At just 21 years old, fashion people have put her on the golden list. With the recent screening of the masterpiece period series “The Leopard” on Netflix, Deva Cassel justifies it until the last scene because now film producers are also looking for her for new ambitious projects. At the recent premiere of the series, which took place with all the formality and splendor at the Rome Opera House, the young protagonist got the lion’s share of the flashes and the interest of the press. “Since I was a child, I loved art,” she confessed grateful for the moments she lives, “whether it was painting, music, dance, or acting. It was as if it was in my DNA. Something was pulling me towards it without me being able to explain it very well. I started as a model because I was interested in exploring the world of images since I was little. I accompanied my mother to a photo shoot and the photographer wanted to take a few shots of the two of us together. Then he had me pose alone and told me that I was unexpectedly good. I immediately felt comfortable in front of the camera and I really enjoyed the whole process. I knew I wanted to continue on this path.”

This is how her promising career began. In 2022, the creative director of Dior‘s women’s collections, Maria Grazia Chiuri, discovered in her face the freshness she was looking for and quickly appointed her as Dior’s global ambassador for the Fashion and Beauty departments. “I admire creativity and talent above all else,” the rising star said in one of her rare interviews about her high-profile collaboration. “I have always been inspired by the world of fashion, because this way of expressing ideas seemed extremely important to me. Through fashion and the messages it sends, a part of the history of humanity can change. I have great respect for Dior and its unique heritage. “Maria Grazia Chiuri combines the influences of French and Italian culture, and all of this touches me deeply, because I belong to both of these worlds,” says the charismatic Italian-French woman with exotic features, who is also a brand ambassador for the Cartier house.

Born in September 2004 in Rome, Deva Cassel grew up with her parents Monica Bellucci and Vincent Cassel in Brazil, developing a temperament that combines European refinement with Latin American temperament. Her fashion career begins timidly in 2021, participating as a model in Alta Moda shows. There, she is singled out by the ingenious design duo of Dolce & Gabbana, who makes her the face of the campaign for three of the house’s fragrances. International magazines looking for a new face feature her one after another on their covers, until, as a rather expected development, at some point the cinema enters her life, when the photogenic Deva takes on the leading role in the film “Beautiful Summer” in 2023.

“I was fascinated by cinema since I was a child, but initially I had rejected this prospect because I didn’t want to do the same job as my parents. I didn’t want to have the feeling of being compared to them in any way. Over time I realized that it was something that interested me, even though it is a big risk that pushes me to become the best version of myself and requires extremely hard work. But I was thirsty to be in this space and develop myself. The first film I starred in was “La Bella Estate” by Laura Lucchetti. Laura had noticed me from short films that I had shot for the promo of various fashion brands. We did several auditions, until at some point, quite a while later, she called me to tell me that I had got the role. It is a moment that I will never forget!”

In 2023, the phone call that changed everything was from Netflix producers who had the grand plan to bring Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa’s classic Italian novel “The Leopard” to the small screen as a series. The previous adaptation of the story to the screen, as a film by the great director Luchino Visconti in 1963, starring the legendary Burt Lancaster, Claudia Cardinale, and Alain Delon, had made history in the entertainment industry.

Deva Cassel proved worthy of the challenge, stating that she considers her participation in this work one of the most important in her biography: “I play Angelica, a young middle-class woman in Sicily in the 1860s, who seizes the opportunity to rise socially by entering the elite circle of the nobility. She is bold and sensual. It was not an easy role, but with the help of the director, the other actors and the entire team I met the high demands of the filming,” she describes, knowing that her parents, who are well-known in showbiz, and her flashy last name may open some doors more easily, but the recognition, which she is slowly beginning to achieve, requires relentless personal effort.

Even though her daily life includes long hours at work and despite the blessed genes she inherited from her mother, she always finds time for the gym and pays special attention to her diet. “Women should take care of themselves because that’s how we feel confident and become strong,” she believes.

At another official premiere of the series that took place a few days ago in Paris, Deva Kassel appeared in a magnificent creation – what else? – by the house of Dior with the grace of a seasoned model and the charm of a talented actress. Knowing that the world of fashion led her to that of the show, she is determined, no matter how many tempting offers for the small or big screen may follow, to continue serving it.

As for her parents, who are overjoyed and proud of their daughter’s development, “my mother and father never stood in the way of my desires and the choices I made in my career. Since I was a little child, they encouraged me to do what I want and what makes me feel happy. Their main advice was to always walk with my feet firmly on the ground and enjoy what I do. It would be great if they came to see me on set sometime or if I had the opportunity to play with them. “You never know, life holds many surprises.”