Marco Giallini's latest film headed to America

He's an intense, articulate actor with dozens of diverse roles to his credit, and his latest film, Perfetti Sconosciuti (Perfect Strangers) is set to make its North American premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival.

Roman-born actor, Marco Giallini shines in the roles he takes on, whether he is the oddball in a comedy, the sexy mystery man in a drama or the bad guy you’d love to hate in a thriller. In each case, Giallini reels us into his character’s fascinating world with his impressive range of performing.

Born in Rome in 1963, Giallini grew up with a number of interests including music, motorcycles and soccer. Before he discovered his call to act, he explored his passion for music, starting his own band in the early 80’s called, I Monitors. Then in 1985, destiny knocked at his door, and Giallini enrolled in acting school. He studied theater and for nearly a decade, participated in local productions in Rome’s many venues. It was in 1995 that he made his debut in cinema with a role in Angelo Orlando’s film, L'anno prossimo vado a letto alle dieci. The following year, he appeared alongside Valerio Mastandrea in the television movie, Infiltrato. In both roles, he played a gun-toting wise guy. In the 20 years since those early roles, he has climbed to the top of his game, becoming an adored and respected artist.

Thrilled to meet Marco Giallini at the 2016 Roma Fiction Fest 

Marco Giallini’s career has indeed been a rich adventure as he has played everything from a doctor to a lover to a gladiator that poses for pictures with tourists at the Colosseum. He can give just as convincing a performance as a comedian as he can a criminal. Often, he acts in gestures with that magnificent, expressive face saying more than words ever could. My first introduction to Giallini was in 2004 at Lincoln Center's homage to the work of Sergio Castellitto. Manlio in Castellitto’s contemporary masterpiece, Non ti muovere (Don’t Move) struck me hard. Manlio is a colleague of Timoteo (Sergio Castellitto) in the hospital where he practices medicine. The two actors have strong chemistry, so it's no wonder they've worked together on several projects. Manlio is sometimes the devil on Timoteo’s shoulder, but Giallini's approach to the role was interesting because even if his character was destined to be a bit shallow, Giallini gave him an introverted complexity. I was impressed by his ability to show qualities of depth and lightheartedness at the same time. His talent and the enormity of his on-screen presence stood out right away.

My second brush with Marco Giallini came about six months later and again at Lincoln Center, this time at the annual film series, Open Roads: New Italian Cinema. Director Renato De Maria presented his drama, Amatemi, staring his wife, Isabella Ferrari. Giallini played the role of fleeting partner, and although his part in the film was brief, he forcefully carried his scenes. The most compelling moment was following his one-night stand with Ferrari's character, when he left singing Pooh's "Tanta voglia di lei"..

Mi dispiace, devo andare... I am sorry, I have to leave
Il mio posto è là... My place is over there
Il mio amore si potrebbe svegliare, Chi la scalerà... My love could wake and who would keep her warm?
Strana amica di una sera, Io ringrazierò... Strange friend of one night, I thank you..

It was a poignant scene that validated my initial feelings after seeing Giallini in Non ti muovere.  I never forgot those two parts and I've been writing about his work ever since.
Watch the scene...

In the last 5 years or so, Giallini's career has reached new heights with profoundly funny characters like Luigi Mascolo in Carlo Verdone's 2009 Io, loro e Lara. Having followed his career, I noticed the shift in his characters from edgy and provocative to whimsical and hilarious. Everyone interprets art differently, but for me, his performances took on echoes of Alberto Sordi and Roberto Benigni- that fast-talking, fidgeting humor. As Sordi and Benigni are known at times to have had less than amusing personalities off-camera, I wondered if the shift in characters signified a change in his life or direction of his career- something that consciously or subconsciously caused him to immerse himself in comedy- in these over-the-top characters that made me cry from laughter. I had tears streaming down my face during the dinner scene in Io, loro e Lara when he was high as a kite on cocaine.. a far cry from his Amatemi and L'amico di famiglia days. But now with characters in films like Loro chi? with Edoardo Leo and Storie sospese with Maya Sansa, it seems that he is balancing the intricacies of sultry, mystic and goofball jokester to create complex, extraordinary characters. He is an actor that makes you think about the film and these details long after you've left the theater.

Perfetti Sconosciuti will make its North American premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival on April 14. Set during a dinner party, seven friends decide to place their cell phones on the table and agree to make all texts and calls public in an attempt to prove that they have nothing to hide. What at first seems like a game between friends quickly turns into something much more toxic as the messages begin to reveal how little they may know about their partners and friends.

For more information about Marco Giallini, check out his website at www.marcogiallini.net. There, you will also find links to follow him on Twitter and Facebook.