ANNA FERZETTI – «Lasciamoci sorprendere»
Elegance, preparation and versatility, she demonstrated them in every project in which she threw herself headlong and this is exactly what we wanted to investigate in dialogue with Anna Ferzetti. A woman and an artist who knows how to be moved – and move you – as well as snatch smiles for innate irony, which never goes beyond the limit.
by Maria Lucia Tangorra
When you are looking for the truth you have to be sure that you want to go all the way and you cannot be tender with yourself»: it’s a joke that deeply touches the viewer of Andreas Maciocci’s “I segreti del mestiere” (unpublished Swiss production). What do you think about it?
When you choosing to move forward in research, one must be aware that one does not know what is going on. I got to understand many aspects when my father passed away (Gabriele Ferzetti, edit). Dad was also a point of reference in the professional field and his death put me in front of the need for precise choices and my personal research. I always thought that the desire and passion that I had for this profession depended very much on its influence. When it happened, I wondered a lot.
Taking into account some shorts, your desire to marry independent projects is also appreciated…
I had already worked in Switzerland in “Finding Camille” by Bindu De Stoppani. In the case of “I segreti del mestiere” I was summoned for an audition specifying that it was a ‘small’ role. I liked the idea and I gladly joined it. There is no small or large part, it depends on how you see it, what the story tells and how you want to play the character.
This approach is not obvious…
There are many dynamics within the market. I am not – or not yet – among the actresses called for cassette films and I do not aspire to you. I want to continue doing this profession as I am carrying it out, taking part in interesting feature films and web-series such as “Una mamma imperfetta”. Work is work. I happened to say no because the proposal approached something already addressed and bored me the idea of showing myself back to the public in a similar role.
Speaking of occasions, you are among the protagonists of “Curon”, soon on Netflix. What can you tell us?
It’s a series that mixes various genres, from the supernatural to the psychological thriller, passing through the mystery. The spectator is transported on an inner journey. We, interpreters, have been told: «You can escape from your past, but not from yourself» and this, for me, is the emblematic phrase. The location is fundamental, with the bell tower immersed in the water to which a legend is linked. I play Klara, a local, a high school teacher with two teenage children. It is a very stimulating project because it does not only target young people, but would like to be multi-generational. We start by following the two protagonist boys (in search of the mysteriously disappeared mother, editor’s note), but then we also get in touch with the adults.
At “FeST – The Tv Series Festival” the head writer of “Curon” Ezio Abbate said: «When we approached Anna (Valeria Bilello) and all the female characters, we spent a moment longer to reflect on how to trace their identikits without falling into the usual stereotypes ». In this sense, what will we see? What, instead, are the cliches to dispel in our scripts?
We will see women who are not labeled in a certain way, but complex and multifaceted. Usually the cinema represents the wife, the mother, the lover, assuming that the sensitive woman cannot be strong, but we women are all this. Often it is also framed on the basis of physicality. Because of the height and softness of my body, they frequently ask me to give birth to a mother or a tough female figure, a woman who can welcome and who does not need protection. But why, if you are 1.75m tall, shouldn’t you want to be protected?
What is your strength that has not yet been grasped?
I don’t think I have one in particular, but I’m so ironic. I’d like to be much lighter, I found out by working. In “Finding Camille” I give body to Camille, a very affectionate girl, who remained a ‘child’, who accompanies her father on a journey.
You are very attached to this film…
Yes, I’m. Because it came in a difficult situation in my life: the loss of dad. When you are born with an elderly father, you live with the constant fear of losing him. That moment really came and, shortly afterwards, I met this director eager to tell a journey between a father and a daughter, a story that touched me a lot. It was like a signal coming from him, as if he were saying to me: “Now, even if I am not physically there, we make a journey together to work out this situation”. I laughed and cried, creating a strong bond with Luigi Diberti – who played Camille’s dad – and thus sharing a particular period of my existence. And then I really love this work because it was a ‘small’ film, but with a wonderful atmosphere, where everyone was involved. In addition, he scored the first time in the cinema as a co-star. When you have the opportunity to experience the set every day, you establish a different relationship with the director and the crew.
Could we say that it was a turning point both professionally and emotionally?
Yes, without a doubt. At one point there was a click so I said to myself: “I go, I follow the profession I love, for which I studied”. I do it for myself and in addition by facing a story that concerns me closely, staging a father who loves his daughter but cannot prove it to him. I had a dad like that, he showed his affection in a very particular way. Thanks to this film I elaborated the mourning, casually doing my and my father’s work.
You debuted with him on the scene with “La figlia di Iorio”…
Yes and immediately afterwards there was “Scandalo!” of which we were protagonists. It had been written for dad by Alberto Bassetti. I was twenty years old. It was very pleasant, certainly demanding. I was greatly admired by his talents: despite his vocation, he was able to act with great naturalness. He was always very credible. I have another wonderful memory of that time: Anna Proclemer who applauded from the second row. I’m very moved at the moment of thanks, both those I receive and those I express to the people I care about. I take the applause with a joy that I try to express, as if to say to the public: thank you for coming and spending time, I hope I was able to meet your expectations.
In your own way, do you think you inherited your father’s naturalness?
Yes. I have so many elements of it like refinement, very pungent irony and a little sly air.
An experience opposed are “Ecuba” and “Le Troyanas”…
What a splendid memory, I was a girl. We were very many. All summer we spent two months at the Quirino for the laboratory. We started with “Ecuba” in Italian (directed by Irene Papas). I was among the young people in the choir between land and water, with the choreography of Aurelio Gatti. Then we actors went around the audience (which was central) and reached the other part of the stage for “Le Troiane” in Spanish, with the company of La Fura dels Baus, with a totally different approach. In a scene on one side there was a host of soldiers with huge shields, on the other we women tried to defend ourselves with sticks. In the middle there was a line drawn with scotch tape, whoever crossed it won. That exercise included understanding the anger women could have against men who wanted to rape them.
The energy that emanates as a character and of that project goes well with physicality…
Yes. I am an old school artist, for me the actor must be able to do everything. I don’t stop in front of anything: if I am asked to ride a motorbike or do an underwater scene I throw myself. In case of serious situations, where stunts are foreseen, I ask to teach me the technique because I would like to create the action scenes. I’m an ex sportswoman, I can ride a horse… over the years I have started to suffer a little dizziness, but if I am safe I want to test myself.
How are you experiencing this delicate period that led us to closure at home?
I’m often away for my profession. I have never lived my home like now. This moment that we are going through is a great signal, it’s as if the earth rebelled against everything there is. This situation, sad for the death of many people, is also putting a strain on the lucky ones like us who are living it in their homes, for example in managing coexistence in a few square meters. The relationship between husbands and wives is questioned and for many couples it’s the first opportunity to really get to know each other.
How do you think it will change you?
Im trying to deal with certain aspects, such as the relationship with my daughters, learning to listen to them more, to manage my time and my mood, giving importance to the fundamental things. We don’t pay attention, but we spend a lot of time outside; in this period in which you cannot go out, I’m learning to live together (she’s with her partner Pierfrancesco Favino, their two daughters and the mother, edit), seeing my limits and also what I will not tolerate.
In the past you have said that you go both belly and head to keep everything under control. Is there anything you haven’t been able to control and has changed you?
In my case I didn’t plan to get pregnant, it happened and it was beautiful. On a professional level, I’m learning to give myself more freedom, to see what comes from your stage mate and to create from there. My goal is to live even more per day. I am very orderly because otherwise I am not comfortable; in any case I like to keep everything under control because I also want to make myself useful. Among the various chores done as a teenager, I accompanied tourists around Rome and I was very precise: I bring all this background with me. I am schematic, yet when I prepare myself on the characters I go for images and colors, I even think what perfume they could bring and this is an instinct that I have and that perhaps saves me from an excessive tendency to control.
What surprised you so much that you left your mark?
Playing Zaira in “Servo per due” and Antonietta in “La Controra” (both directed by P. Favino and P. Sassanelli) made me understand that I am capable of trying on those strings. It amuses me and I’m not afraid to play roles other than myself.
Do you have a theatrical project in sight?
Over the years, fortunately, I met and worked with actors with whom I found myself in tune with Barbara Ronchi, Alessandro Tedeschi (plays her husband in “Curon”) and Vanessa Scalera. With the latter I took part in a show, written and directed by Filippo Gili, staged at Brancaccino, which thrilled me for the type of study. We want to get involved on new ideas, in addition to resuming “Ovvi destini”.
Do you still dream of doing “La, La, Land” in the Italian version?
Maybe. I would love to make a musical with months of rehearsals on singing, dancing, acting: it would make me live the job I chose fully. Over the years I have sown and I’m happy to say that I’m reaping. For example, I was lucky to have been selected for a film like “Domani è un altro giorno” (after being nominated for the Silver Ribbons, she received the David nomination for Best Supporting Actress, edit.), A remake well done. It gave me the opportunity to make myself known to other people and to be seen in another perspective.
What is your next challenge?
Life is a challenge. You had to go on, teaching positive things to my daughters. At work, let us be surprised, let’s see what will come at the end of this period.
