The actress talks about her career, the magical encounter with Fellini. And his family
I was born with a mass of very light blond hair, reminiscent of the moonlight. Also, a month before my birth, Sputnik was launched into space and a friend-poet of my parents suggested to them: Why don’t you call her Lunette? We are talking about 1957 and, at the time, the names of saints were always used, but mine was an original family in the choices, decidedly nonconformist … “, proudly tells Lunetta Savino, the beloved and unforgettable Cettina of” A doctor in family”.
A character who made her popular to the vast television audience. Maybe, though, she forced her a little bit into a role?
“Yes, then I had to work a little to convince the audience, and also other producers, directors, that I was capable of doing different things … The more loved a character is, the more difficult it is to get out of it, and I had to learn how to play on multiple tables. With this I absolutely do not want to say that I disown him: Cettina represented a turning point in my career, an extraordinary experience achieved with exceptional stage mates, first of all Lino Banfi. We are both from Puglia, between us a total empathy ».
She has played various types of mothers. Why?
“Maybe because I had a special mother, her name was Gigliola. Although she belonged to a generation of other times, she was a free woman: she wore pants, she had short hair that she never dyed and did not wear makeup. And she above all she was a cultured woman, a professor of literature at the University of Bari. She Unfortunately, after the age of seventy, she was struck by Alzheimer’s. I still do not understand how it is possible that a beautiful mind, rich in culture like hers, could have been annihilated by a disease that affects the mind itself. With her I talked about everything, books, art, films … and at a certain point I couldn’t do it anymore. Sometimes I think I have to tell my mother, then I remember that she is gone, but the instinct is still there. And it was an elderly Apulian lady who, some time ago at an event, gave me back all the intellectual strength of my mother, telling me that she had been one of her students and that thanks to her she had become passionate about reading ».
Another force of nature is his father Gino, who just turned 100.
“Damn if it is! He is my rock, he continues to fight hard despite his venerable age. Until recently he was driving a car and pretending to continue doing it to feel autonomous, but at a certain point it was I who told him: enough, dad, I won’t renew your license anymore, you can be dangerous for yourself and for others. However, I cannot take everything away from him and sometimes I surrender to his incessant demands for freedom ».
Among the numerous maternal figures, there is also Felicia Impastato, the mother of Peppino Impastato, the journalist who paid with his life for his complaints against Cosa Nostra. And while she was working in Palermo on the set, she had a meeting, let’s say … on the subject of the film-TV topic.
«Exactly: a journalist writer who has always been involved in the mafia front, Saverio Lodato. We met at a casual dinner at mutual friends’ homes. He didn’t know who I was, I didn’t know who he was, we started from scratch and, since then, we have been living an important story. Saverio is not afraid to say and write what he thinks, taking big risks. Thanks to him, I understood something more about the Mafia problem and he also gave me some more tools to deal with my character ».
From the amusing Cettina to the pain of Felicia who succeeded in having her son’s killers condemned, the step is not short …
“I like to go from pole to pole, from the comic to the dramatic. As a young girl I enjoyed making imitations of relatives, friends, teachers … I studied above all their tics, grimaces, defects … after all, acting is part of childhood games. Children say: let’s pretend that I was …. Then I followed a specific training course as a clown, a fascinating, tragicomic figure, which opened a rift in my training: one of my most successful imitations, that of Laurel. And once Federico Fellini said I had tiger eyes ».
Fellini?
“Yes, him. I was thirty years old, the great director had seen a photo of me, which had probably been sent to him by my agent, and he wanted to meet me for a role, if I remember correctly, in “Amarcord”. In fact, at that time I had recently become a mother, I had my little son Antonio and therefore I was a bit detached from my hectic work. But to Fellini, you understand, I couldn’t say no. I go to his study: a huge room, a very large desk and he who observed me, studied me. When our conversation ended and we said goodbye, I remember his gentle voice, soothing behind my back. “
What did it say?
“He admired my stride, my stride along the corridor. I was so enchanted, that I said to myself: even if he doesn’t take me in the film, I want to go back to him at least once a month … ».
And then he hired her?
“No, but I wasn’t disappointed. That meeting was still surprising, I would say miraculous, his compliments were better than going to the psychoanalyst and were enough to make my ego proud ».
No Fellini, but she was hired by Nanni Loy, Matteo Garrone, Ferzan Özpetek, Cristina Comencini … just to name a few.
“I worked very well with everyone, but Cristina made me fall in love with cinema, above all because seeing a woman who is a director work, being directed by her, struck me very positively”.
And speaking of women, with her you founded the movement “If not now, when?”.
«A small group that gets together took to the streets in 2011 with a brilliant slogan, taken from the famous book by Primo Levi, which becomes a flag against the commodification of women as objects. Eleven years later there is still a lot to do, nothing is taken for granted and we have to go back to the streets because it is time to stop feeling sorry for ourselves, we need to act more decisively ».
What do you mean by this?
“You know what? I would like to cancel the date of November 25, the day of violence against women ».
Because?
«Obviously it is a celebration that pains me, but enough with the tears, I would love to be able to tell another story about women and, in fact, with“ If not now, when? ”, We turned this date into the“ day of the lionesses ”. In short, I’m tired of hearing about us as fragile subjects. Femicides are due to the weakness of men and not of their wives or companions, and it is men who must question themselves about this and must be cured “.
This time she would have liked a president of the Republic at the Quirinale?
«Notwithstanding the fact that I am happy with the reappointment of President Mattarella, I certainly do not deny that I would have liked Elisabetta Belloni for example, she had a perfect professional profile for this very respectable role. The problem is that, as usual, the matter has been badly handled. First of all, women in politics are often too loyal and submissive to their male bosses, so they don’t dare to come forward, instead it is time to develop our pride and be more incisive, to demand due recognition. And then let’s end it with flaunting ourselves as minorities, with being satisfied with the pink quotas, a sop that we can do without. Women are capable of being able to do more things together, and we have demonstrated this also in the current pandemic, so they should beg us to be at the head of parties, governments … as happens abroad, where leaders of all respect, who do their job very well. I would like to take this opportunity to appeal to the girls: don’t back down, get involved, have more confidence in yourself, in your abilities, bring out the courage, the determination of your leadership. I would add that I really liked the feminist gesture, combining the index fingers and the thumbs, that the singer Emma flaunted during her performance. An ancient gesture of an ancient feminist? No, a strong gesture ».
Speaking of strong women, she will soon be in a TV series, on Rai1 from March 15, in the role of a battling lawyer in name and in fact …
«I’m Marina Battaglia, owner of the firm of the same name, which includes other divorce lawyers. I am Milanese, unscrupulous and quite ironic … I have been waiting for a long time for a brilliant and even a little incorrect character ».
Milanese?
“Yes, of course, I’m from Puglia, but in the series we speak Italian first and moreover I have to say that some smudges in the Milanese dialect are good for me”.
Which actress represents a point of reference for you and which, perhaps, would you like to resemble in some way?
«Well, not so much to resemble because I am what I am, but one of my myths is obviously Monica Vitti: an actress at 360 degrees, from the dramatic to the comic … How could it be otherwise?».
March 12, 2022 (change March 12, 2022 | 23:09)
© Time.News