I met Carlo Carere in Rome a few years ago. I had in my hands one of his books - “Lethal Waters” - which told a true story about the trafficking of toxic waste. Inside me echoed that phrase, "Before the day ends", which was actually a screenplay of his thanks to which, in 2008, he won the'Endas International Screenplay Competition. Carlo has come a long way since then, in fact he currently acts and produces his scripts in Los Angeles. In this interview we will talk about his path, certainly difficult, but full of satisfactions.
Carlo Carere: winning icon of Italian who finds "luck" abroad
Carlo we can say that he represents the prototype of Italian who makes his dreams come true abroad. In this case in America. How correct is it to speak of "luck"?
“Behind that word,“ luck ”, there is a lot of work, commitment, sacrifice, the desire to emerge and never give up. Here in the US there are many opportunities, of course, and there is meritocracy. However, this does not mean that it is difficult to succeed in my job. Very hard. All the more so for an immigrant like me who has to deal with a language and a culture that is not his own and overcome these disadvantages in the shortest possible time. Add to this that every actor and screenwriter faces a 'huge amount of waste, which are almost daily. At the various auditions made over the years I have heard of everything. I wasn't too tall or short for the part, I wasn't handsome enough or too short, or that I had an overly clean, young face etc. I have heard of everything and more ”.
“The competition is fierce, out of a hundred or so auditions maybe one is good. And for every 5000 scripts written - it takes a year to write a single valuable script - only one is sold and becomes a movie. Never in my life had I ventured into something more difficult to pursue. I have learned, however, that the important thing, even more than studying and constantly improving, is being able to not let yourself be discouraged. Being able to never look back and continue on your own path without fear. Bringing with it the awareness that there is no undertaking that cannot be achieved as long as you really want it ".
Carlo Carere: from Captain of the Carabinieri to actor and screenwriter
In your previous life, in Italy, you were a Captain of the Carabinieri. When did you get the feeling you wanted to go elsewhere and act?
“It happened gradually. My passion for acting has distant roots. I discovered her when, in fifth grade, I was chosen to play the role of Jesus in the school play on the life of Christ. Later, life led me to make different, diametrically opposed choices. The artistic soul, however, has always coexisted in me. Even at the “Nunziatella” Military School, the “Alma Mater”, where I completed high school. Despite living in it in the military style, the poetry , writing they were important aspects, cherished. That's where I started my first novel. It was about a young man in the dark years who decides to challenge the system and free his mistress, unjustly accused of witchcraft, from the deadly clutches of the Holy Inquisition ”.
“Then I joined the Arma, where I lived intense, long years, full of work and total dedication. And to whom all my gratitude goes for having contributed to making me the man and artist that I am. In spite of myself, I have slowly became aware that in that institution I would not have had the opportunity to express the best of myself. I felt that my qualities could aspire to something else and that they were there endless opportunities. So, that artistic soul that had always harbored in me resurfaced, eventually taking over. The novel I started in high school, however, I never finished… ".
Carlo Carere, a pleasant combination of writing and acting
How do you manage to combine writing and acting commitments?
“The way I see it, writing is easier if you also know how to act. Especially when the dialogues of the protagonists of a story are created. The key lies inenter their psyche, experience their emotions and desires, as if it were the screenwriter who had to interpret them. La writing and acting are two sides of the same coin and conjugate them comes by itself. Obviously, when I have an audition or work on a set, I stop writing for a while. However, the beauty of writing is that you do it at your home, at the times you want, and you can organize yourself however you want. Unless you write under contract, with urgent and fixed deadlines. I must say, however, that I have written most of my scripts so far "On speculation", as they say here in the USA. In other words, I created them independently to then sell and / or produce them later ".
The collaboration with Francis Ford Coppola
Tell us about your experience with Francis Ford Coppola...
“It was very uplifting. Francis, like all giants, the real ones, is a humble, calm and staid person. He is able to get the most out of actors and crew through kindness, respect and authentic charisma. On set he treated us like brothers and sisters, and after giving precise instructions, he gave us space and let us improvise. Trusting in our creative flair. The dream of every actor, I think ".
“I worked with him on a TV movie called "Distant Vision", in which he used a revolutionary technique, the so-called “Live Cinema”. It's about taking the best of theater, film and live TV and putting them together. In order to produce a hybrid that is a bit of all three. Basically, about fifty cameras filmed us rehearsing all the scenes in the film. We repeated them ad nauseam, in chronological order, as if they were rehearsals for a theatrical play. At the same time, the crew practiced filming us, just as they do on a normal movie set ”.
Filming with Coppola ...
“Francis, in the control room, did the editing on the spot as if it were a live sports broadcast instead. On the last day we repeated the same operations. With the difference that the footage was broadcast via satellite, live, across America and in some parts of Europe. "Distant Vision" Romance the story of Francis' family, whose vicissitudes are intertwined with the invention of television. I was playing the role of the uncle. Francis also wrote a book with the same title, e in which I figure, which testifies to his experience in the preparation and completion of the film. Did you know that Riccardo Nuti is his cousin? He told me on the set ”.
The move to Hollywood
For an Italian, what was it like to move to America?
“How to start from scratch. For the second time after taking off the uniform. I found myself catapulted into a different universe, where little was as I had known or learned. New language, new customs and different rules. I came here to Hollywood without knowing anyone and lacking support, but armed with enthusiasm, self-confidence and a good English course purchased online. Like any leap in the dark it was very tough at the beginning. However, what motivated me was the feeling, which later became certainty, that here I would have had the opportunity to show all my qualities on the basis of my work alone. And without having to compromise ".
Movies and TV series
Can you give us an overview of the films and TV series you have taken part in?
“My first TV appearance was on the television series "Don Matteo”, Which I was a part of for the entire sixth season. I also worked in the miniseries "The Whole Truth", "Rudolph Valentino" and in other fiction. Small but continuous roles, which I obtained in a few months after hanging up the uniform of a carabiniere. These allowed me to gain experience to operate in front of the camera. And even more, they gave me confirmation that I felt comfortable in it. In this respect, allow me one short digression: I've noticed that sometimes actors are debunked and criticized as good people just pretending to be someone else. They are approximate conceptions. Emotions, feelings and vulnerabilities they are a constituent part of our humanity. Yet, each of us tends to contain them, to hide them behind a mask dictated by culture, social conventions and the survival instinct ”.
"These inner motions, on the other hand, they represent a baggage for the actor. When we recite, the mask drops, the barriers collapse and the soul is bared. Acting means living. Actor is not someone who pretends to be someone else, but who, in someone else's shoes, is really himself. Returning to us, here in the USA, as well as in Coppola's film, I starred in the thriller medium-length film "Near Death", of which I am the protagonist. The film is currently airing across North America on SHORTS TV, a television broadcaster that broadcasts via cable and satellite ”.
Collaborations and Films in Italy
“They tell me the ratings are high and that we are about to land in all other countries in the world English speaking. Including India and the Netherlands. I was also recently hired for an Italian film, "The Battle of Gorthene," in which I play with Franco Nero. Filming has already started, but was then interrupted due to the ongoing health emergency ".
Future projects and present
What are you currently working on?
“To the co-production of a thriller which I wrote myself, which was joined by important producers. Entitled "Time Zero", addresses the terrorist risk related to the management of nuclear weapons, the lie of the political pact and the issue of world hunger. All through a race against time that takes place in a single location! And therefore from the minimum cost. The protagonist will probably be a TV and / or movie star and I'll be part of the cast too. I can't say more. Moreover, in 2021 it will finally start the production of another screenplay of mine, "Mindgate". I say "finally" because despite having finished it a long time ago - I even conceived it when I was still living in Rome - it took years of development and hard work to sell it ".
