One of the most famous faces on the big and small screens, but also one of the warmest and most appreciated voices, an actor endowed with impulses capable of making him pass from dramatic to comic with ease of expression, Giancarlo Giannini returns to television on March 5, on Rai 2 , with the movie An angel in hell, directed by Bruno Gaburro. With Giannini, Chiara Conti, Giorgia Wurth, Laura Adriani and Roberto Farnesi. Giannini plays the role of head of the family: «It is the story of a family in which the two parents have problems with their children, who are drug addicts. The father knows absolutely nothing about it. In the end, however, the story will be resolved positively. So very simple. The theme of the film is: give me better parents and I will give you a better world». The popular actor is not new to roles for television in which “strong” social issues are explored, having in the past already dealt with jobs dealing with problems such as alcoholism, for example. The film, produced by Nuova Media Italia, was shot in Veneto and sponsored by the Ministry of Health with the participation of the Veneto Region, the Department of Health Policies and
social and with the collaboration of the Ulss and the Veneto hospitals. «Yes, a pleasant experience», says Giannini, «although I would prefer to do something even more demanding, but the period is not the best».
Seems a bit low key…
«I am unhappy with how things are going in the country and in my profession. It’s very difficult to make a film and the Italian ones come out badly, have bad distribution; in short, there is no need to be happy with the situation we live in. At this point it’s understandable that every now and then I lose my enthusiasm. I rely on the hope of working with foreigners».
Because?
“Because we have too many problems here. I don’t speak so much for myself who am now… an elderly person, but for young people, to whom I advise to go outside Italy, regardless of profession. Here they pay little; outside, you earn three or four times as much. Especially for us actors it becomes almost impossible to work». He lets out a cry of alarm loud and clear. Other colleagues, while lamenting the crisis situation, are less caustic». You are very hard on Italy
“Hard? I tell the story, but I am and remain optimistic. As for the movie, I hope it does well. My character is a father who has problems with his wife and children, even though he is rich and therefore should suffer less than others. He fails to understand the difficulties of the children. A film that will make you think».
She advises young people to leave. What is the difference between what you did when you were young and today’s reality?
«It was a more relaxed way of working, there was less frenzy and less publicity. Today we work only under the condition of revenue from advertising. And in
On TV there were extraordinary directors like Sandro Bolchi or Anton Giulio Majano who knew perfectly how to use the camera. The scenes also lasted twenty, thirty minutes of continuous shooting. Today
ten scenes are shot a day, everything is faster and I also believe that the computer has taken something away from the soul of the work. And I say it, I’m an industrial electronic expert. Apparently not
there should be a connection with the actor’s work but in reality in both activities one works with the imagination».
You enter the personal corners of Giannini, who grapples with the hobby of inventions every day…
«I always have to do something, I can’t sit still. I use my hands a lot, an extraordinary gift from God. This morning, for example, I repaired the roof of my house. On the other hand, the school I went to
he taught everything, to do practical things but also theory, and this desire to do remained with me. It amuses me, relaxes me and challenges me. Isn’t the bricklayer coming? It doesn’t matter, I’ll do it myself.”
A versatility that he has also transferred to his profession: actor, dubber, director…
“I make no distinctions. It’s a way like any other to apply intelligence. What’s more, my rigor came from another school, that of aeromodelling: method, patience, precision. There is not much difference between those who study electronics and those who study acting. If I study an electronic scheme, I don’t see it, I have to imagine it. And I have to build and imagine a character before I can play it. Those who say: “I have become the character” make me laugh. We tell the character, like a fairy tale to a child. As adults, no one tells us fairy tales anymore and so here we are, we actors, who tell fairy tales to continue feeding the imagination. I always say to the kids: study to the end, because if you have to do something, it must be done well; it’s like making spaghetti, either you do it right or it’s better not to. Doing things should be a pleasure.”
Projects?
«I have to go to London and the Caribbean for an American commercial. Luckily there are the Americans. In Italy there is a lot of confusion. Anyway, my dream one day is to make a film about faith,
i would love to. Faith, mystery. The beautiful thing about man is that he has a sense of what he doesn’t know, and if there weren’t mystery we wouldn’t have an engine to be curious about life. Well, that’s the mystery, it’s faith in something or someone. For me faith and mystery are the same thing. Proposing such a thing these days is difficult. But I don’t despair.”