N. 29 - Capri

l’altro, completamente scritto e cantato in
inglese. «Mi piace recitare, scrivere e cantare
in inglese. Per molto tempo l’ho vissuta un
po’ come la mia prima lingua. Ho studiato
alle scuole inglesi e fra di noi, all’interno
dell’istituto, si era creata una complicità,
una lingua nostra. Finita la scuola, per il
fatto che molti degli studenti erano figli di
diplomatici, ci siamo persi. E io mi sono
ritrovata a dover inventare un modo di
esprimermi: non che non conoscessi l’italiano,
ovviamente, ma mi serviva una lingua di
dialogo, un modo di parlare».
P. COCCIA
AN OSCAR FOR BEAUTY
by Pier Paolo Mocci
an Interview with Violante Placido
Stunningly beautiful and utterly
unique: Capri according to the
young star of the Italian screen
On Capri, they’re still talking about
her, calling her one of the friendliest
and most courteous young actresses
who has ever visited the island. The public
occasion, a few months ago, was the film
festival “Capri, Hollywood,” organised
by the Italian-American journalist Pascal
Vicedomini, who is also its artistic director.
In a sumptuous creation by Roberto Cavalli,
all velvet and lace, in which she displayed all
the elegance of a genuine 1950s film legend,
Violante Placido returned to one of her alltime
favourite places as a “famous actress,”
without even touching on her new-found
celebrity.
“I’ve been coming to the island since I was
a child, and I have Capri to thank for many
splendid memories,” avows this actress from
a film family, the daughter of actor Michele
Placido. “The magnificent scenery made every
one of my stays unforgettable, and I have so
many memories connected with each spot.
Although I have to admit I’ve always had a
weakness for the Faraglioni, those small rocky
island just off the shore that create a view that
is simply spectacular. For me, with movies
in my blood, every time I return to Capri I
feel like I’m on the largest film set ever built:
Capri’s beauty deserves an Oscar. In all the
world it is just incomparable.”
No doubt about it: the actress speaks form
the heart when she declares her love for the
island of the Blue Grotto, which only adds
to her enjoyment of its charming hotels and
excellent restaurants every time she visits.
“I know many places to eat, and they are all
marvellous. I particularly like the restaurants
near the water. At dinner, the magic of the
terraces by night is like a dream; I challenge
anyone to remain indifferent.” What Violante
truly adores, however, is the island fashion,
and she never tires of exploring the alleys
and byways where Capri’s artisans can still
be found. “For a girl like me, whose look is
mostly casual, but has to dress up often, as
an actress, choosing an outfit or an accessory
can be a problem. Capri puts the full range of
its boutiques at my fingertips; they sell a bit
of everything, and it’s all very fashionable.”
The actress turns out to be a fan of the
classic Capri footwear by Costanzo, those
real leather strappy sandals. “They’re perfect
for strolling,” she says. “I consider Costanzo
sandals little gems of comfort and elegance,
ideal for both a day at the beach and an
evening out.”
Capri knows Violante will be back, but now
she has work to do, specifically Moana, the
made-for-TV movie devoted to the Italian
porn icon; and Pinocchio, a remake of the
famous TV series by Luigi Comencini, which
will be airing in the fall (with Violante as
the Blue Fairy, played by Gina Lollobrigida
in the original series). Two roles that are
rather out of the ordinary, which ought to
make Violante (or Viola, as she prefers to
be called) an actress in great demand for
some time to come. “I have always admired
and respected Moana for her intelligence,
independence, and ability to win over
women as well as men,” Violante says. “She
was a woman who put herself on the line
with a career choice that was courageous,
to say the least. They tell me she was also
extremely professional on the set. I’ve
seen many of her television interviews: she
defended herself ably and was clearly a
very well-educated individual.”
Besides the TV series Pinocchio, directed
by Alberto Sironi, the young actress will be
appearing in the film Sleepless directed by
newcomer Maddalena De Panfilis, coming
out in the fall and co-starring Valentina
Cervi, Francesco Venditti, and Roberto
Angelini. What really stirred up a sensation,
however, was her posing for a Playboy article
only recently: photos in the buff by auteur
photographers that boosted sales nicely,
according to data provided by the famous
men’s magazine. “It was a challenge, and
I thrive on challenges,” Violante admits.
“When the Playboy article came along,
I’d just finished auditioning for Moana, so
posing seemed like a natural consequence.
It wasn’t a real personal choice; it was more
of a coincidence. But sometimes I just enjoy
bringing out what’s inside me, my femininity
included. It’s just a game, of course. Showing
a little skin is okay. I feel natural. Plus, I like
photography; I like seeing the sensuality of
bodies captured in the image.”
Last but not least, there’s the actress’s love
of music. Maybe not everyone knows that
Violante cut a record as a singer-songwriter,
called Viola, and has every intention of
pursuing two parallel careers. The songs
on the record, by the way, were written and
sung in English. “I like performing, writing,
and singing in English. For a long time it
was almost like my mother tongue: I went
to English schools, and we used it as our
own language in our own little groups; we
bonded to it. When we graduated we lost
touch, since many of the kids were the
children of diplomats. And I suddenly had
to invent a way to express myself: not that I
didn’t know Italian, obviously, but I needed a
language for dialogue; I needed a way to talk
to people.”
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