uncle’s pajamas, childhood. “Pieraccioni? Eternal gratitude”

Florence, 28 December 2025 – She was among the first actresses to bring a gay role to the big screen – which earned her the David di Donatello – and recently she was among the protagonists of the first TV series on the topic of safety at work. Barbara Enrichborn in the hills of the Florentine Chianti on 14 April 1961, is a film, theater and TV actress. Today she lives in Milan with her husband Marco, whom she met at a wedding party where he had ‘crashed in’, and Tamarindo, a sweet labrador trained to assist blind people.

Great success came with comic roles, but the Tavarnellina – who loves good food and the Tuscan panorama – is also highly appreciated for her interpretations in dramatic roles, thanks to her experience gained in the theater with Ugo Chiti.

Did it all begin with Chiti?

“I worked with the maestro for 15 years, acting in most of his shows. I did three workshops with him and then we formed the Arca Azzurra company. In 1988 Ugo and Alessandro Benvenuti were writing ‘Benvenuti in casa Gori’. Benvenuti had seen me act in the company and wanted me for the role of Cinzia, the young girlfriend of Danilo alias Massimo Ceccherini. From there the cinematographic adventure started: cinema is my passion and a great one. love.”

And Leonardo Pieraccioni called her…

“First I worked with Francesco Nuti on ‘Donne con le gonne’ then Leonardo called me for ‘The Graduates’. With Giovanni Veronesi they wrote the character of Selvaggia specifically about me or at least that’s what they always told me. I met Veronesi again last year and with him I shot ‘Dio Laughs’, a beautiful project that will soon arrive at the cinema”.

Among the many roles you have played, which one has remained in your heart?

“Wild of the Cyclone. Funny, nice, atypical, she is part of a peasant family, she is in love with the pharmacist, but then with the arrival of the Spanish dancers her life is turned upside down because her way of seeing the couple changes. It was one of the very first homosexual roles in an Italian comedy. I studied a lot for that part but more than anything I took inspiration from reality and from people I knew, observing the ways of doing things, the attitudes, the way of dressing, of speaking. Now gay characters have been cleared but in 1996 it was different. I am proud to have played Selvaggia, I feel eternal gratitude towards Leonardo.

A memory linked to those days?

“The moments on set, serene even if demanding with a gaming atmosphere, but also of extreme professionalism on the part of everyone. I still remember the evening of the award ceremony of the prestigious David di Donatello as one of the most exciting days of my life. I was in disbelief and amazed, I didn’t expect to be able to win, and so it was even more rewarding.”

Did you dream of cinema as a child?

“No way! The ironer. My uncle had a nightgown and pajama company. And even today I have the image of one of the employees, Annina, while she irons in the steam, then wraps the nightwear precisely in cellophane. I saw her as a magical character. In elementary school the teachers said that I had a good ability to dramatize. I felt the need to tell stories and make others experience them.”

And what kind of girl was she?

“Shy, I liked living surrounded by nature, I come from the Chianti vineyards. And even today that remains a place in my heart even though I have lived in Milan for over twenty years. I moved to dedicate myself to teaching film acting, making my experience available to the younger generations. Since 2014 I have been a teacher of Actors’ Direction at the Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia – Sede Lombardia”.

More difficult to teach or act?

“Acting gives more satisfaction, I especially like roles that make a particular contribution to the story. For example, Vincenzina, the archivist with a prodigious and infallible memory from the TV series ‘The Other Inspector’, a project of which I am proud on the topic of safety at work. The first season has recently ended but the topic is so important… I hope it can still be addressed. Returning to the question, I want to underline how exciting it is to teach this profession to younger people.”

From when you started to today, has the actor’s profession changed?

“Technology has evolved, there are social networks but in the end everything has remained the same: everyone wants to become successful people. But it is a demanding job, to create a career you need a lot of determination. Talent is like a seedling, to grow it needs nourishment: passion, determination and study”.

What do you like most about working as an actress?

“Every time it’s a different test that contributes to personal growth. There are no formulas to play a character, it’s always changing. A particularly electrifying moment? The auditions. When I pass them I’m over the moon, it means I’ve done a good job. Often, however, I’m negative and I think I’ve ‘botched’ the casting, just as happened with ‘The Other Inspector’: I had eavesdropped on the candidate before me and she’d done well. I was already discouraged and when they told me that the role was mine, on the third audition, I almost didn’t believe it. It was great working with director Paola Randi: she gave a particular touch of humanity to each character.”