Valeria Golino has reached prominence on the international scene as one of the most renowned contemporary Italian actresses without becoming an icon of Italianness. Her extensive participation in Hollywood productions is paired with her acting on Italian soil, plus her work in France. These cultural and industrial spheres integrate in constructing her high professionality, but do not converge in building her bankability, the case of Respiro emerging as a turning point in the evolution of her star persona. Framing the analysis of her artistic personality within Geraghty’s category of performers, the chapter underscores how the construction of Golino’s prestige is grounded in her versatility and distinctive acting features (her idiosyncratic style, her tactile and nervous use of the body, and her husky, whispering voice). Her films that best exemplify this phenomenon are here analyzed, setting Golino against the background of two major tendencies in the exportability of Italian actresses abroad (the mater dolorosa icon and the exorbitant beauty), and their effects on status and performance.