to comedy recently. But honestly, I’m open to everything. I just love working.

“I think maybe I’m just in a phase of my life where I want to have fun and not be so serious.”

What is one project from your career so far that challenged you in ways you didn’t expect, and what did you take away from it?

I just wrapped a movie called “Noon” that I shot in Malta this past summer, and that was an incredible experience. It was a shoot of a bit over twenty days, and we only had other actors on set for about five of those days – a lot of it was me by myself, with a lot of action. It was physical and a real challenge, which I loved, because for so much of it you couldn’t really rely on dialogue; it was a lot of physicality. I think I learned a lot from doing that, and it felt like a real gift to be the lead in a film like that and do stunts and fight choreography. It was a very exciting one.

What’s the bravest thing you’ve ever done?

In acting? I don’t know – are actors even brave? I don’t know if I’m a particularly brave person – I tend to be more in awe of, and looking up to, other people’s bravery. It’s such a good question, and honestly, I don’t have an answer. I don’t know if I’ve been someone who’s had to be particularly brave, and that’s something to think about. Maybe putting yourself out there as an actor, being in front of a camera… but I think people are braver out there actually saving the world, you know? Though I guess we all have our own world, and it expands every day.

I think, in a sense, it’s just throwing myself into new things and wanting to try new things – but I also think that’s something you have to do anyway. If that’s brave, then… I think everyone’s brave in their own way, whatever it is they have to overcome that day. I guess I need to do more: I might go skydiving next month, so that would be the brave thing, if I actually do it. I’m scared of heights!

“I don’t know if I’m a particularly brave person – I tend to be more in awe of, and looking up to, other people’s bravery.”

What’s the book you’re currently reading, if there is one?

I’m reading David Sedaris right now; I love him so much. The book is called “The Land and Its People”. It’s really making me giggle a lot. He has one essay about raising kids with gentle parenting that’s hilarious.

What does it mean for you to feel comfortable in your own skin?

For me it took time, it took getting older, getting through most of my twenties, which we’re told are the best years of your life, and they’re not, not at all. It was about gaining confidence over time and doing things for myself, finding things I liked to wear or do that were for me, not for anyone else. I have a lot of younger siblings, and some of them found their confidence and felt comfortable in their own skin a lot younger; for me it was more about growing up a bit and realizing what matters and what doesn’t. The only thing that really matters is you, how you feel, and what you put out there – once you drop the rest, it helps a lot. It’s a work in progress, always.

“The only thing that really matters is you, how you feel, and what you put out there.”

What’s your happy place?

One of my happy places is sitting outside at a bar near my house, having a drink, sitting with someone, people-watching and watching the world go by. I love that, I could people-watch all day. Another is being in my apartment with maybe some “Seinfeld” on, or “The West Wing” for some reason – that’s been making me feel really comforted recently.

Where do you usually write?

That’s something I’m forever trying to find the right place for. I try to write at home, but I get distracted. I’ll often go sit at a coffee shop – it helps to take myself out of the house – or go to a friend’s house and write with them. Honestly, I do a lot of writing on planes, because you’re not allowed to do anything else – phone off, nothing to distract you – so whatever locks me in and gets me to actually do it.

“Watching the world go by.”

Photos by Johnny Carrano.

Interview by Valentina Carraro.

Styling by Marco Visconti.

Styling assistant: Ginevra Vistoli.

Make-up by Simone Belli Agency using Armani Beauty

Hair by Cotril Spa

Location: Hotel Metropole Venezia

LOOK 1 

Total look: Ann De Meulemeester

LOOK 2 

Dress: Blumarine
Shoes: Casadei
Jewels: Fope

LOOK 3 

Total look: The Attico