[7] In New York she trained at Actors' Studios and worked on stage: she played Nina in The Seagull appeared in Richard III with the American Shakespeare Company, shared the stage with Michael Moriarty while performing Uncle Vanya at The Public Theater and took part in The chain, the playwriting debut of Elia Kazan.

[7][8] In 1984 she moved back to Italy where she continued to work on stage playing the role of Natasha in Three Sisters directed by Otomar Krejca at the Teatro Stabile di Genova.

She also briefly worked on television and made over a dozen films, both in Italy and France, before her role in 1990's Le Mari de la coiffeuse brought her to international attention.

[8] Galiena made her mainstream Hollywood debut in the Bill Forsyth-directed Being Human (1994), starring Robin Williams.

After poor test screenings, Warner Bros. instructed Forsyth to trim 40 minutes from the film, as well as add narration and a happy ending.