L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 2019 www.italoamericano.org 22 L'Italo-Americano A nthony Pinnunziato is madly in love with his partner Andrew Polin- ski. When he decides to propose, his very old-fashioned Italian mother An- gela insiststhey have a Catholic wedding with Father Rosalia pre- siding. Given the Vatican's position on same-sex marriages, this is a challenge. Angela also insists that Andrew's mother flies from Florida to Brooklyn to attend the wedding, which will be held in a fancy Italian restaurant. But Andrew's mother still refuses to talk to her gay son. A further obstacle could also be represented by Gregorio, Andrew's ex-lover, who threatens to scuttle the proceedings by revealing a nasty secret about him. This is the beginning of the play My Big Gay Italian Wedding writ- ten by Anthony Wilkinson. After its first debut in New York in 2003, the show will now come to the Hudson Mainstage Theater in Hol- lywood where it will be staged throughout the entire month of March. Will love conquer all? Will a large, loving Italian family come together, despite multiple obstacles, to celebrate the marriage of two men deeply in love? SILVIA GIUDICI Interview with Gianfranco Terrin, director of the play My Big Gay Italian Wedding What is the difference be- tween doing cinema, TV and theater here compared to Italy? In Italy there are great profes- sionals. I think it's time to put an end to the so-called crisis of Italian cinema. The crisis has passed, to- day we have great talents and the world envies us, and thanks to Net- flix our TV series are reaching a global market. The difference is perhaps that in Italy, when you take a break for lunch, you feel like you are at a Christmas dinner, in America you know you'll have hamburger and French fries. You worked in films directed by Ben Affleck and Francis Ford Coppola, what did they teach you? Working with some of the greatest filmmakers in the history of cinema was a gift. When you meet a person like Coppola, who shakes your hand, hugs you and treats you as if you were his son, how can you not relate with other people in the same way? You un- derstand you do this job because you love it, because you cannot live without it, not for money, not for success. Perhaps this was one of the most important lessons I learnt. Between directing and acting, what do you prefer and why? Acting for me is like riding, it's just you and your horse. Directing, instead, is like driving a carriage with 10-15 people on board. There is a different sense of responsibil- ity. Directing for me is a choice, while acting is a necessity. What would you tell people to convince them to come watch the show? There is nothing more fun and hilarious than My Big Gay Italian Wedding. The show has a 'rotating' cast, every night there is a different actor and this makes every show different. You will never see the same show twice, even if the story is the same. And if you don't laugh, not even once, during the show, we do offer a money-back guarantee. Plans for the future? I surely want to bring My Big Gay Italian Wedding to Italy, and also bring to Las Vegas Pompeii the Musical, a musical about the history of Pompeii. My Big Gay Italian Wedding will be on stage every weekend from Friday 8th March (Friday and Saturday at 8pm and Sunday at 3pm) until Sunday 31st March at The Hudson Mainstage Theater, 6539 Santa Monica Blvd, Holly- wood, CA. A reception will take place after the March 8 perfor- mance at Alessandro del Piero's N. 10 Restaurant, 8436 W. 3rd St., Los Angeles, CA 90048. To have some more details, we interviewed actor Gianfranco Ter- rin, originally from Naples but based in Los Angeles for more than ten years; in addition to play- ing the protagonist Anthony Pin- nunziato, Terrin also debuts as a director. "Directing is a big responsibil- ity," Gianfranco confesses excit- edly "gathering dozens of people who believe in you and in your vi- sion is not an easy task. The direc- tor is a leader, not a boss, I think it's a big difference." Even if My Big Gay Italian Wedding represents his first chal- lenge as a director, Gianfranco Terrin has a long resumé as an ac- tor. He has hosted for three years the show Movie Surfers for Disney Channel and worked alongside Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom and Nicholas Cage. Terrin also ap- peared in a television commercial with George Clooney and was chosen by Ben Affleck for his film Live By Night and by Francis Ford Coppola for his film-experiment Distant Vision. Gianfranco, let's go back to your childhood. I know you started acting very young. I started when I was ten in Poz- zuoli, by pure chance, and thanks to Pasquale, a colleague of my mother who worked in the library. One day Pasquale told her castings were held right in the library and that they were looking for kids my age. It was for Giro di Lune Tra Terra e Mare by Giuseppe Gaudino. I had never acted before. It was an experience that would mark my future: from that moment I knew exactly what I wanted to do in life. After that I worked in theater, television, then again in a movie with Rosa Funceza, directed by Aurelio Grimaldi, and I at- tended the academy with Fioretta Mari. When Anna Strasberg gave me the chance to study at the Lee Strasberg Theater and Film Insti- tute in Los Angeles, I moved to America. How was coming to LA from Italy? I have to admit that when I got here the first time I didn't know I was in Hollywood, I knew I was in Los Angeles, just like it was written on my ticket. No one had yet explained to me that Holly- wood is a district of this city, so I didn't know that I was coming to the mecca of the movies! I realized it the next day when I looked up and saw the HOLLYWOOD sign on the top of the hill and I can hardly begin to describe how I felt. What was the biggest chal- lenge for you in directing My Big Gay Italian Wedding? The biggest challenge was to actually decide to direct it. At first I was terrified by the idea. It felt like paddling and fearing to en- counter a storm, especially when you realize that you are not alone on the boat, and that you are re- sponsible for an entire crew. And the one of as an actor in the play? Being part of the cast was not a challenge, it was like taking a beautiful trip, in good company, to one of the destinations you love the most. It was also the first time I kissed a man! What made you most pas- sionate about this project? For me it is not just a story be- tween two homosexual guys who want to get married, but it's a story between a mother and a son. It is about the need of a child to have his parents' blessing. It is about the need to have someone who guides you along the way, a guide that is authoritative and yet non- authoritarian. How did you prepare for this role? I've been working on this char- acter for two years and I'm still working on it. I don't think you ever get to a point where you are totally satisfied. I started working on the character by waxing both my legs and my back and you have no idea how much I cried! You women have so much strength and courage compared to us men. A scene from My Big Gay Italian Wedding, starring Gianfranco Terrin (right) and David Simon Dayan (left) @Ian Fisher LOS ANGELES ITALIAN COMMUNITY

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