The protagonist of the second chapter on the famous comic book character. The Italian-Canadian actor: raised in the Ontario woods, the big turning point with “Grey’s Anatomy”
A soul divided into three. Italy where he was born, in Rome, in 1989; Canada where he grew up, first in an Ontario village then in Toronto; Hollywood where he made it big as an actor, with the blessing of Shonda Rhimes. The ideal condition, that of Giacomo Gianniotti, to take on the changing role of Diabolik, in the second film by the Manetti Bros (“not a sequel”, they underline, but the new chapter of a trilogy), Diabolik Ginko on the attack, out on the 17th November, with Valerio Mastandrea and Miriam Leone, the inspector and Eva Kant, in addition to the new entry, Altea, played by Monica Bellucci. And, in fact, Gianniotti in the role that was of Luca Marinelli.
To suggest his name to the directors was the daughter of Pier Giorgio Bellocchio, or sergeant Palmer. She had seen her in “Grey’s Anatomy”, of which she is a fan, she noticed that Dr. Andrew De Luca was played by an Italian actor.
“I didn’t know, I have to thank you then. For me it was a joy, it was the favorite comic of my father and my uncles, I remember noticing the books in the bookstores when I came on vacation. Now I know him well, I’m a fan too ».
How was it to pick up the baton from Marinelli?
“Diabolik is an icon, like James Bond or Batman, it’s normal for different actors to play him. He is unique: a cold man, detached, in constant challenge with himself to make ever more daring blows. It is the meeting with Eva Kant that opens up new possibilities for him. A perfect partner in crime, as intelligent as he is, on more than one occasion she is the one to save him from trouble. In this lies the modernity of the Giussani sisters, here lies the key to the success of comics. And, together, Eva is a woman capable of melting her ice ».
Miriam Leone claims that Eva and Diabolik are very controlled in crime but at home they become a bit Sandra and Raimondo.
“If you say so, I trust you. But I don’t know them, I have to review. I grew up in Canada and I missed some pieces ».
He got there from a very young age, how was the impact?
“Hard. From Rome we moved to my mother’s small town in Ontario in the middle of the woods. I was the only Italian child, among the various Jack, Matt, Jonathan. Nobody could pronounce my name. I felt isolated, always forced to play a role to be accepted, as if it were another version of me. It got better when, aged 16, I arrived in Toronto. There it is full of Italians ».
But with the cinema the contact arrived in Rome.
“By chance. My uncle was a friend of the casting director of the film The Bomb by Giulio Base with Shelley Winters, Vittorio Gassman, his son Alessandro. I was ten years old, I was having one of the three children who annoyed Enrico Brignano who was a waiter in a restaurant. For me it was a game, at the time I didn’t think I would find myself in Hollywood ».
At the court of Shonda Rhimes. How did it get there?
«It was 2014, I had auditioned but I didn’t know anything. I was in my car, going from Toronto to Los Angeles, a three day trip. He called my agent, they wanted to see me again. They hired me for two episodes, I stayed there for seven years. A great school is a series that has had a great impact, also on a social level, on the American public, in terms of rights, integration, the role of women ».
Did you know the Manetti cinema?
“Honestly no, I saw all their movies after they called me. They have a unique style and their sets are a cross between cheerfulness and creativity. It was the first time that two brothers directed me, Antonio is the operator, Marco is more concerned with the context. But even in the division of tasks, they move as one person. I am grateful to him, for several years I was a good guy on screen, I had been dreaming of a villain role for a long time ».
Other dreams related to Italian cinema?
«I would like to work with Stefano Sollima, I love his style. And with Sorrentino and Luca Guadagnino ».
Being Diabolik: the funniest and the hardest thing.
“The first, without a doubt, was driving the Jaguar. The most difficult, more than getting rid of the English accent, was staying in shape, turning to Bologna, to get into the black onesie ».
November 11, 2022 (change November 11, 2022 | 20:18)
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