«I became Pope for Bellocchio and D’Annunzio for Martone»- Corriere.it

«For Marco Bellocchio I had already done in WIN the fascist prefectural commissioner Bernardi who adopts the son that Mussolini had from Ida Dalser, the prison chaplain in Night exterior. Here he promoted me to Pope, a nice path». He left his mark Paolo Pierobon with the Pius IX which he interpreted in “Kidnapped”, the film on the story of little Edgardo Mortara, which won seven Nastri d’argento 2023 including his, for best supporting actor. Veneto, born in 1967, full-bodied militancy in the theater, among the favorite actors of Eimuntas Nekrosius and Luca Ronconi. «I found Marco many times at the end of the show. He is a director very attentive to the work of the actors. His sets are unique, rather silent with a rehearsal concentration ».

How did you give life to Pius IX, the last ruler of the Papal States?

«I let myself be guided almost hypnotically by a painting by Francis Bacon, the study for the portrait of Innocence X inspired in turn by that of Velasquez. These screaming but silent popes, these ill-defined outlines helped me».

A complex character for a complex film that deals with issues such as anti-Semitism, religious dogmas, abuses and abuses of power. After the good reviews at Cannes, he has also met the favor of spectators.

“We are delighted with the success and attention. It’s a Dickensian story, the abduction of a child from his family, it has the character of a popular novel, but at the same time you find themes dear to Marco, you can still think of it as experimental cinema. He lives a renewed artistic youth ».

You actors, Gifuni, Ronchi, Alesi, seem artistically captivated by him.

«He is a director who changes actors, cultivates relationships, listens. He is surrounded by a very reciprocal affection. If he chooses you, you notice every attention he gives you that maybe you didn’t notice before ».

How did he become an actor?

«I come from Castelfranco Veneto, but I spent the first 5 years of my life in Pisticci, near Matera. It’s true that the Venetians are the southerners of the north, my father emigrated to the south, to Mattei’s Eni. Actor why? I use a nineteenth-century term, I felt a call, perhaps to overcome the insecurity which is a great asset for an actor. So I arrived at the Paolo Grassi school».

Is it true that to support himself, he also spent nights at swingers’ clubs?

“Very true. At the time they had to demonstrate that they were cultural centers and staged “cover” shows in which they called old stand-up comedians or us school kids. Very Beckettian, you entered in the dark and left in the dark, through the back door with 50,000 lire and you only guessed who was on the sofas».

Filippo De Silva of «Squadra antimafia», gave her television popularity.

«Relaunched from the lockdown when the series was rebroadcast. He is a villain sui generis, you don’t really know who he’s with, a little with the mafia and a little with the state».

Even more complex will have been the Berlusconi of the TV series «1993» and «1994».

«To interpret it, I thought of the saying of Giorgio Gaber, the Berlusconi in you. I tried to study the most authentic one that comes out of the wiretaps, where he doesn’t know he’s being filmed or recorded. Change voice, tone, but always jazz. I tried to invent the person away from the cameras. The common fact is the extreme vitality, clamorous, the desire to seduce continuously, like another character I played, the D’Annunzio of “Here I laugh” of Martone”.

At the cinema he met Salvatores, Martone, Virzì, but also the comedy of Zalone.

«Being able to wander is a strength. The deepest link, in addition to Bellocchio, is with Andrea Segre with whom I did “The smell of things”, “Welcome to Venice”».

“Always, I never give up. Now I have a text on De Gasperi in the works».