Gabriella Pizzolo, best known for playing fan favorite Suzie Bingham in the hit sci-fi series ‘Stranger Things’, has revealed. Natalie Portman he encouraged me to do a bachelor’s degree in psychology. The 23-year-old actress has not one but two college degrees, in psychology and music, and has been balancing academics with an active acting career.Pizzolo spoke exclusively with PEOPLE at the New York premiere of ‘Beaches’ on Broadway on April 22 about his academic career, his time on ‘Stranger Things’ and what’s next. “I majored in psychology and music,” she told Portman, 44, as the reason she chose psychology as a major.
How Natalie Portman inspired Gabriella Pizzolo to study psychology
“I remember looking up what to study, and I saw that Natalie Portman studied psychology, and not necessarily anything in the world of drama,” Pizzolo said. “And I said, ‘Actually, that’s really smart.’ It’s an alternative to drama and theater, but you still learn a lot about people and how they interact through it.”Portman attended Harvard University from 1999 to 2003, while continuing to work on several ‘Star Wars’ films. For Pizzolo, that example of balancing academics with an active acting career clearly resonated.
Gabriella Pizzolo filming at night and studying during the day
Pizzolo did not only study psychology in theory. He lived a similar strict schedule. “I was shooting all the time at night and then I went to school during the day. And I think the best part about it was that I didn’t have to do it from home or anything. I was on campus,” he said.Being on campus opened her up to people and experiences she would never have met if she had stuck to acting alone. “I got to meet new people that I never would have met, and they got to share all these things with me when I was going out and doing those things,” she said.He also drew a playful parallel between his academic career and his ‘Stranger Things’ character. “I think it’s a very Suzie track to go to school, and be at school while everyone else is saving the world, doing their thing, demogorgons, all that,” she laughed.
Gabriella Pizzolo on life after ‘Stranger Things’ and staying in touch with the cast
With the series over, Pizzolo says he’s become close with many of his former contestants. “I’ve seen people from the show, and it’s been great to get together after the show and go over everything, and to have people who aren’t on the same show together anymore, but still have that connection,” she said.he added Get MatarazzoDustin, who played his on-screen love interest, keeps in touch. “He’s doing a lot of theater now, so it’s really exciting to see,” he said.As for her next steps, Pizzolo is clear about where her focus lies, “I feel like theater is where I’m at, and film and acting,” she said. “But I think that psychology helps a lot of actors.”
