The Quarantine Tapes: A week-day program from Onassis LA and dublab. Hosted by Paul Holdengräber, the series chronicles shifting paradigms in the age of social distancing. Each day, Paul calls a guest for a brief discussion about how they are experiencing the global pandemic.

About episode 083:

Isabella Rossellini joins Paul Holdengräber on episode 083 of The Quarantine Tapes to chat chickens, film, and Darwin. Isabella tells Paul about spending these past few months at home at her farm in Long Island since quarantine forced her to take a break from her usual nomadic lifestyle. Then, they chat about Isabella’s participation in the Onassis Foundation’s ENTER project and her enjoyment of the art of make-do.

In this episode, Isabella celebrates nature, creativity, and being free to do what you always wanted to do as a child in a conversation that ranges from discussing the personalities of chickens to determining what Isabella would ask Darwin if she were given the chance.

Isabella Rossellini grew up in Paris and Rome. When she was 19, she moved to New York City, working as a translator and journalist for RAI-Italian Television. She began a modeling career at the relatively advanced age of 28, appearing on numerous covers of magazines such as Vogue, Elle, Harper’s Bazaar and Vanity Fair.

An enduring style icon, Ms. Rossellini began a 14-year run in 1982 as the exclusive spokesperson for Lancome. When she turned 40 years old, an age considered too advanced to represent the beauty industry, her contract was not renewed . Isabella launched her own cosmetics brand Manifesto but in 2016 Lancome hired her again as a spokesperson with the specific intent to promote inclusiveness and fight against ‘ ageism”.

Ms. Rossellini made her cinematic debut as an actress in 1979 in the Taviani brothers’ film Il Prato (The Meadow) and has appeared in numerous other films, including the American features Blue Velvet, White Nights, Rodger Dodger, Cousins, Death Becomes Her, Fearless, Big Night and more recently in Joy . She worked with directors from many different directors like the Taviani brothers Saverio Costanzo , Robert Zemeckis , David O. Russell , David Lynch, Robert Wilson Taylor Hackford ,Marjane Satrapi and Guy Maddin.

She is also a successful television actress and filmmaker, with a keen interest in animals and wildlife conservation. Her award-winning series of shorts, Green Porno, Seduce Me and Mammas offers comical and scientifically insightful studies of animal behaviors. She toured in 50 different cities with a monologue based on her shorts written with Academy Award winner Jean Claude Carriere. Recently she toured her new theatrical show, Link Link Circus that deals with animal behavior and cognition.

Isabella has a master degree on Animal behavior and Conservation from Hunter college in NY and obtained a PhD honoris causa from the Science faculty at UQAM ( University of Quebec at Montreal)
Isabella also runs an organic farm in Brookhaven in association with the Peconic Land Trust. Her book about raising heritage chickens entitled My Chickens and I is published in the USA by ABRAMS BOOK

Ms. Rossellini’s other philanthropic interests embrace preservation of her family’s extraordinary cinematic heritage, including the films directed by her father, Roberto Rossellini and those featuring her mother, Ingrid Bergman.

Ms. Rossellini is a mother of two and resides in Bellport, Long Island.

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