“In recent years, I’ve found it increasingly difficult to fit into the confines of the film industry. I’m trying to break free, choosing projects that take me somewhere else, mentally and physically. Projects that challenge me in new ways.”

Her latest is Balcanica, directed by Nicola Sorcinelli, which won the Audience Award in the Giornate degli Autori section at the Venice Film Festival. De Angelis plays Greta, a doctor, in the film.

“It was a small, international set,” she says. “We Italians were in the minority. There was a mix of languages, cultures and experiences, and it was wonderful. I felt part of something bigger.”

How was this set different from that of The Undoing, the series starring Nicole Kidman and Hugh Grant?

“We tend to mythologize America a little too much. Today, the great stars are European and Asian, too. They know no geographical boundaries. In Balcanica, I worked alongside Babak Karimi, an extraordinary Iranian actor who won a Silver Bear at the Berlin Film Festival. Of course, the setting was less glamorous, but that was right for the story we were telling.

“We filmed in a small village on the border between Serbia and Montenegro, on a plateau known as ‘the Siberia of Europe.’ It snowed during the shoot, in April and May. Unfortunately, the Balkan migration route is a living hell. Many young people from the reception center took part in the production, and that had a profound impact on me.”

You play a doctor. Could you ever have pursued that profession yourself?

“Absolutely not. For starters, I’m terrible at math. I have enormous admiration and respect for people who care for others by getting directly involved, getting their hands dirty. Through Greta, in my own small way, I tried to convey the value of their work with appreciation and sensitivity.”

When you encounter realities like these, you might start to feel that other professions, including acting, are less important. Did you ever think that?

“In the film industry, when we have a difficult day, we often joke, ‘Well, at least we’re not performing open-heart surgery.’ That’s true. But I believe art can also save lives, in a different way. We artists are medicine for the soul.”

In Balcanica, music is banned in Afghanistan. What do you feel when you think about censorship?

“I feel tremendous outrage. We’re going through dark times, but we live in a country where we can express our opinions and don’t end up in prison for dissenting.

“You can truly understand censorship only if you live under it. When I think about places where these things actually happen, I feel anger and frustration, much like my character does.”

Music is one of your great passions, isn’t it?

“If someone prevented me from making music or creating art, it would cause me enormous pain. I’d feel lost, as though I’d lost the very meaning of life. An artist never stops being an artist, even when someone tries to prevent them from creating. Making art is a way of being in the world.”

How do you stay informed?

“I read newspapers, follow the news online and, inevitably, on social media, too. Social media often throws information at you that you didn’t even know you wanted to know. I don’t watch television.

“In recent years, I’ve rediscovered the pleasure of talking to people. Fortunately, I have friends who are much more engaged, better informed and more politically active than I am. We have wonderful debates, both face-to-face — which I think is the best way — and in informal gathering places.

“There used to be social centers where you could go and meet people. Now everything is more complicated.”

You once described yourself as a bookworm. Is that accurate?

“‘Bookworm’ may not be quite the right word, but yes, in a way I am. The truth is that I’m anxious. I want to be ready for anything, even the worst-case scenario, so I have to be prepared. Over the years, I’ve realized that my words reach a lot of people, and I feel a sense of responsibility. So, yes, I’m extremely anxious.”

And yet you don’t come across that way.

“Let’s just say I’m very organized. You know those people who say, ‘Go with the flow’? Well, I want to know how many people are in the flow, what time it starts and ends, and what I’m supposed to wear. In short, I’m training myself to go with the flow.”

Of all the directors you’ve worked with, whom have you talked to the most?

“I’d say Luc Besson. During the Italian promotional tour for Dracula: A Love Tale, we spent a lot of time together and shared all kinds of stories. He’s incredibly sweet.

“I’ve also talked a lot with Stefano Mordini. He taught me things I didn’t know and opened my eyes. And then there’s Mario Martone. We still keep in touch and care about each other. And Matteo Rovere, with whom I got my start in Italian Race (Veloce come il vento).

“Needless to say, he’s practically a piece of my heart.”

People have long pointed out that there are still too few women directors. What’s your view?

“I think there are women directors, that there are more and more of them, and that they’re stronger than ever. But I also believe it’s impossible to change a country’s dominant mindset — or that of the entire world — in just a few years.

“It’s a very long process, like trying to break a habit. Changing a society’s cultural, social and political structures isn’t easy. It’s important to keep fighting and drawing attention to these inequalities, but we must understand that we can’t erase centuries of history or expect immediate solutions within a limited time frame.

“In short, we’ll have to keep getting angry for many years to come.”