The Real Reason Giada De Laurentiis Gave Up Acting

Celebrity chef Giada De Laurentiis is a well-liked culinary whiz who has impressed numerous fans through her countless shows such as "Everyday Italian," "Giada at Home," "Giada's Weekend Getaways," "Giada In Paradise," "Giada In Italy," and more. According to Insider, the chef and her family shifted base to the U.S. from Italy when she was still a small child, which meant that De Laurentiis had to find a way to get used to a completely new culture and learn to adapt. 

At the same time, she stayed very close to her roots and revealed that this was a definite source of comfort for her as a child. She told the publication, "The way that I learned to connect with my grandfather was on a food level. I couldn't get enough — of food, of the smells, of hanging out in the kitchen, and asking questions."

De Laurentiis' family members were from the film industry as well, which meant that she was no stranger to it from an early age. Both her parents were actors. And her grandfather was the famous film producer Dino De Laurentiis who came up with ways to introduce American audiences to Italian cinema. Here's an impressive fact: 38 of the films he was involved in were honored with Academy Awards (per Insider). Also, according to a piece by Milk Street, De Laurentiis' grandmother was a famous actress. Guess you could say it runs in her blood.

Naturally, given her family history, Giada De Laurentiis was exposed to the entertainment industry early on and even had opportunities to experiment with more options in the acting realm. She told Milk Street that she explored traditional acting, but it simply didn't stick. She wasn't excited by the prospect of being on screen in that way, as she said, "I tried my hand at a million different things, acting being one of them. I didn't like any of it. I wasn't comfortable. I was shy."

The celebrity chef added that the one thing that made her very happy was food. However, she tried to appease her family members by experimenting with several roles in the film industry before figuring out that she was better off following a path of her own. She added, "...It just wasn't my thing. I loved food. I ended up doing what they wanted and trying different jobs in the movie business and on different movies and realized it's not for me. So I went out on my own and I went to college ... and then I went to cooking school in Paris." 

Luckily, things worked out perfectly and De Laurentiis found her true niche in a highly competitive industry.