that Wong could accuse me of plagiarism, considering all I have “stolen” from him. But I put this all down to a book called Steal Like an Artist, whose message is something like “fake it until you make it”. In this respect, I also agree with Francis Ford Coppola’s point of view. To encourage aspiring filmmakers, he once said that “We want you, at first, to steal from us” and “then one day someone will steal from you”. What is your favourite film? The one that made you decide to become a filmmaker?
Do you prefer acting or directing? I prefer acting. When I am directing, action is filtered by actors I admire, rather than coming directly from my body, and I am not as satisfied as when I play a role myself. However, I have learned a lot by watching my colleagues during their numberless transformations. I miss acting now, and that’s why in the next few years I will try to do it more. How did you develop a passion for directing? At first I wasn’t really interested in directing. I only did it in order to cast myself as a lead and get an important role. Let’s discuss your film debut… My first film, which I am particularly fond of, is titled “I Killed My Mother” and it was not distributed in Italy. I was 21. It came from my desire to start my career. I had not attended film schools or shot short films. My education was limited to a high school leave. I was an 36
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unemployed actor and I thought that no one was better than me to star in a film about my life. I embarked on this journey, which proved much more complicated than I expected and on which I invested all my savings. People around me were not confident. Only the actors actually believed in my project. Is there a leitmotif in your works? All my movies emerge from a problem I want to solve, either for myself or for my characters. In my first work the question was: how can I start my life as an artist? Nobody will give me a chance, so I have to start on my own. Which films or filmmakers influenced you the most? I don’t know that much about films and I often see disappointment in people’s faces when they mention films I have never seen. I feel guilty about my lack of knowledge and tried to make up for it before directing “I Killed My Mother”. I watched films like “In The Mood for Love” by Wong Kar-Wai so many times
Well, I confess, I love Titanic! I think it’s unrivalled in terms of costumes, setting and special effects. A masterpiece of modern entertainment. I had to confess that even before a group of people which included Paul Thomas Anderson, Julian Schanbel, Ron Howard and Charlize Theron. Two years ago my agent took me to what was supposed to be an informal dinner party, and I found myself in the company of such people. I was very nervous. We sat down and Miller started asking the diners about their favourite film. Everyone mentioned art films, movies dating back to the thirties, African directors. When my turn arrived, I thought to myself: Oh gosh, how are they going to react when I say Titanic? I was aware that my answer would not make me come across as an intellectual. However, the question did not enquire after the greatest movie of all times, but only about our favourite one. I saw Titanic when I was eight and it gave me wings; it made me think big, as if nothing could ever stop me. From that moment on I felt the desire of making movies, even though I actually got out of the theatre wanting to write a
letter to Leonardo Di Caprio. James Cameron’s blockbuster is not sophisticated; there’s no deeply hidden key to its interpretation. And yet, it is one of a kind and it perfectly imparts what it wants to convey. How do you choose the stories of your films? I like plots about people who dream and fight to obtain what they want. Society obstructs these people, because, by contrast, their authenticity gives phonies away. My films narrate about these minorities: men who want to become women, people who want to get out of a complex mother-son relationship or find a place in the scheme of things. Sometimes they succeed, others they don’t, but they will never give up trying. Do you like Italian cinema? Is there a film that impressed you favourably? Among the most recent titles, “Call Me by Your Name” by Luca Guadagnino has touched my heart. This film, at once so sweet and potent, can change the way you look at art and feelings. It has stayed with me ever since I saw it. It keeps reminding me that love and suffering are often intertwined and that there is beauty in sorrow. After all, sorrow should not be stigmatised: it is often a starting point, a source of inspiration. At least, it was for me. While suffering I have happened to create films and impress someone I loved. Watching the film I realized that Guadagnino and I share a veneration for this feeling.