Skip to main content

Claudio Santamaria: Cinematic Chameleon

Claudio Santamaria and his wife author/journalist Francesca Barra in Rome
A recent New York Times Magazine article stated the actors belonging to the new concept of a character actor are, instead of playing types, hired for “their ability to play no type at all, to disappear into roles completely while at the same time imbuing their performances with something memorable; they are chameleons in the truest sense of that word.” This description certainly applies to Claudio Santamaria.

Born in Rome in 1974, Santamaria began his acting career in 1997, quickly making a name for himself while working with the likes of Bernardo Bertolucci, Bud Spencer and Monica Bellucci. In 2001, he emerged as a major force in contemporary Italian cinema with his performance in Gabriele Muccino’s record-breaking "l'ultimo bacio" (The Last Kiss). As Paolo, brash Gen Xer forced to come to terms with getting older, being responsible and letting go of a lost love, he plays the leader of a pack with whom countless young adults in Italy could identify. The film broke box office records there and earned Muccino Best Director and Best Screenplay prizes at the David di Donatello Awards as well as the Audience Award at the 2002 Sundance Film Festival. In 2010, Santamaria reunited with Muccino and the cast for a reprisal of his their roles in "Baciami ancora" (Kiss Me Again).

In Emanuele Crialese’s 2011 "Terraferma," Santamaria has a small but powerful role as a police chief cracking down on the fishermen helping clandestine immigrants enter the island of Lampedusa. Santamaria’s character is a law-enforcer showing no sympathy for acts of kindness towards the refugees. Though his appearance is brief, his presence and command prove that, even with just a few lines, Santamaria can make a strong statement.

Gabriele Mainetti’s "Lo chiamavano Jeeg Robot" (They Call Me Jeeg Robot) was a wildly imaginative runaway success in 2015, and much of the credit for that goes to Santamaria’s outstanding performance. A classic tale of good vs. evil that combines the thrills of an action adventure and the suspense of a horror movie, the film pits Santamaria’s flawed hero against a villainous gangster played by Luca Marinelli. Watching these two talented actors fully immerse themselves in their roles is awe-inspiring. Santamaria plays Enzo, a loner who obsessively eats eating single-serving puddings and robs ATM machines. After being chased by the police, he falls into Rome’s Tiber River and is exposed to radioactive waste, which gives him super powers and strength beyond his wildest dreams. Along the way, he meets and falls in love with Alessia. She inspires him to use his super-human abilities to make the world a better place. When Marinelli’s character "The Gypsy" catches wind of Enzo’s new skill set, he hunts him down and that’s when the real fun begins. Santamaria delivers an empathic performance that makes the audience root for him despite his flaws.

"The Millionairs"
Last year, Santamaria stepped behind the camera and directed his second short film. "The Millionairs" is a noir-style tale of deception and desperation fueled by greed. Brimming with suspicious characters, suspenseful scenes and dark landscapes, the film was produced by Marinetti and features a diverse cast, which includes  Peppe Servillo and Sabrina Impacciatore, and has earned rave reviews. The project brought Santamaria back to his southern roots. Set in the mountainous terrain of Basilicata's Pollino National Park, the largest protected area in Europe, the film was the first official project of Lu.Ca., an initiative to bring together the film commissions of Calabria and Basilicata. Santamaria and Mainetti have co-presented "The Millionairs" at numerous film festivals. In November, Santamaria brought the film to this side of the Atlantic, presenting it at the 13th edition of the Cinema Italian Style fest in Los Angeles.

When he’s not making and promoting films, Santamaria has been seen out and about with the woman in his life, journalist and novelist Francesca Barra. Both with origins in Basilicata, the two originally met as teenagers when they shared a special slow dance while on summer break with their families. They went their separate ways and last year, rekindled that spark of many years ago.

Santamaria recently wrapped up shooting on Antonio Morabito’s "Rimetti a noi i nostri debiti" (Forgive Us Our Debts) which focuses on the victims of a loan shark. The project is currently in post-production. "The Last Kiss," "They Call Me Jeeg Robot" and "Terraferma" are available through Amazon.

- Jeannine Guilyard
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Anthology Film Archives Presents: The Italian Connection: Poliziotteschi and Other Italo-Crime Films of the 1960s and '70's

June 19 – June 29 Influenced both by 1960s political cinema and Italian crime novels, as well as by French noir and American cop movies like "Dirty Harry" and "The French Connection," many Italian filmmakers in the late-60s and early-70s gradually moved away from the spaghetti western genre, trading lone cowboys for ‘bad’ cops and the rough frontier of the American west for the mean streets of modern Italy. Just as they had with their westerns, they reinvented the borrowed genre with their inimitable eye for style and filled their stories with the kidnappings, heists, vigilante justice, and brutal violence that suffused this turbulent moment in post-boom 1970s Italy. The undercurrent of fatalism and cynicism in these uncompromising movies is eerily reminiscent of the state of discontent in Italy today. ‘The Italian Connection’ showcases the diversity and innovation found in the genre, from the gangster noir of Fernando Di Leo’s "Caliber 9" ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Alessandro Gassmann: Born to Act

Alessandro Gassmannin his directorial debut "Razzabastarda" Alessandro Gassmann is the son of the iconic Italian actor/director Vittorio Gassman and French actress Juliette Mayniel. He was born in 1965 and grew up around cinema royalty.  He made his cinema debut in 1982 at the age of 17 in his father's autobiographical film, "Di padre in figlio." He went on to study his craft under his father's direction at the Theatre Workshop of Florence.  Vittorio Gassman was very active in theater and seemed just as comfortable on stage as he did in front of the camera. Known for his powerful interpretations of Dante's "Inferno" and "Paradiso," it is no surprise that he nurtured his son's acting aspirations on stage before he launched his career in television and film. One of Gassmann's strong qualities, which he undoubtedly inherited from his father is his incredible range and ease in going from genre to genre. He can play ...
Post a Comment
Read more

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 ...
Post a Comment
Read more

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...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Timeless Vision of Pier Paolo Pasolini

Pondering his films and poetry, I wonder if the uniqueness of Pier Paolo Pasolini's films was rooted in his unconventional childhood. Born in Bologna in 1922, Pasolini's father was a lieutenant in the army, and his family was always moving. He grew up in various small towns in Northern Italy. After his parents separated, he spent most of his time in his mother's hometown of Casarsa, in the region of Friuli Venezia Giulia. There, he grew to respect the area's peasant culture and began to write poetry in the region's dialect. He studied literature and art history at the University of Bologna and was drafted into the army during World War II. The war proved to be especially tragic for his family as his younger brother was executed by Communist partisans. Following the war, he returned to Casarsa where he worked as a teacher and ironically became a leading member of the Communist party there. Pasolini was later expelled from the party due to allegations of homo...
Post a Comment
Read more