Interview: Valentina Lodovini on her role in Alessandro Piva's "Milionari"

Last week, "Milionari" opened in theaters across Italy. Inspired by one of the Camorra's most notorious Neapolitan crime bosses, the film is an action-packed, emotionally-charged drama, which offers a glimpse into the life of an infamous gangster and the trauma one woman endured as she stood by the man she loved.

I talked with actress Valentina Lodovini about her role portraying that fascinating woman, Rosaria. Our interview was done in Italian, so both versions are included.

Tell me about your character.
Rosaria is a woman, not a criminal. She has nothing to do with the business or power of the Camorra. She has just fallen in love with a man who is a criminal. My character, otherwise, is just one aspect of organized crime. We call this the Omertà, which describes a person who does not complain about the injustices that lie before him or her. It is someone that prefers not to know and not to ask questions.

Raccontami il tuo personaggio nel film "Milionari".

Rosaria non è una donna criminale, non tratta mai con il potere della Camorra ma ha scelto un uomo criminale. Il mio personaggio è comunque una sintesi di uno degli aspetti della criminalità organizzata L’omertà. Quando si parla di omertà non ci si riferisce solo a chi non denuncia un sopruso ma anche a chi preferisce non sapere e non fare domande.

Since the film was based on a true story, what did you do to research your character?

I’ve portrayed other characters inspired by true stories, and I have always avoided doing research on them because I don’t want to risk imitation. I always try to approach the portrayal of a true character with my own sensitivity and work in trying to build the excitement that is the story of the film.

Il film è basato su una storia vera.. che cosa hai fatto per la ricerca del tuo personaggio?

Già altre volte ho lavorato su personaggi realmente esistiti ma evito sempre di fare una ricerca su di loro. Non voglio cadere nel rischio dell’imitazione. Cerco sempre di avvicinarmi con la mia sensibilità al personaggio e lavoro cercando di ricostruire l’emozione che il film vuole raccontare.

What were the challenges in playing this role?
In a few scenes, I wanted the viewer to feel an intimacy like that of the actor Alain Delon as he always tried to separate the criminal world from the private life of his characters.. but it was a beautiful challenge. I always kept this is mind whether in a scene of silence or with a family having lunch and talking to each other.

Quali sono state le sfide in questo ruolo?
Poche scene che però dovevano accompagnare lo spettatore nell’intima di Alen Delon, un’intimità che lui ha sempre cercato di tenere lontano dal mondo criminale. È una bella sfida questa. In ogni scene dovevo tenere sempre presente tutto, anche il silenzio e la quotidianità di un pranzo di famiglia dovevano raccontare qualcosa.

What do you feel is the moral of this story?

I don’t pretend that my work will change the world but I know well that telling a story like “Millionaires” is important because it offers a look back without rhetoric or bigotry and helps us to understand the present because in this story, we find Italy today. This is a fact.

Vorrei sapere la tua opinione nella morale di questa storia?

Io non pretendo con il mio lavoro di cambiare il mondo ma farlo conoscere sì. Raccontare una storia come quella dei “Milionari” è importante perché senza retorica o fanatismo ci si guarda indietro per capire il nostro presente. Nei “Milionari” ritrovi L’Italia di oggi. È un dato di fatto.

We'll keep you posted on international distribution for this film.

Related articles:
Director Alessandro Piva
Actor Salvatore Striano

Comments

The Sweetness and Genius of Giulietta Masina

Fellini and Masina on the set of "La Strada" As open-hearted and sunny as Federico Fellini was dark and complex, they were perfect counterpoints during a half-century of marriage and professional collaboration. Nicknamed a “female Chaplin” and described by Chaplin himself as the actress who moved him most, Giulietta Masina confronted the tragedy of her characters with an eternal innocence and enthusiasm that gave Italians hope in the most challenging of times. Born in 1921 in San Giorgio di Piano, a commune north of Bologna, Masina was the oldest of four children born to a father who was a music professor and violinist and a mother who was a grade-school teacher. Her parents sent her as a child to live in Rome with her widowed aunt while she attended school there. As Masina took an early interest in gymnastics, her aunt saw in her a passion for performing and encouraged her to pursue acting. So after high school, Masina attended Rome’s La...

Ornella Muti: Five decades of Acting and Still Going Strong

Ornella Muti was born Francesca Romana Rivelli in Rome in 1955 to a Neapolitan father and an Estonian mother. She began her career as a model during her teenage years and made her film debut in 1970 with “La Moglie più bella” (The Most Beautiful Wife). Her follow-up role was in the 1971 film, “Sole nella pelle” (Sun on the Skin), in which she played the daughter of wealthy parents who runs off with a hippie they don’t approve of. The film offers a telling journey through Italian society in the seventies, with its political climate, breathtaking seaside, and the styles and cars of that time. Much of the film is set amid the sunny Italian seaside and captures the innocence and beauty of first love. Muti made her American film debut in 1980 with "Flash Gordon." She played the role of Princess Aura. She’s appeared in two other American films, including “Oscar,” directed by John Landis and starring Don Ameche, Chazz Palminteri, and Sylvester Stallone. In 1992, she w...

A Conversation with Documentary Filmmaker Luigi Di Gianni

His documentary films have given voice to a people who would have otherwise been forgotten while preserving rituals and traditions no longer practiced. Visually stunning and emotionally moving, they reflect an Italy we’re not used to seeing in cinema. Born in Naples in 1926, Luigi Di Gianni captured a dimension of Italy that people outside the South didn’t even know existed. He began his career working in the region of Basilicata, which back then was referred to as Lucania. He first visited the region with his parents when he was a boy. His father, being from the Lucanian village of Pescopagano, wanted to show his son his homeland. That trip made an impression on the 9-year-old and created a deep affection that would one day inspire him to return. “I always remained very emotional about returning to this part of my homeland of Lucania,” he says. “It seemed like a different planet compared to Rome, where I lived. The tiring journey, the unpaved roads, the difficulti...

The Life and Work of Monica Bellucci

Monica Bellucci as Malèna Born in Umbria in 1964, Monica Bellucci is one of the most recognizable faces of international cinema. But she didn't always have her sights set on the spotlight. She went to college to study law and modeled to pay her tuition. Her success in the fashion world coupled with the offers that were pouring in to appear on the big screen eventually took over, changing her fate. Bellucci made her on-screen debut in the 1990 television movie, " Vita coi figli." Just two years later, she scored her first American role in Francis Ford Coppola's "Dracula." In addition to her native language, she speaks fluent English and French, which has made for a smooth transition from Italian to international cinema. Stateside, she has acted in blockbusters such as "The Matrix-Reloaded," " The Passion of the Christ" and " The Sorcerer's Apprentice." She has also appeared in several French films, a...

Federico Fellini: A Look into the Life and Career of an Icon

A Fellini family portrait “The term became a common word to describe something on the surface you can say is bizarre or strange, but actually is really like a painter working on a film,” said Martin Scorsese when asked to define “Felliniesque,” an adjective inspired by one of the greatest filmmakers of all time. The oldest of three children, Federico Fellini was born in the seaside town of Rimini in 1920. His father was a traveling salesman, so his mother was left to do the bulk of raising the children. One can argue that Fellini was born for his destiny. “You could tell that even as a child, he was different and unique. He was very intelligent, well above average. He was always the one to organize things, direct the others, make up games. He could control the other kids with just a look, said Fellini’s sister, Maddalena, in an interview with journalist Gideon Bachmann. Not only was Fellini directing the children, but he was also putting on shows and charging ...

Italian Cinema Today

Search This Blog