The T&C Vanguard of the Future
Legends are made, not born, shaped by daring moves, and the courage to inspire, to evolve, to change themselves—and to change the world. Legends transform the way we think, the way we dress, the way we see ourselves and the world we live in. True legends are always vanguards—of history, of style, of culture, of the future. We celebrate them and their world changing ways in this inaugural edition of The T&C Vanguards.
Chapter 4
The T&C Vanguard of the Future
How does one take incredible creative risks on with each role? Practice, practice, practice. Meet Monica Barbaro, Hollywood’s new Renaissance woman, and our T&C Vanguard of the Future.
“I get to tackle so many different things in this business,” says actress Monica Barbaro. Most recently, that has included being a fighter pilot alongside Tom Cruise in Top Gun: Maverick and next, living the life of the legendary Joan Baez opposite Timothée Chalamet in the Bob Dylan biopic, A Complete Unknown. She learned to pilot a Cessna 172 Skyhawk for the first, and has mastered singing and guitar for the second. Is her background as a ballet dancer to explain for this level of discipline? “I'm not sure that’s really the right word,” Barbaro says. “It's more about accountability. I understand the hours it takes to make it look easy. It takes so much training to make it seem as if you have been doing it for years. My dance training taught me to be humble about what it takes.”
This belief in preparation is in fact what she feels allows her to take creative risks; it creates a kind of safety net that allows for the artistic leaps. The San Francisco native moved to New York to attend New York University's Tisch School of the Arts and received a BFA in Dance. Then after that highly sought after and rigorous training, she decided to pivot intensely into acting, something almost entirely new. It was, she admits looking back, “a huge risk." But to follow her theory, she was ready. She leaped, and has soared.
Taking on legends, like joining the Top Gun franchise, like portraying Joan Baez, like sharing scenes with Arnold Schwarzenegger in the Netflix spy comedy Fubar, could be intimidating, but Barbaro focuses on the heart of the matter. “How audacious to pretend I’m as bold or as skilled as these people?” she says of the fighter pilots and iconic musician she has portrayed. “How do I even try? I begin by honoring the individual. I embark on it the best as possible and with the utmost respect. It’s not about imitating mannerisms. It’s about their essence. We are telling their stories for a reason. To take them on is bold. You do it carefully and specifically.”
And in playing legends, has she learned something about what makes them? On the subject of staying power, and those roles remembered for a lifetime, Barbaro says that this is always “the ultimate question. How do I make this immortal?” She thinks about what she herself is eternally drawn to, the lives and art most deeply felt and remembered and referenced. “It can be messy sometimes. But that’s when we see the humanity. And those are the movie scenes that come up in dinner conversations years later. Imperfection is what I'm drawn to. No matter how cool the stunts are, how good the music may be, human stories and connection are what live forever.”
Barbaro’s intense preparation for her roles has gotten much of the attention, but she has also learned the importance of celebrating her success. “I treat myself to a piece of jewelry every time I get a job. I call it my ‘accomplishment collection.’” Bulgari's newly announced Friend of the House understands the power of jewelry as both celebratory memento, as well as protective talisman. “I once had a snake on my arm,” she says, “and wearing the Serpenti watch felt a bit like that. I had chills. I thought about how a snake moves, so sensual, so patient, so curious. They are such a creative life force—a perfect symbol for new chapters.”
Photography by Celeste Sloman
Styled by Dania Lucero Ortiz
Hair by Lona Vigi at The Wall Group, Makeup by Misha Shazhada at A-Frame Agency, Manicure by Kayo Higuchi at Bryan Bantry, Set Design by Erica Lutz for Noemi Bonazzi, Shot at Go Studios, NYC.
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