The 'complicated' choice of motherhood in Italia

The interview

Claudia Potenza: 'The most difficult job? Educating for freedom, the way to respect others'

Speaks the actress who plays the role of Ivana in 'Vita da Carlo 4', mother of two children aged 15 and 8

by Manuela Perrone

10 May 2026

2' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

2' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

"The theme I try to work on is freedom. It is believing in the importance of presence to build the mother-child relationship, but at the same time being able to see them as individuals in their own right and helping them to unleash their potential". The actress Claudia Potenza - fresh from her success as Ivana, Verdone's friend in Vita da Carlo 4 - is the mother of Gabriele, 15, and Nina, 8. Pugliese, born in 1981, with her husband lawyer Domenico Chiarello she has always considered parenthood 'a transport and a responsibility' and the family a messy but happy place. Not a necessity, rather a space in which to try to improve. Together.

how do you experience motherhood?

Like a continuous tension to secure for my children the most precious gift: freedom. The message I try to convey is: 'I make you live your life while I love you, while I am there'. Care and presence. I am certain that educating them to independence is also the most effective way of educating them to respect the independence of others. As the mother of a boy, I feel even more responsible.

Does it work?

Starting at a very young age is useful. But it is a huge job, not easy at all. One has to work on emotions, ours and theirs, and on self-esteem. It is necessary to adjust to the different ages of each child, because knowing how to change attitude without betraying one's values when passing from childhood to adolescence is part of the game. Sometimes we want to hold on to them. Often we do not understand when it is the right time to let them go. But allowing them to make their own path of mistakes - who hasn't been through one? - is to teach them not only the benefits, but also the burdens of 'no control'. That is how we learn freedom.

Do you feel alone on this journey, or do you feel that you are more alone than your parents were?

The chronicle speaks more than a thousand words. The story of the mother in Catanzaro who decided to throw herself off the balcony with her three children devastated me. It is true that loneliness, of mothers in particular, has always been there. But probably yes, today we are more alone than before. And it is paradoxical, because the mass of information easily accessible by anyone on any subject, including parenting, should make us feel safer. Instead we seem alienated: we are more aware, but we move without a network, organised in watertight compartments: family, school, sport. They do not work. Faced with the challenge and mystery of a new life, the wisdom of the African proverb always applies: 'It takes a whole village to raise a child'.