Category: Cinema

by Stefania Del Monte

Rising to prominence with the roles of Edoardo Incanti in the Netflix series Skam Italia and Rocco Amato in the daily Il Paradiso delle Signore (Ladies’ Paradise), Giancarlo Commare is on e of the most interesting promises of Italian cinema. Twenty-eight years old, Sicilian, his face framed by a mass of dark curls, he was able to conquer the public thanks to his simplicity and innate sympathy, as well as his great talent.

We asked him to tell us about his professional career: let’s try, through his words, to get to know him a little better.

Giancarlo, in 2002 you started studying modern and Latin American dance, graduating a few years later in Hip Hop dance. You then made your debut in 2008 as principal dancer in the play Pinocchio. How did the transition to acting come about?

In reality, it was not a transition. Between 10 and 11 years old I played my first role: King Herod. An event that revealed to me what my destiny should be: to become an actor. Since that evening a fire has lit up inside me that made me feel alive and that still burns with the same intensity. In my village, at the time, I didn’t have many chances to try the same feeling again, if not shortly thereafter with the discovery of dance. Then the following year, in high school, during the general auditions of Beauty and the Beast, the director pointed to me, saying: “try it”. It was for the role of Tockins (the clock). And the magic was back.

I would say my acting career started there. So, I repeat, I would not call it a transition, much less a return but rather an “advancement”. For me, the study of the body – which I discovered and dealt with since the first day of the Academy and which continues to this day – has been fundamental: in this, dance has proved invaluable.

Since 2016 you have started appearing in several advertisements. At the same time the roles in some short films and in different fiction arrived but you also continued your theatrical journey, participating in various shows. Therefore: dance, theatre, cinema, advertising, television… and you are also very good at singing. Is there a context in which you are more comfortable?

Maybe my answer will be obvious but the first love is never forgotten. The first thing I did recently, on the occasion of my return home, was to go and say hello to what I consider my artistic cradle: the Selinus, the municipal theatre of Castelvetrano. Every time I enter a theatre, for me it is like entering my home and it is beautiful, because shape and decor may be different but the warmth is always the same.

In the theatrical field, you have also tried your hand at directing with Io sono A.N.D.R.E.A., a show inspired by Pirandello and his concept of mask. What exactly is it about?

I’ll keep it short, otherwise I’d have to talk about it for hours (smiles, ed). It was an experiment that, initially, was called A.N.D.R.E.A. and then, in a second phase of recovery and development of this show, it was renamed Io sono A.N.D.R.E.A. (I am A.N.D.R.E.A.). The plot sees, in the centre, a man who enters his mind and meets all his masks. The show begins at the exact moment in which the individual enters a coma and while there, inside his head, he realises that he has not lived his life but the one created for him by the masks he has always had to wear. Overwhelmed by all the evil he has committed and which, at the same time, he has self-inflicted, he finds himself overwhelmed by his monsters and, unable to free himself from this “cage”, he is swallowed up and becomes a mask himself. To make you understand better: the story could be defined as a dark version of Inside out.

In 2018 you joined the series Skam Italia, in the role of Edoardo. How did you get the part?

To tell the truth, I did the audition in October 2017 and after a few days I found myself on the set, so the process did not happen gradually: on the contrary, I was practically thrown on the set. It was a very strong emotion: I was very happy, of course, but my legs were shaking, because within a few days I found myself having an enormous responsibility on my shoulders. Before that, I didn’t know the world of Skam. Not even the time to realise where I was, and already Bessegato, the director, was shouting “Action!”. Even today I thank him because, if I embarked on this wonderful journey, it is above all thanks to him, who wanted to bet on me for the role of Edoardo Incanti.

At 25 you found yourself playing the role of a teenager. Have you encountered any particular difficulties? In general, how did you live that experience? Already in 2015 I had played a teenager in Provaci Ancora prof 6 (Try it again Prof) and it was a truly unique experience: it was the first time I had been working on a set for a long time. On that occasion, I really began to understand the differences between a theatre stage and a TV or movie set. Niccolò Peretti (the character I played in the series) has a very fragile soul and the fear of not being accepted for what he is, first of all by his father and then by all the others. I approached the set in the same way that Niccolò, at that moment, was facing his life: scared, but with a great desire to go all the way and reach my goal.

Skam Italia is a remake of the Norwegian series of the same name, which ended in its fourth season. However, the story still seems to have a lot to tell. Do you think there will be a fifth season, and if so, would you like to be a part of it?

I think a fifth season is needed, so I hope so. And yes, I would definitely like to participate! I am a huge fan of what Skam represents in its entirety and I would like to not only see, but personally participate in more projects with the same strength and urgency conveyed by this beautiful series.

You are currently engaged in the role of Rocco Amato in Il Paradiso delle Signore (Ladies’ Paradise): a completely new character compared to those you have played so far. How did you dive into the part?

An equally magnificent journey, that of Rocco Amato: I prepared the character inspired by the movements and attitudes of my grandfather Benito, to whom I owe a lot and to whom I want a world of good. My grandfather is more evolved than Rocco but he is equally stubborn and – just like the character – a bit clumsy: and this is a side of him that I enjoy a lot. Moreover, he has an unconscious sweetness, which is the thing I appreciate most and that I absolutely wanted to transfer to Rocco. My grandfather hardly says “I love you”. In fact, I think I’ve never heard him say it, but he doesn’t need to say it: it proves it.

From a contemporary series like Skam Italia to a period one, in costume and with a completely different language and dynamics, like Il Paradiso delle Signore. Was it a difficult transition?

No, in fact I was immediately enthusiastic about it! I understood that I would have the possibility, as it happened later, to explore a totally different world and to transform myself completely; so, I jumped into it, and I can assure you that it’s a lot of fun!

What do you like most about Rocco and which aspects of his character do you love least?

Being an actor, I don’t like judging the characters I play, looking for their negative and positive sides. In general, I can say that I like that side of his character that I recently compared to my grandfather, that is, his unconscious sweetness, while I am certainly far from the character’s initial convictions towards women.

How would you like your character to develop in the future?

I cannot anticipate anything but I hope that he will soon find his way.

Edoardo and Rocco have made you very popular, even internationally. What changes has this success brought to your life and your relationship with the public?

Drastic! Now I find myself taking selfies more frequently with people I don’t know, rather than with those who are part of my life. Joking aside, I am immensely grateful to the public for all the affection they constantly show towards me, especially when this happens thanks to my work. This great professional appreciation gave me confirmations that I had been seeking for a long time. In this sense, success has greatly influenced my person and I am happy about it, because it is an important recognition for my work and repays all the passion and energy I dedicate to it. And then I like the idea that now, when I leave the house, I have more friends to say hello!

You speak excellent English and French. Would you like to act outside of Italy?

Unfortunately, I haven’t practiced languages ​​for some time and, in fact, I would soon like to find a way to get back on track. But yes, absolutely: working abroad would allow me to realise another dream.

You are passionate about swimming and fencing. Do you spend a lot of time in sports or do you prefer other hobbies?

Swimming and fencing are sports that I practiced more as a kid than now even if, when I can, I don’t hesitate to practise them. I played various sports but, as a child, I always approached them with phlegm. Today, however, training at least four times a week has become a routine and I feel all the benefits. At the beginning it is hard, as with all things, but sport helps to live better and each of us should practice at least one.

Is there a director or actor in particular you are inspired by, or would you like to work with?

Many have inspired me and many have made me think: “I would like to be as good as him/her”. Among all I could mention Marcello Mastroianni, Totò, Leonardo Di Caprio, Meryl Streep, Tom Hanks, and I could go on and on. I would love to be able to work with Pier Francesco Favino and Elio Germano: two actors that I always watch with great admiration, to the point of taking notes while I observe them. Speaking of directing, however, I’d love to work in a Tornatore or Sorrentino film. I hope that at least one of them is reading these lines: you never know!

On the cover: Giancarlo Commare
cover and images © Riccardo Riande
images from Il Paradiso delle Signore © Pierfrancesco Bruni, Mauro Sostini

 

 

(by Stefania Del Monte)

Emmy Award nominated Katherine Kelly Lang is known to the general public for her role as Brooke Logan Forrester in The Bold and the Beautiful, a character she has played since the show’s first airing, March 23, 1987. Katherine is the only actress of the initial cast, together with John McCook (Eric), to still work on the series.

The famous CBS soap opera – which has become the most popular ever in the United States since 2020 – tells the story of the Forrester family, owners of a fashion house in Los Angeles. First aired in Italy in 1990, the show celebrates its thirtieth anniversary in the boot on June 4th.

The B&B’s troupe seems to have a special bond with Italy, where the set has moved several times, and Italian fans have reciprocated this affection by showing constant loyalty over time. Even today, in fact, the series is followed in Italy by over 3 million spectators per episode.

Over the course of three decades, audiences have seen co-star Ridge Forrester marry 13 times, 5 of them with Brooke Logan, a woman who never ceases to surprise us.

In real life, Katherine Kelly Lang is an internationally renowned star and mother of three, grandmother, woman in love, sportswoman and promoter of various charity causes. Let’s find out a little more about the incredible woman who hides behind the historical TV personality, asking her directly to tell us how she manages to live such a dynamic life, continuing to work with enthusiasm without, however, giving up enjoying her affections.

Good morning, Katherine! We are here to celebrate thirty years of broadcasting in Italy but B&B, The Bold and the Beautiful, is actually airing today in 100 different countries, with over 36 million spectators per day. When you first started, were you expecting such a success?

We knew that creator Bill Bell was a master storyteller, and he had so many previous successes, so we had an idea that the series would probably be successful. But we couldn’t have imagined how successful it would become, and how many seasons it would last. Those first weeks of filming were magic. The sets, the costumes and the feeling of excitement around the set were all extraordinary. We knew something special was happening… and here we are, celebrating thirty years of broadcasting in Italy!

The soap was actually shot in Italy on several occasions. What were your first impressions of the country and the Italian fans?

The Bold and Beautiful location shoots in Lake Como, Venice, Portofino, and Puglia have been some of the best experiences of my life. The first few times I went to Italy after the show became successful, it was such a surprise to experience the exuberance and warmth of the Italian people. They expressed their love and affection so openly and freely, shouting across a courtyard and running toward us to give us a big bear hug. It was something I’d never experienced before. The people are just wonderful. Every Italian is a chef and also an artist, always creating something magnificent, from dramatic architecture to grand gestures. Italians are bigger than life, and it’s wonderful. I would love for the series to shoot in Italy again, and I’m sure we will again, once things settle down a bit.  Maybe sooner than we think.

Have you visited Italy again, for holidays?

Italy holds a special place in my heart. I love it there: the people, the food, the history, architecture, the art—everything. My family and I visit Italy as often as we can, both for work and for pleasure. I love Milan, Rome, the Alps, the Amalfi Coast, Sardinia, I could go on and on. We’ve met so many wonderful Italian artists and business partners. Some have become close friends. I suppose it’s starting to feel like Italy is a second home for us.

We all know Brooke Logan Forrester but who is Katherine Kerry Lang in real life? What are your interests and your passions?

Surprisingly, there are ways I am like Brooke: we both love our children. We are businesswomen who are ambitious and driven. We are very passionate and competitive, and we have a determination to be happy. We are sensitive and feel our emotions very deeply. We are celebrities. We live in Southern California and work in a creative industry. But we’re different in many ways. I have always put my family’s and my children’s needs first and, for the most part, I feel I’ve made the right choices for them. There’s a lot less drama in my life, thank goodness. I also dress differently from Brooke. She’s more buttoned up business casual and I’m more boho chic: no make up, jeans and a tee shirt. And I’m into sports. Before, it was long distance horse-racing and now it’s triathlons. The main difference is that I’m a real person and she’s a fictional character I play. I have my priorities straight. I know what really matters in life, and I know how to create balance. I’m not sure about Brooke. I like that social media have made who I am more available to the people who watch me play Brooke on The Bold and the Beautiful.

What do you think of Brooke? What are her strengths and her weaknesses?

Brooke follows her heart and she can’t fake it. She’s authentic. She’s a woman who’s not afraid of being completely empowered that way. When she’s in love with a man, she goes for it. She doesn’t wait for him to pursue her. She’s ambitious and follows her professional dreams and achieves them too. She is unapologetic about her choices. At the bottom of her heart, she’s a good person, and she loves her children passionately. Sometimes she makes the wrong choices, but it’s not because she’s self-destructive or self-defeating. It’s because she’s human. One of the most surprising things about Brooke is how she can find redemption even after making grave mistakes. I think that’s a positive message for everyone. We are all human and we all make mistakes, but we can always find forgiveness and make a new beginning.

What keeps your enthusiasm alive in playing Brooke, even after so many years?

Brooke is a wonderful character. It has been an incredible privilege to be able to go to work every day and play her for so many years. She is never boring. When I get my scripts, I’m always surprised by the challenges she is facing today. Every story is different, even though they sometimes may at first seem similar.  She’s so familiar and part of me that I can’t imagine life without her. This role has given me so much and, coming to work every day and fulfilling my passion to be an actor, is priceless.

Who is your favorite character in B&B?

Brooke, of course. She doesn’t get cynical about love. Her heart is always open to it. She’s always ready for a new adventure.

And your favorite actor?

They are all my favourites and I have chemistry working with each of them in a different way. Susan Flannery (Stephanie) was so disciplined and powerful as an actress and she always challenged me to be at the top of my game; John McCook (Eric) is so funny, even when he tells the same corny joke for 30 years; Thorsten Kaye (Ridge) is a manly man who is a sensitive poet at heart; and Annika Noelle, who plays my daughter, Hope, is such an amazing actress. Our entire cast is inspiring, but these are the people I have had most of my scenes with, so they are the people I’m closer to.

In addition to portraying Brooke in The Bold and The Beautiful you have done many other things. For example, you recently starred as Elizabeth Morgan in the romantic comedy Stan the Man. Is working in a movie very different from working in a soap opera? 

The pace of filming might be different. There might be only one camera in a film, while in the soap we use three at the same time. Things like that but, apart from the technical differences, the work of an actor is the same. What’s fun for me is to play new kinds of characters. It’s great that the shooting schedule of B&B has a lot of time off we can use to do outside projects. Brad Bell allows me to take time away from the show for that, too.

You have been constantly at work for over 33 years. Has it been difficult to be a professional actress, a woman and a mother of three at the same time?

It hasn’t always been easy. I was pregnant three times during the filming of The Bold and the Beautiful. Brad Bell and the production were always great about either hiding my pregnancy (wardrobe, props and camera tricks), or writing it in, and giving me time off to give birth and take care of my new-born baby. The show is so family friendly that I’ve been able to bring my children, when they were babies and toddlers, to the set. Sometimes they even played Brooke’s fictional children on the show. That was great, because I could be close to them while I was working. Then when they were older, I tried to be there as much as I could. I would do anything for my children, and while my daughter Zoe was pursuing tennis, I passed on a lot of extra traveling for work so I could travel with her to her tournaments. The production has been pretty flexible overall, so that’s one of the reasons why I’ve stayed for 30 years. I could be a mother and an actress.

You are very much involved in charity work. Can you tell us a bit about it?

I hope to be able to do more for others this coming year through the charities I’ve made a commitment to support, Women for Tri and Breakaway from Cancer. Women for Tri is an organisation that encourages women to participate in and train for triathlons. Before, mostly men competed in triathlons, but now participation by women is growing. I am so honoured to have been a part of Women for Tri from the inception. I love supporting women and do that whenever I can. There has been a huge jump in numbers since we started this. A lot of women are now becoming involved in triathlons all over the world and signing up for races. Breakaway from Cancer is a national initiative to increase awareness of important resources available to people affected by cancer – from prevention through survivorship. I’m a national spokesperson. My father died when I was 13 years old from colon cancer, and both of his parents also passed away from colon cancer as well, so I always knew I wanted to get involved and help with cancer awareness, prevention, and treatment.

Do you have any unfulfilled dreams? Something that you still haven’t done?

I will always push myself to continue to discover new limits and try new things. I just became a grandmother for the second time. I would love to run a marathon one day. We just opened a clothing store in Beverly Hills, Benheart USA, where we sell handmade Italian leather goods. I hope to keep launching new jewellery and triathlon gear lines, and I also hope to do more for others this year through my charities. I hope to be acting in new films, and maybe even producing.  And I never want to stop working full time as Brooke on The Bold and the Beautiful. I’m looking forward to some great storylines for her in the second half of 2020. Life always has some new experience waiting around the corner, and I’m up for it.

Cover: Katherine Kelly Lang
images courtesy of the interviewee

Read here the article in Italian

 

(by Stefania Del Monte)

The name of Tommaso Basili occurs more and more often in the television and cinema panorama, both Italian and international.

The actor was born in Tempio Pausania, Sardinia, in 1980. His father, originally from the Marche, grew up in the United States and his mother was born and raised in the Franco-Portuguese colony of Madagascar. He spent his childhood between Milan and Lake Como, before continuing his higher studies in Switzerland, the United States and Spain, where he graduated.

His approach to acting came late, first training for three years in Milan, at the Michael Rodgers Acting Studio, and then in New York, at the Stella Adler Studio of Acting.

His first professional experiences saw him engaged in several commercials directed by excellent directors such as Gabriele Salvatores, Stefano Sollima, Silvio Muccino, Luca Lucini, Fausto Brizzi, Francesco Fei, Sidney Sibilia and Tom Hooper.

His first official role came with 1993, a Sky Atlantic fiction. After that he took part in the film Il Vegetale and in the Rai1 fiction La Strada di Casa 2.

Subsequently he got more and more relevant roles, as in the Canale 5 fiction L’Isola di Pietro, with Gianni Morandi. In January he arrived on Netflix, in the American series Rise of Empires: Ottoman, where he played the role of Constantine Palaeologus XI, the last emperor of the Eastern Roman Empire.

He is currently in the cast of Il Paradiso delle Signore 4, an acclaimed television series broadcast on Rai 1, with the role of Ennio Palazzi, a young entrepreneur from northern Italy, as well as in the fiction Don Matteo 12, where he plays an architect with a very complicated life. We will also see him soon in Medical Report, a new project coming out in March on Rai 1, alongside Luca Argentero and Matilde Gioli.

 

Tommaso, the first part of your life and your studies took place in a multicultural context. Only after graduating in Spain did you approach acting. How did this decision come about?

It was a decision that I tiptoed, almost apologizing to myself. For some reason it was difficult for me to admit that I wanted to take this path. But even before that, there was a lot of confusion about what I really wanted to do in life, and some shy and awkward approaches towards the art of acting. Then there were several clues along the way that gave me the determination to follow my instincts. It is an eternal discovery, a continuous attempt to improve without having future certainties.

What attracted you to this world?

There are many things that have always attracted me to this world. Audiovisual in general has fascinated me since I was a child. The combination of images and music is something with immense power: from cinema to advertising itself. In fact, as a graduation thesis (I don’t know how successful I was, but the attempt was sincere) I focused on the use of music in television advertising in the 1980s. And then cinema, story-telling and the unique ability that cinema has to make the ordinary extraordinary, poetizing every aspect of life. Cinema gives me the same amazement in observing the reality of when I was a child.

Once you embarked on this path you had to start over with your training, which took place between Milan and New York. Was it tiring?

Yes, it was. But mostly because I am my worst enemy, so through the study of acting I had to deal first with myself and then, possibly, with lyrics and characters. In Milan I had an extraordinary teacher: Michael Rodgers (leader in training for actors, ed.). It was first a school of life and then acting. New York, instead, gave me that typical dynamism of Americans, capable of being extremely serious and meticulous through the atmosphere of the game.

On a professional level, you got off to a very good start, with high-level commercials. How did the transition to television and cinema come about?

Advertising gave me a way to understand how a set worked, what it meant to be in front of a camera and observe great professionals at work. In the meantime, I was studying and it was a nice way to go from classroom to work. The transition from advertising to television occurred when Paolo, my agent, decided to believe in me and to help me have my first chance. It is so important that someone believes in you, especially in the beginning, when you are even more fragile. I am eternally grateful to everyone who has given me a chance, and the list is long.

After a series of participations in Italian-based fiction, Costantino’s role in the Netflix series Rise of Empires: Ottoman arrived. An international production, in which you are the only Italian in the cast. How did you prepare for this role and what kind of difficulties did you encounter, during the shooting, compared to your previous experiences?

I have to be honest: I had just over two weeks to prepare for the role of Constantine XI. I was in total panic! For a complex character, really existed but of which there are few historical sources available, and for a story so full of events, I tried to make life as simple as possible and I focused on some basic aspects of the character, first of all the voice. I had to decide his timbre, and his walk: it certainly must not have been that of a modern-day boy. And I was also afraid of ending up representing the archetype of the Emperor and therefore something stereotyped and, consequently, fake. The truth, I hope, I found it in the middle. The difficulties on the set, I must say, have been very few. I felt very comfortable with everyone. A lot of work, but with great enthusiasm, and sometimes many but many laughs: to such an extent that it has often been unnerving to try and get serious again.

Is this the first time you play a historical figure?

Yes, and I couldn’t have wanted more.

Is there much difference in the Italian way of working, compared to an international context?

I didn’t find any particular differences. In Italy, lunch breaks are longer!

At the moment you are also engaged in Il Paradiso delle Signore 4, where you play the role of Ennio. Can you tell us more about this character?

Ennio Palazzi is a determined, romantic man, a dreamer, but also a pragmatic entrepreneur. I really like this duality, especially if immersed in that world, that of Italy in the 50s/60s where being polite was compulsory. I think Il Paradiso delle Signore does a masterful job in representing this aspect of the society of that time, and much more. I am delighted to be part of it. Besides, there is a fantastic working atmosphere and I believe that the results of the series prove it!

Are there other projects in the pipeline?

I have a project in the pipeline but for superstition I prefer not to talk about it.

Do you have a secret dream?

Continue to grow by working.

On the cover: Tommaso Basili
images courtesy of the interviewee

Click here for the interview in Italian