Michela Giraud is a transformative comedian

It's a Man's World, and Michela Giraud knows it well. Born in 1987 and a proud native of North Rome, the actress and comedian carved her path through the early days of Italian stand-up comedy, often feeling like a fish out of water. During the rise of a new wave of humor in Italy—one that veered away from traditional variety shows and cabaret towards the American live show style—Giraud was one of the few female comedians to make a name for herself. Her perseverance helped open doors in a field historically dominated by men. Her journey has seen her evolve repeatedly: from a contestant on LOL: Chi Ride è Fuori, to a television writer, a film actress, and even a director and screenwriter. Her debut film Flaminia, co-written with Francesco Marioni, Greta Scicchitano, and Marco Vicari, draws heavily from her personal life, especially her relationship with her disabled sister. We talked about it during Cortinametraggio 2025, where she served as a jury member for the comedy category. “I see Flaminia a bit like my child,” Giraud admits. “I poured into it everything we often can’t even confess to ourselves, let alone others. Completing it was a challenge I wasn’t sure I could meet. I still can’t tell if it’s good or bad—but it was definitely a surprise, especially for me.”

Flaminia: a double need to tell and transform by Michela Giraud

With Flaminia, Giraud fulfilled a double need: to tell a deeply personal story and to constantly reinvent herself. “I want to dodge all stereotypes,” she says. “That means not getting trapped in anything. Everything I’ve done so far, from Colorado to Educazione Cinica to my film, has given me so much. But I don't want to be just 'the girl from Colorado' or 'the girl from Educazione Cinica' or 'the girl from Flaminia'. Every new project needs to contradict the previous one. It’s an escape; it’s my way of living outside predictable tracks, both as a person and as an artist.” Michela Giraud embraces change without fear. If someone thinks she’s deviating from her path, she simply doesn’t care: “I have nothing to prove. It’s time to break free from certain prejudices.” 

Smart comedy and social criticism

Being a female comedian already invites plenty of criticism, and resilience is essential: “There was a time in my career when they wanted me to bash men, to become a sort of vessel for hatred towards them. But I don't hate men—I hate everyone equally. These are emotionally barren times, and cynicism often masks pointless cruelty. I think those who want to pass off their witty banter as cynicism are actually just pouring out unnecessary and counterproductive nastiness.” A hint of ruthlessness is part of the very nature of the comedian, if one knows how to use it well: “It's just that before those who used it were able to know how to build intelligent comedy on top of it, today there is not even that commitment. We are faced with a vacuum of generosity. Which is paradoxical when you think that you should be doing this work for the audience, which is the only thing I think about when I set out to write.”

Solidarity over rivalry: supporting women in comedy

In a male-dominated industry that often pits women against each other, Giraud advocates for solidarity. “People invent things about you, but thankfully now I just laugh it off. They try to spark rivalry whenever a new woman enters the scene, asking if I'm afraid she'll steal my spot. But steal what? There should be space for everyone, and I'm thrilled to see more women entering comedy. The idea that we root for each other’s failure is simply degrading.”

Rediscovering herself: from crisis to comeback

Michela Giraud has firmly rejected negativity, protecting both her career and her inner peace.“There was a moment when I didn't want to know anything more, I needed to unplug, I felt disoriented. Popularity hit me all at once and very hard. While it’s gratifying, you have to know how to handle it so it doesn’t crush you. I went through a crisis where I no longer recognized myself. It took a personal journey before I could find my dimension again, which, then, is the dimension of the stage. Because I love making people laugh. I love teasing myself and teasing others. I enjoy a type of satire that’s never violent but always free. As someone once said, of the twenty-four hours in a day, twenty-three are mediocre—the only one that counts is when I’m on stage.”

Future projects: between cinema and dramedy

To change, to change constantly, without being afraid to jump in. On the contrary, to unearth in that continuous transformation not only the enthusiasm to do new things, but to rediscover the love for what we thought we had lost, such as Giraud's fondness for stand-up, which she had fallen out of love with and which instead came back into her life with more strength than before. The future is wide open for the Roman actress and comedian, who hints at a possible return to cinema: “What would I shoot? A dramedy—that’s where I feel most at home. But right now, I don't feel the urge to direct again immediately. If I could choose, I’d love to be directed by someone else.”