L'Italo-Americano

L'Italo-Americano THURSDAY, JUNE 1, 2023 www.italoamericano.org 4 NEWS & FEATURES TOP STORIES PEOPLE EVENTS S alvatore "Salvo" Maniscalco work ed his whole life as a hairstylist in C h i c a g o , a f t e r immigrating to the United States with his family from Cefalù, Sicily, at the age of 1 5 . H i s s o n , S e b a s t i a n Maniscalco, a renowned comedian who has achieved incredible success selling out arenas nationwide with his stand-up performances, recently made a movie for and about him. S e b a s t i a n ' s f a n s k n o w a b o u t h i s v e r y I t a l i a n u p b r i n g i n g i n A r l i n g t o n H e i g h t s , I l l i n o i s , a s t h e comedian often speaks in his sketches about his fami- ly and childhood but mostly about his father Salvatore. As a man from a different c o u n t r y a n d c u l t u r e , h i s father was at times embar- r a s s i n g a n d a l i t t l e b i t pushy. Now playing him on t h e b i g s c r e e n i n t h e m o v i e A b o u t M y F a t h e r , (released in theaters on May 26) is the two-time Oscar w i n n e r a n d c i n e m a icon Robert De Niro. "De Niro was very pre- sent in our home. He was one of the actors in the 80s a n d 9 0 s w h o s e f i l m s I always looked forward to seeing, whether it was Casi- no or Heat, with Pacino" actor and stand-up comedi- a n S e b a s t i a n M a n i s c a l c o tells us. "To have him play- ing my father decades later is something that I never thought was in the cards." The movie is a reunion between De Niro and Man- iscalco as they both previ- o u s l y w o r k e d o n M a r t i n Scorsese's gangster film The Irishman. About My Father, which is directed by Laura Terru- so, centers on two families from very different back- grounds who meet for the first time for the Fourth of July weekend. Along with Maniscalco, Robert De Niro, and Leslie Bibb, the movie also features Kim Cattrall (Sex and the City), Anders Continued to page 6 SILVIA NITTOLI Holm (Workaholics), Brett Dier (Schooled), and David Rasche (Sledge Hammer!). Mr. Maniscalco, this s t o r y i s s p e c i f i c a l l y i n s p i r e d b y y o u r o w n f a t h e r , S a l v a t o r e . D o y o u t h i n k p e o p l e w i l l relate to your upbring- ing? Y e s . I t h i n k t h e i m m i - grant story in itself may be similar in a lot of different b a c k g r o u n d s , w h e t h e r y o u ' r e F r e n c h , G e r m a n , Spanish, Mexican, Greek... I think a lot of people could relate to that mentality. A lot of people have come up to me after stand-up shows and told me: "Your stories about your father remind me of my father, who was from Argentina." So, I think my story is very relatable to a l o t o f d i f f e r e n t p e o p l e , regardless of their origins. W h a t w a s y o u r father's most Italian fea- ture? At least in my experience, t h e f a c t o f b e i n g v e r y e x p r e s s i v e . A n d t h e n , I believe that Italians in gen- eral are very passionate peo- p l e w h o c a r e a b o u t t h e i r families. These components are also seen in the movie, w h e r e t h e r e l a t i o n s h i p I have with my father is very close. I talk to him almost e v e r y d a y , I a m v e r y i n f o r m e d a b o u t w h a t h e does, where he is, and how he feels. Last night I talked to him on FaceTime, along with my sister. We are very Italian in this sense, we are very united. I think the most important thing for Italians is the family. Growing up, there are many things we might not like about our par- ents but then, at some point, we become adults and, all of a sudden, we find ourselves thinking, "Oh my god, I'm like my dad, I'm like my mom". Is this something that happened to you? So, my father growing up was very price-conscious, always worried about how much you were spending. Sebastian Maniscalco and Robert De Niro team up in "About My Father" Maniscalco and Robert De Niro on set (Photo: Dan Anderson/Lionsgate) Maniscalco and De Niro at the New York premiere of About my Father (Photo: Dave Allocca)

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