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Vito Facciolla Talks About his Character in 'Anime Nere'

Interview: Vito Facciolla - "Pasquale"

Today is the day that we Italian cinema aficionados have been waiting for: Anime nere (Black Souls) officially opens on this side of the Atlantic.

We meet Pasquale in the opening moments of Anime nere and he stays with us during the duration of the film, giving support and a bit of comedy relief to the characters as well as the audience as we all watch and digest the painful tones of  the story.

Vito Facciolla is a Pugliese-born character actor with a wicked sense of humor and impeccable comic timing. He's appeared in a number of Italian films including, Kim Rossi Stuart's, Angel of Evil. However, it seems that Facciolla is really starting to hit his stride. He had a a key role in Ricky Tognazzi's recent RAI television movie, Pietro Mennea - La Freccia del Sud and is experiencing international stardom with the success of Francesco Munzi's Anime nere.

We have much more to discover about Vito Facciolla, but for now he tells us about his character in Anime nere, Pasquale, and how he managed to bring a couple light moments to a very intense, tragic story.

In researching for our interview, I watched many of your videos on YouTube. You are really a very talented actor with a great sense of humor. Also in Anime nere, you managed to let some of that humor show through even though the story was very tragic and dark. How do you manage to balance this fine line of drama and comedy?
You are right about my sense of humor, but the fact that I am a good actor, I have my doubts! I definitely "do" my work with great seriousness and passion. As you see, it is in the root of my last name. Many colleagues are wrong when they say, "I'm an actor". In my opinion it means nothing because we are all actors in life. For example, sales representatives, to name a category; or any other person man / woman who is in a moment of euphoria may be able to give a beautiful show. Being an actor is a different thing. It's a trade, surely one of the most beautiful in the world, but not the hardest! It requires perseverance and sacrifice, tenacity and willpower, illusion and disillusion, coherence and incoherence, great self-confidence, determination, discipline, exhausting tests and continuous psychophysical training; in short, all  the things that I hate, which are also very far from who I am. This is why I love my job. Because it forces me, in a way, to do that which does not belong to me. When I was younger, I immediately put forth the maximum effort in my work to achieve the maximum results, and I was always fascinated by the challenges I faced in working towards goals that seemed more distant or unattainable. Even the work of portraying simple characters becomes a challenge for me. Indeed, I enjoy these challenges because they drive me to reinvent myself and work with the directors to change and become those characters. It's like continuously molding myself with fresh clay..giving form and then in the next moment, completely undoing it. Addressing the psychology of a character is a very delicate work that you do by yourself. You have to apply a particular study that in most cases occurs mainly in the form of questions, doubts, anxieties and fears.For example, the humor, which I have always had, I tend to exaggerate but then if the director guides me, I can do even better. As with Francesco Munzi,  he focused on the feeling of revenge, already with roots in Greek tragedy, while not neglecting ironic nuances of the characters with a unique lightness; thus increasing the strength and truth. For me, it's very exciting to give a comic angle to a tragic moment, because there is a thin thread that could break immediately and make you fall and lose the credibility of the character.

Ho visto molti video del tuo lavoro su Youtube .. Sei un bravo attore con un grande senso dell'umorismo. Anche in Anime nere, il tuo personaggio possedeva una leggerezza, anche nel mezzo della tragedia. È una linea molto sottile tra dramma e commedia. Cosa ispira ad avvicinarsi al tuo lavoro da questo punto di vista?
Sul senso dell'umorismo ti dò ragione. Sul fatto ch'io sia un bravo attore avrei i miei dubbi! Tu lo dici! Sicuramente "faccio" il mio lavoro con tanta serietà e passione. Come vedi è proprio nella radice del mio cognome. Molti colleghi, sicuramente sbagliando, dicono: "Sono un attore"! Il che a mio avviso non significa nulla, tutti siamo attori nella vita! Per esempio i rappresentanti di commercio, tanto per nominare una categoria; o  qualsiasi altra persona uomo/donna che sia, in un momento d'euforia può riuscire a dar spettacolo magnificamente! 
Fare l'attore è una cosa diversa. E' un mestiere. Sicuramente uno dei più belli al mondo, ma non a caso uno dei più difficili! Richiede caparbietà e sacrificio, tenacia e forza di volontà, illusione e disillusione, coerenza e incoerenza, grande fiducia in se stessi, determinazione, disciplina, prove estenuanti, allenamento psicofisico continuo, insomma tutte cose che detesto e lontane dal mio modo di essere! Per questo mi piace il mio lavoro. Perché mi obbliga, in un certo qual modo a fare ciò che non m'appartiene. Quand'ero più giovane, mettevo subito in campo, sfruttandole al massimo: le mie capacità, qualità,  la mia vis comica ecc, insomma quello che sapevo fare meglio; straordinariamente riuscendovi e riportando gratificazioni in tanti lavori. Ma da sempre mi affascinano le sfide verso le cose più lontane, irragiungibili, apparentemente. Anche il lavoro su personaggi semplici o non ben definiti, diventa una sfida per me! Anzi mi stuzzica maggiormente, perché devo inventare, proporre al regista ed eventualmente modificare. Plasmarsi continuamente, come con la creta fresca. Darle una forma per poi subito essere pronti a disfarla. Non so se mi spiego. Affrontare la psicologia di un personaggio è un lavoro molto delicato che si fa su se stessi. Implica uno studio particolare che spesso t'avvolge a 360° e che nella maggior parte dei casi si presenta maggiormente sotto forma di dubbi, perplessità, ansie e paure. Chiaramente queste si combattono anche con i mezzi propri. Per esempio l'umorismo. Quello ce l'ho sempre avuto, anzi spesso nel lavoro esagero ma, ripeto, l'attore ha il dovere di proporre. Poi se il regista tiene qualcosa, tanto di guadagnato. Come nel caso di Munzi che nel suo film ha ben messo a fuoco il sentimento di vendetta, con già radici nella tragedia greca, pur non tralasciando sfumature ironiche dei personaggi  con una leggerezza unica; aumentandone così la forza e la verità. Per me rimane molto eccitante recitare una situazione comica in un momento tragico, proprio perché esiste un filo sottilissimo che potrebbe immediatamente spezzarsi e farti cadere  nella "macchietta", perdendo così la credibilità del personaggio. Scusa. Non ho il dono della sintesi!

During the creation of this character, which qualities of yourself did you give to Pasquale?
Pasquale is a person that "services" the "family". Perhaps he is a relative, but certainly one that deals with the everyday practicality of banks, payments, reports, etc.. He is the man closest to Rocco. Surely he is ready for anything, even to die. But he is not a servant, in the noble sense of the term. In theater, I played various servants, even Pulcinella, and they all possess common characteristics such as opportunism and a desire to cheat the next person. Pasquale doesn't have any of those qualities. He is simply a servant devoted to his clan since birth. I liked to imagine him a man tested by many personal tragedies, perhaps even a widower recently, but always with a positive background and passionate love towards life. Then on the set of "Anime nere", I had the pleasure of working with Peppino Mazzotta, whom I've known for years, and with whom I attended the same class in acting school. And then with all the others, Anna Ferruzzo, Fabrizio Ferracane, Marco Leonardi, Domenico Centamore, Stefano Priolo, without neglecting any of the crew; came to create a beautiful, unique experience with moments of  absolute and uncontrollable laughter! I will remember this masterpiece because we all worked so well together. Even in the difficult times when we faced various challenges on the set, there was always an atmosphere of great humanity especially by those who welcomed us in Africo.

Durante la creazione di questo personaggio, quali sono le qualità di te stesso che hai dato a Pasquale?
Pasquale è una persona al servizio della "famiglia", forse un parente. Sicuramente quello che si occupa della praticità quotidiana. Banche, pagamenti, relazioni ecc ed è l'uomo più vicino a Rocco.Sicuramente pronto a tutto, finanche a morire. Ma non è un servo. Nel senso nobile del termine, intendo. A teatro ho interpretato vari servi, finanche Pulcinella e tutti hanno caratteristiche comuni, quali l'opportunismo e il voler fregare il prossimo per esempio. Lui non ha nulla di tutto ciò. Pasquale  è servo votato al suo clan, semplicemente.Segnato già dalla nascita! M'è piaciuto immaginarlo come un uomo provato da tante tragedie personali, forse anche vedovo da poco, ma sempre con una positività di fondo e di amore spassionato verso la vita. Poi sul set di Anime nere ho avuto il piacere d'incontrare  Peppino Mazzotta che conosco da anni,  col quale ho frequentato la stessa classe in accademia e insieme a  tutti gli altri conosciuti nell'occasione: Anna Ferruzzo, Fabrizio Ferracane, Marco Leonardi, Domenico Centamore, Stefano Priolo, senza tralasciare nessuno di tutta la troupe; s'è venuta a creare un'atmosfera bellissima, unica e irripetibile. Con momenti d'ilarità assoluti e incontrollabili! Ricorderò questo capolavoro perché siamo stati bene.Anche in momenti difficili. Grande umanità soprattutto da chi ci ha accolto ad Africo.

You're from a beautiful city in the region of Puglia, Polignano a Mare, which is situated on the Adriatic Sea. Has the experience in growing up in a place so beautiful influenced your work as an artist?
You are definitely influenced by the place in which you are born, but also by the family unit in which you were raised. I was lucky to have two wonderful parents, always cheerful! They were known by everyone as a funny, comical couple. During my childhood and adolescence, I was surrounded by a healthy environment filled with optimism, even in moments of crisisI have an ocean of pride when I speak of my town. I love my town and my fellow citizens. The image of the sea is an infinite vision that I always carry inside. To quote Modugno, I can just run forever... "over there in my country where you feel the sea!"

Sei di' una bella città in Puglia, Polignano a Mare, situata sul mare. La bellezza e la poesia di un luogo così bello influenzano il tuo lavoro di artista?
Sicuramente il luogo in cui si nasce influenza moltissimo, ma anche il nucleo famigliare in cui si nasce e si vive. Io ho avuto la fortuna di avere due genitori fantastici, sempre allegri! Una coppia comicissima contesa da tutti. Negli anni dell'infanzia e adolescenza è importante che ti venga trasmessa una sana leggerezza per poi crescere nell'ottimismo. I miei sono stati bravi a farlo anche in momenti critici. Questo fa la differenza. Non parliamo di Polignano perché altrimenti s'aprono oceani di campanilismo! Adoro il mio paese e i miei concittadini. L'immagine del mare è una visione primordiale che mi porto dentro. Per dirla alla Modugno, appena posso corro sempre: "Laggiù nel mio paese. Dove si sente il mare!"

Have you ever considered directing? You have such a strong presence and personality, I think you'd make a great director.
No, I never thought of becoming a director. There are too many things to learn and too many  techniques. For now, I am fascinated by staying on this side of the camera. There is so much to learn in being an actor, let alone a director.

Hai pensato mai di fare un film come regista? La tua personalità sembra fortissimo.. Penso che si sarebbe un bravo regista.
No, non ho mai pensato di fare il regista. Troppe cose tecniche da imparare. Per il momento m'affascina stare da quest'altra parte della macchina da presa. E forse non mi basterà questa vita per imparare. Figuriamoci fare il regista.
"Black Souls" opens today, April 10th in New York, with other cities to follow..

APRIL 10TH      NEW YORK CITY

APRIL 17TH      SAN FRANCISCO, CA

BERKELEY, CA
SAN RAFAEL, CA

WASHINGTON, DC
PHILADELPHIA, PA

APRIL 24TH      LOS ANGELES, CA

                         SEATTLE, WA                       
MAY 1ST           DALLAS, TX
                         PORTLAND, OR
MAY 8TH           CHICAGO, IL
                         MIAMI, FL
                         SAN DIEGO, CA
                         HONOLULU, HI
MAY 22ND        BOSTON, MA


Specific Theater Information is at http://bit.ly/1HMGAmr

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