Interview: Arianna Chirico

Photography: Filippo Thiella

Styling: Simone Folli

Makeup: Ricky Morandin @ W-MMANAGEMENT

Hair: Francesco Avolio @ W-MMANAGEMENT using Eleven Australia

Photo assistance: Davide Simonelli

Fashion assistance: Nadia Mistri, Giulia Fiadino

Makeup assistance: Arianna Scapola

Hair assistance: Alessandro Firenze

How did you approach the performing arts and acting? Was it a hidden vocation or is it the result of some experience? 

Yuri: My life has been intrinsically linked to the world of art since I was born.

My parents have dedicated their lives to music: my mother is a former radio speaker, while my father is a musician and has a record company, so it was natural for me to immerse myself in all of this. I have been playing guitar since I was 3 years old and soon after I started singing.

Growing up, it became clear that the way forward was linked to the performing art: I have always loved dancing, singing and acting. I looked for a school that could offer me an improvement in these disciplines and I found it in Naples. The academy has given me immense joys and I realized that being an actor was my biggest dream.

My first adventure was in Peter Pan: I experienced many feelings getting on stage and putting myself in front of spectators. It was unique and exciting. So I moved to Milan and attended MTS, Musical! The School. Theater was my first love: I have had several apprenticeships that helped me to acquire greater skills and professionalism.

Geneme: My initial dream was to be a dancer. I fell in love with dance as soon as I arrived in Italy, when they took me to a show during Christmas time. I had no idea who Santa Claus was and when I was asked what I wanted for Christmas I pointed to the dancer and the violin. That moment will always have a precious meaning to me. I studied to play violin and then piano for about seven years, while dance has always been constant in my life. My first chance behind cameras showed up one day, when my father came home with the newspaper Il Mattino di Padova, on which there was an announcement requesting extras for Guadagnino’s We are who we are. This adventure was followed by many others until my first role in "Nudes". Before the pandemic broke out, I was preparing for auditions in various European academies, but the lockdown delayed timing and travel and in the meantime I had other opportunities. These experiences have been important, because they have broadened my horizons, allowing me to test myself and to open a path that I did not think I could follow.

Giuseppe: It all started with a school play in the third grade, Pinocchio. It was immediately clear that this could be the profession to invest my potential. So I attended a theater school in my hometown from 12 to 18, proposing myself for all possible shows and trying to learn as much as I could from every experience and person. All this had a very important impact on my training. After high school I did an audition at Piccolo Teatro in Milan, but I was not chosen: it was a great coup, because I cared about that opportunity and I studied a lot before performing myself to them. After a year or so, I applied to join a LA academy and they accepted me. So, I moved to California and spent two years there, while working as a model in fashion and advertising. It was in LA that I met my manager and in the midst of the Covid pandemic, the first audition for the movie "Ancora pù bello" arrived. I had not had any confirmation, but the possibility of being part of this project pushed me to drop out of my American dream and to throw myself into this adventure, even before they communicated the choice to me. Eventually I moved to Rome and it went well, because they gave me a part in the film. Then I immediately had an audition for "Backstage". It was all magically surprising: in one year I made two films, a dream!

Ilaria: My main passion in life has always been music. I have been singing since I was very young: I dreamed of being an Italian JLo, therefore also a bit of a dancer. After high school, I knew that my way was to continue studying singing, but the conservatory did not appeal to me, aware that I was inclined to a school that could train me in multiple disciplines. So I decided to attend a musical academy in Rome and there I had the opportunity to understand what I really want to be, through the study of dance and acting and to increase my singing skills. It was an adventure that allowed me to get to know a lot about myself, my weaknesses and my strengths. Acting is such an important part of me today that without it I couldn't be the same person I am.

What is a personal peculiarity that you only discovered through acting?

Ilaria: I realized I was more sensual than I thought I was. I had never reflected about my sensuality, perhaps because I have often struggled with my self-esteem. But in someone else’s shoes, adopting a psychology that suited the character, I was catapulted out of my real dimension and I learned to perceive my body with the eyes of others, discovering that not always the inner idea that we have of ourselves reflects reality. A lesson that acting has given me is that in life you must have the courage to dare, while always keeping your peculiarities firm, without changing too much. I love the idea of ​​remaining a genuine person and the only possible change I will make will only be for improvement and never towards standardization.

"Backstage" will be out soon. How did you approach the casting?

Giuseppe: The Backstage’s castings were a bit frustrating, because they asked us to perform  four auditions, in which we should have been able to show our strengths and also our weaknesses. I am not a great dancer, but I worked hard, so I could give excellent results. Rehearsing for months and months in the Sistina Theater in Rome was an experience that is arduous to me to explain in words, due to the amount of emotions it gave me. The last audition was a gimmick by the director to reveal to us who they had chosen: it was exciting, but I remember I had terrible anxiety.
Yuri: The arrival of this casting was unexpected. It was my first audition for the cinema and one of the best experiences of my life. They asked to bring a piece that would represent us: I usually write and therefore I decided to perform one of my best pieces. I exhibited in front of the director and the producer, justifying the choice as the most consistent with myself and they loved it so much that when I was chosen for the part, they asked me to use my song in the film. Being used to the theater, at the beginning I was a little afraid of this experience in cinema, but the atmosphere on the set was so friendly and familiar as to make it phantasmagorical. I am grateful to work on this project, and to grow professionally and to meet exquisite people.
Ilaria: From this adventure I remember I cried very often since I had very strong emotions. Getting a role like that, in which there was the opportunity to test myself in all the disciplines I love was sensational. Being chosen was the dream of my dreams.

Was it difficult to get noticed and stand out?

Geneme: Dancing was certainly essential, but I assume that space-time alignments and luck are fundamental in these things: I believe that coincidences have an important weight in our lives. All this, however, has no value if it is not associated with an artistic richness that makes us ready when good opportunities are coming. You have to live the feelings that each experience provides, enjoying the whole journey and focusing less on the destination.

What advice would you give to those who want to pursue your path?

Ilaria: I think it is crucial to work hard on yourself and study to improve. I learned a lot in the academy, but real experiences have given me lessons that I could never have learned away from the stage or behind the cameras. I argue that the most genuine advice I can give is to constantly enrich yourself with a humble predisposition towards anything and anyone.

Geneme: It is necessary to always be aware of our qualities and talent, not with arrogance but always with extreme confidence and humility. Everyone should always remember to dream, because it is magnificent and extremely courageous: it makes the possibilities we have in this life to be infinite. I have noticed however, that many do not like the fact that people have great desires for themselves and this can be an obstacle to their fulfillment. I know that it is not necessary to belittle others by bullying them to be a winner: focusing on yourself, avoiding the most stubborn competition is certainly more prosperous.

Giuseppe: We must always believe in it, constantly struggling to improve and do better and better, through work and study. It is important to recognize your own value, defend it and increase it, and no one can hinder you in your goals.

Cinema or theater can give you more emotions?

Giuseppe: I haven't had a theatrical experience for about six years and I miss it terribly. At the theater, however, you have to be always in active mode: you need a certain continuity of emotions, concentration, professionalism. Cinema, on the other hand, makes you experience several feelings, even if I didn’t work a lot behind cameras. Theater is very choral, while cinema is a more intimate adventure: it allows you to focus more on yourself, to deeply investigate your own interiority, to look for the most meticulous details and to analyze them.

Ilaria: I certainly had few experiences behind the camera and many more in the theater, so today I feel much more at ease in the theater. I believe that being on stage is vital for an actor: the exchange of energy with others, the amplified sensations, the adrenaline and the fear of performing in real time in front of the audience.

Yuri: I have always associated the desire to be an actor with the idea of ​​being on a stage, from which it is possible to really feel the warmth of the audience and be pervaded by millions of emotions and crazy thrill. In the theater, you have no possibility of making a mistake: the first one must be good, immediately and without hesitation. It is a whirlwind of indescribable feelings and I always experience them as if they were irreplaceable and incomparable. I love cinema for billions of other reasons. Acting in front of the cameras is a very demanding adventure. Eye and human contact is replaced by a video camera and this requires insatiable concentration and strong attitude. I have a huge passion for everything behind this world: I would like to immerse myself totally in it. I'd like to study directing, to juggle with all-encompassing experiences. On set, I asked everyone questions, from the director to the cinematographer to the sound engineer, in order to learn notions and information about how much work it took to make a project real.

How was gathering dance with acting?

Geneme: With the Backstage project it was surprisingly easy, because after the castings, they adapted each character to the peculiarities of each of us. As for the character I play, Sara, she eventually learns to sing, but her dance remains her strength. So I put my singing skills to the test during the month of preparation they gave us before shooting, keeping my real characteristics firm in the project.

Have you ever felt uncomfortable in front of some criticism on a set? How did you deal with them?

Yuri: This movie was formative in several aspects: professional, human and emotional. Probably as part of a cast in which we were all newbies and more or less peers, we experienced the set with total transparency and sharing. We supported each other a lot, especially in the disciplines in which he did not excel: I personally have often been helped by my friend Gianmarco, who is very good at dancing, since I am not a great dancer.

If there has been some criticism, it has always been a way to encourage us to do better, to stimulate, to give more, without ever overpowering the other. We also had moments of resentment between us, but that's another story.

Ilaria: I generally look for criticisms a lot, whether they are positive or negative. I believe that the way in which they are received is fundamental: if they represent useful advice for improvement, they are always welcome; but if criticisms are made in order to express a judgment as an end in itself, it is useful to remember how important it is to be sensitive to the emotions of others.

How was working together from a more emotional point of view?

Giuseppe: We are a very close-knit and loyal group. We have always supported each other, as each of us could help with advice on the discipline in which each stands out. Those were the best suggestions, because they were shared by those who lived the same emotions and fears. So it will always be very significant to me and I will carry indissoluble memories from an emotional point of view. 

Ilaria: I remember we laughed, we cried, we had fun, we got excited all the time. I had the opportunity to play a gay character and it was terribly engaging and exegetical to understand how love is something undeniably inexplicable and that it doesn't matter who the loved one is, but how strong the feeling is.

Is there a dream director or actor you would like to work with?

Yuri: In the world of hyperuranium my answer would be Tarantino. I love Sorrentino's works very much, they are wonderful.

Geneme: I allow myself the opportunity to dream what the future holds for me and then I will let you know, since I believe that the quality of an artist can be recognized in the exact moment in which you start working with them and not seeing them only behind a screen.

Ilaria: Currently the couple of actors I would like to work with is Borghi-Marinelli, whom I respect very much.

Do you have other passions besides acting?

Geneme: Yes, everything that intersects with the artistic world is interesting for me. I paint, play, sing, do a little bit of everything, obviously not with the same professionalism and quality that I dedicate to dance and acting, but for each discipline I decide to approach, I still reserve a lot of curiosity and study.

Ilaria: Yes, I have been teaching Super Jump for three years, a discipline that takes place on a trampoline, which has become another passion of mine, starting as a student and perfecting it to the point of becoming a teacher myself. I get great satisfaction. First of all because I have a lot of fun: I feel that the trampoline helps me both physically and emotionally and then because I am aware of making sure that other people can also enjoy the moment through my teachings.

From a more humanitarian point of view, are there any issues you would fight for or would like to do more for?

Giuseppe: I feel I am a very positive person and I believe that it is essential that each individual seeks and achieves their own harmony, which allows them to enter the world without pouring out anxieties and fears on others. It is crucial to take care of yourself: I am convinced that reaching your own psychophysical balance is a very underestimated issue, but fundamental in interpersonal relationships and with the whole world connection.

Geneme: I believe that nobody can do something alone: ​​progress can happen if society allows and welcomes it.

I try to surround myself with people who have the same values ​​I have, who respect the planet and all living beings; that are open to welcoming the new, the different, the unexpected.

Yuri: The issue I will always fight for will be the social equality: whatever race, gender, sexual or religious orientation to which one decides to belong. It could be a trivial reflection, but from my little one it is the question I have felt more and more involved in. My parents have always taught me to love anyone and it has been so natural for me to have friends of any ethnicity, race, religion, age and sexual orientation, that I cannot bear the injustices that some often inveigh against people. I fight for that daily using kindness towards everyone.

Ilaria: As a woman, I realized how much our image falls on the perception, often wrong, that one can give of oneself. During the last few days, I was thinking about what people might think seeing me in fashion shoots, in which obviously I am very different from everyday life. I was reflecting on the fact that this is a job for which our body is continually in the spotlight, which often shows a more glossy reality than it really is. It would be necessary to resize this widespread attitude of undaunted judgment: we do not know much about the lives of others, the feelings and pains of the individuals we meet on the street and those we think we know behind a screen. For a better society, we should worry more about caring and less about sabotaging the lives of others, unhinging those prejudices that in some cases make us inadequate to the progress that has been made.