Gia Skova not only did write her new Film, "The Serpent," she also directed it and appeared in the star role of Lucinda Kavsky. What’s more, Skova created the character of Lucinda, a special agent who works for an ultra-secret part of the CIA, by drawing her in comic books. Gia said: “I love to be creative and to draw, and from the pictures I painted of Lucinda I got this image of a strong, insanely beautiful, heroically courageous woman, who embodies hope, defeats evil and saves the world. To me, Lucinda is not just a role, it is the character I’d love to be in real life.”
Skova said that her aim in "The Serpent" was to trace the salvation of a little girl, who she describes as “the personification of the future”.
She continued: “If more people paid attention to the little ones, to make them into responsible, competent and ethical adults, most of the problems in the world today would vanish. Children are the future.”
Stunts
In "The Serpent," Gia did all the stunt fight scenes herself, as well as the car chases – she didn’t have a stunt double on set. She describes it as a challenge, but one she rose to. The movie was filmed entirely in the United States, although there are several scenes set in China. It co-stars Travis Aaron Wade as Detective Franklin, Nigel Vonas as Pierce, Kristopher Graves as Gerry, and Richard E. Wilson as CIA Director Gozbiv.
Filmmaking
Gia enjoys working with other writers and directors, but loved the opportunity to be a one-woman band for this movie, after making several other short films.
She said: “While I was working as a model I’ve always studied film in my free time, wherever I was around the world. I didn’t find it too difficult to get funding for ‘The Serpent’ – if you have a good story and can work hard to complete the movie, it’s no problem.”
Her previous acting credits include "João, o Maestro," "Finding Beauty in the Beast" and "Bleed for This." She started acting at the age of 12, starring in plays in Moscow and winning awards including 2009's Best Actress of Moscow Theater and Best Theatrical Actress of Saratov.
Model
Skova now lives in the US, where she is a successful model, appearing in fashion magazines, including Vogue and InStyle, walking in runway shows for designers such as Stella McCartney and Marc Jacobs, and featuring in adverts for L’Oreal and Red Bull among other big brands. She was a teen supermodel in Moscow by the age of 16, before moving to the US to continue her career, and says she wants to continue combining modelling and filmmaking.
Asked what she prefers doing out of writing, acting and directing, she says she loves all of them equally.
Future projects
Gia’s philosophy is “learn every day”, and she certainly isn’t sitting still. She’s currently working on four new film projects including a family adventure story that she plans to produce in England. She said: “Stay tuned on my Instagram account for more details about my upcoming projects.”
"The Serpent" was released in the USA in June and is available on Amazon Prime in the UK. It’s also showing at open-air cinemas in the UK over the summer.
