His father, originally from Badolato (Catanzaro), arrived in Australia as a child to study and build a future far from the hardships of post-war Italy.
Part of the family still lives in Italy, where Juliano returns whenever possible, maintaining a living connection to the land, family rituals and a culture transmitted more through gestures than language.
“My connection to Italy is my family: my grandmother still lives there, in the house my grandfather built with his own hands,” he says. “It’s a place where the family stays united—and that’s a very Calabrian thing.”
Growing up in Sydney, Battaglia fully experienced the Italo-Australian community and developed a sense of belonging shaped by daily life.
“We grew up surrounded by Italian culture—the food, the family lunches, the cafés, the card games. Even if we didn’t speak much Italian, the culture was all there,” he recalls.
That connection deepened during his university years thanks to his work at Cremeria De Luca, an experience he considers formative, professionally and personally.
“That was a great introduction to the Italian community,” he says, “I learned to value the cent, not just the dollar, and to understand what it means to work for a small business.”
At the same time, his artistic vocation began to take shape. Watching films at home—from Jerry Lewis and Dean Martin to Elvis Presley and Michael Jackson, and later Jim Carrey and Robin Williams—became a space for play, imitation and discovery.
From there emerged the desire to act, not as self-display, but as a way to explore the human condition in all its nuances. “I’ve always wanted to be an actor because I can be everything and myself at the same time,” he explains.
Battaglia built his training in a structured way. After early theatrical foundations at school, he undertook training at the Howard Fine Acting Studio in Australia.
There, he completed full-time acting courses, masterclasses in technique, improvisation, singing for actors, stage combat and stunt basics, as well as specific training in voice-over and the American accent.
His preparation draws on the Stanislavski system and its later developments, but also includes commedia dell’arte, which he considers fundamental for work on the body, rhythm and mask.
It’s a path that has led him to view acting as continuous study. “My instrument is myself,” he says, “That’s why I have to keep studying, training and working on myself.”
In recent years, he has developed a coherent path across film, web series and theatre.
In cinema, he appeared in 2024 in Girl with the Red Coat, directed by Suresh Giri. In 2017, he acted in the short film The Lonely Road in the role of the ‘Paranormal Boy’, produced by Lonely Hill Films and directed by Darren K. Hawkins.
In 2023 he took an important step with the web series Walking Shadows – Volume 2, produced by Incognita Enterprises and directed by Sally McLean, in which he played Iago, one of the central characters.
The project reworks Shakespearean texts, combining dialogue and monologues from different plays into a contemporary narrative. A complex role, which Battaglia approached from a key principle of his method: “You can’t judge a character. Every character is the hero of their own story—you have to understand them, not condemn them.”
His portrayal of Iago earned significant international recognition. In January 2024, he won Best Newcomer Actor at the International Online Web Fest Awards.
The series was also nominated for Best Ensemble Performance, while its creator and director received a nomination for Best Original Screenplay, confirming the project’s strength on the festival circuit.
In 2024, Battaglia also appeared in other serial productions, including Fated to Love You, Return of the Heiress, Rewritten by Love and Echoes of Vengeance, collaborating with both Australian and international productions.
In theatre, one of his most significant works has been Pornographillip (2023), directed by Jake Stewart and marking Battaglia’s first paid stage role. The production explores themes of relationships, identity and emotional responsibility, representing a key milestone in his artistic maturation.
Alongside acting, Battaglia has also worked as a model, taking part between 2021 and 2024 in cinematic, fashion and commercial photoshoots, and appearing in music productions such as the 2024 video clip Mr. Niceguy.
Today, Battaglia continues to invest in training, auditions and the development of new skills, including writing and singing.
At the same time, he maintains an open outlook towards the Italian and Italo-Australian community. “I’m interested in projects with a clear vision, regardless of their scale—including those that originate within the Italian community,” he shares.
It’s a path built with method and continuity, where the international recognition for Walking Shadows marks an important milestone—but not a final destination.
