Gianmarco Franchini, from Cinecittà to the cover of Style Magazine 6/25: «This is how I learned to cry. And to laugh»

HE COULD HAVE AIMED for a permanent government job, opened a shop in his Paliano (Frosinone) or went to university to study Physics. And instead, among the various paths that were open to him at 17, Gianmarco Franchini chose the one for Rome.

And from there, thanks to Stefano Sollima who wanted him as the protagonist of Adagio in 2023, he arrived at the Venice Film Festival . «During Covid, when everything stopped, I started to really think about what I wanted to do. I tried to imagine where I wanted to be at 60, and I told myself that the narrow vision of the country didn't necessarily have to impose a direction on my life. That maybe I could do something I really liked…»

Was it a leap into the unknown?

I was incredibly scared because every time I tried to talk about it with friends or family, they always said, "Where do you want to go? Forget it!" But instead of thinking about all those, and there are many, who didn't make it, I preferred to look at the greats and let myself be inspired by them.

When did you realize you had made it?

I'm still waiting for my mother to tell me that she saw me acting and liked me... Until recently my grandmother still called me to tell me that "the Carabinieri competition is out".

Well, where I come from, at most they give you a few compliments with their mouths closed. It's not out of envy, it's just that people are simpler, more direct.

Coming from such an environment, did you ever feel like an outsider?

In reality, on the set there is that same frankness. If a scene doesn't go well, you say so without mincing words, also because everything happens at a crazy speed.

Does criticism ever bother you?

On the contrary, they excite me. Because they spur me to do something more beautiful. It is important to train yourself to maintain a positive energy otherwise you risk becoming very self-centered. And instead there is little to be touchy about, we are at the service of something greater: the scenic act, the work of art.

In Adagio he faced very strong scenes of child prostitution. Is there anything he felt uncomfortable about?

I learned to "remove myself", getting to know myself so deeply that I could remove every part of myself and completely welcome the character. And at that point modesty no longer counts for anything because it is not Gianmarco who is doing a "little service", but Manuel.

Does it not even come into play afterwards, when it is seen again on the screen?

When I watch myself, I'm not really struck by the meaning of a scene anymore, but I concentrate on how I did it: I ask myself if I could have used a different tone of voice, moved differently, added other nuances. I'm very self-critical, sometimes even a little too much.

When you can afford to be just a spectator, what do you like to watch?

I don't have a favorite genre, I love Quentin Tarantino's irony and Sergio Leone's close-ups, as well as romantic films. There are works that touch certain chords in you in ways you wouldn't expect. For example, I cried a lot with The Bridges of Madison County , or as a child watching Spirit , which was my favorite cartoon: I would sit there on the couch next to my mom and try to hold it in, until finally I couldn't take it anymore and a tear would come out. With my brother making fun of me. Even now when I'm alone watching a film and I feel like crying I tell myself that I shouldn't do it.

Has he become better at holding back?

No, actually, another thing that acting has helped me with is crying. I have had certain liberating cries on stage that I would never do in real life. But I have also learned to laugh so much that I can't breathe, to get angry without a social context around me that could limit me. I would recommend everyone to take a drama course to overcome the discomforts that are hard to talk about or shyness, to connect with others in a unique way. When you are on stage you feel something inside that is inexplicable, in my opinion. I think it's a bit like what a singer feels when he is on stage at a concert or a motorcyclist when he is running.

You have already dealt with the topic of mental health in La casa degli sguardi by Luca Zingaretti (presented at the Rome Film Festival 2024) which tells the story of a young alcoholic poet who after a bad accident begins to work in a pediatric hospital. And soon you will play an autistic boy in the theater. Two characters united by a particular sensitivity towards the world.

Both have a big inner world and find it difficult to have relationships with the outside world. Even Marcolino in The House of Looks felt such social anxiety that he felt uncomfortable talking to anyone other than his father or the bartender, it totally crushed him, made him feel naked.

An incredibly current theme if you consider that the book by Daniele Mencarelli on which the film is based is set in the late 1990s. Has our perception of psychological distress changed since then?

Surely in cities like Rome or Milan there is a greater openness and acceptance regarding these issues, but in many provincial towns going to the psychologist is still seen as a whim that can be afforded by those who do not have other bigger problems. Coming from a place with this mentality, however, has helped me to have less superstructure, a more honest way of relating to others.

What makes you feel good? Does you read? Does you listen to music?

I have never particularly liked novels, I prefer poetry because I like to dwell on words, look around, reflect, try to understand diversity. During my studies at Yvonne D'Abbraccio's acting school I discovered the beauty of plays, especially those of William Shakespeare, and I said to myself "how is it possible that I had never read them before?". Music, on the other hand, is more of a background for me, I never listen to it with earphones because they make me feel isolated from everything around me. I like to be in the here and now and observe. This is also why I use social media very little, I feel that they make me lose contact with others.

And to think that they were born for this very reason…

It is certainly beautiful to have the possibility to communicate with people on the other side of the world, but sometimes you lose attention for those close to you. And then I find that they are worlds that are too fast, that push us to want everything right away. We expect to realize our dreams in a short time and we no longer have the dedication to work on something for years. But only in this way can you lay the foundations so that what you do remains over time.

He began his journey by asking himself where he wanted to be at 60. What answer would he give himself today?

Over the years my thinking has changed several times, I'm no longer so sure that in 40 years I'll still be here... Let's say I've narrowed the field a bit, I only hope to be better than what I am now, without losing what I am now.