Interview with Paolo Salvadeo, an actor active in Italian independent horror. We address a few questions to this valuable character actor, who has been appreciated lately in Paolo Del Fiol's most recent films.
L: Hi Paolo, give a brief introduction of yourself.
P: Hi guys, I'm an actor who for years did uninteresting work from a personal point of view (what passed for the convent, the important thing was to work), since a few years instead I've been doing only films that give me satisfaction, such as horror and action!
L: How did your passion for film and, in particular, acting come about?
P: Since I was a kid, I liked to do some sketches together with my friends, and everyone used to tell me : "What a good actor you are, you're going to be an actor when you grow up!", and eventually I convinced myself that I was really good. So I enrolled in an acting school, but there I realized that I was not good at all, I was the last one in every sense of the word! I liked it though, so I studied and the school gave me the basics. Gradually I realized that I would like to earn my bread by acting, which is, however, very difficult.
L: The first movie you were in?
P: The first time in front of a camera was for a TV show, a very boring drama about the Quarto Oggiaro neighborhood of Milan. I played the young boss of the neighborhood. I remember that my very first line was to be said under my breath, I had the microphone under my sweater, but for me coming from the theater it was unthinkable to act under my breath, so I repeated a thousand claps continuing undaunted to say the line in a big voice making the director freak out. In the end they dubbed me.
L: I first saw you in Daniele Misischia and Paolo Del Fiol's Connections (a film composed of two episodes, "Hobo" and "Kokeshi"), exactly in Paolo Del Fiol's second medium-length film... Can you tell us about the character you play?
P: My character is the Man of the Cross. He is called that because he bears a cross-shaped scar on his chest caused by his sister with a knife when he was a child. His sister is the serial killer protagonist of Kokeshi (played by Silvia Sorrentino). The Man of the Cross kidnaps young girls for her to allow her to satisfy his sadistic pleasures. My character is mentally ill, so it was fun to add some tics and give him a little bit of an out-of-the-box feel.
L: What do you think of this film and also the splatter sequences you are involved in?
P: "Kokeshi", unlike many independent horror films, has a good plot, which develops especially in the final part. Kudos to Paolo Del Fiol who came up with this idea.
The scene where I splattered myself was fun to shoot, Davide Pesca didn't skimp on the fake blood, to the point that when I took out my contact lenses at home they were all red because the blood had gone there too!
L: The biggest difficulties (if any) you encountered in this medium-length film?
P: Fortunately, no difficulties, except perhaps the polar cold of the basements we shot in and us actors being half-naked!
L: An overall assessment of Connections. Who would you recommend it to?
P: Connections was a very interesting idea (in fact, now others have also taken a cue and come up with collective films with episodes shot by different directors), it is inspired by grindhouse theaters where extreme films of various genres, horror, action, erotic, etc., were shown in succession.
Indeed Connections encapsulates "Hobo" which is a pulp/action film and "Kokeshi" which is a torture porn-style horror film. I recommend it to all those who, like me, refuse to go to the cinema to see the usual commercial Italian movies, let's say enough of the crap that is produced in Italy!
L: You are currently involved in Adrenaline, another project conceived by Misischia. Again, you are part of the cast of the short film directed by Del Fiol: "Neo Sekigun." Can you tell us something about that, including about your character?
P: "Neo Sekigun" is inspired by a movement that actually existed, the Japanese Red Army, and in particular its leader who settled in Palestine from Japan to support the People's Liberation Front.
My character is an American ambassador who will be used in a hostage exchange.
L: "Kokeshi" and "Neo Sekigun" belong to two quite different genres. The former is purely horror, while the latter is a drama-action. In which of the two films did you feel more comfortable? Do you like acting more in horror films or do you lend yourself to any role?
P: I love both genres, so I am always happy to play both one and the other, from an interpretative point of view they can both give a lot of satisfaction to an actor so welcome both one and the other equally.
L: What is there to expect from "Neo Sekigun," and from Adrenaline in general?
P: Unfortunately, here in Italy releasing action or pulp films is impossible (otherwise certain directors such as Daniele Misischia would already be famous), so Adrenaline will give all fans of this genre a chance to see something made here in our country, and if there is a good audience following it may be that someone is willing to invest even in films that do not have the word 'love' or 'love' in the title!
L: Favorite actors?
P: I haven't been following any in particular lately, however, for years I haven't missed a single Leonardo DiCaprio movie who, being about my age, played characters that could have touched me (well, maybe in movies with a few million dollars less budget...).
From a young age he played difficult but stupendous roles for an actor, such as the spastic boy in "Happy Birthday Mr. Grape," the junkie in "Basketball Diaries," or the poet Rimbaud in "Poets from Hell."
In Italy I say Elio Germano, I followed him since before his explosion. Good and natural as I like him.
L: What are the cornerstones of genre cinema for you?
P: Staying in Italy and talking about the horror genre, since I was a child (especially before the age of 14, to experience the thrill of watching R-rated films) I used to watch the films of Dario Argento and Lamberto Bava. The one I watched the most was Demons.
L: What are your future plans?
P: It will be titled "YamatoKaiiki - Chronicles of strange Japanese phenomena", needless to say it is Paolo Del Fiol's next project, he is the only one who always remembers me and keeps me in training!
L: Please leave a message for the DarkVeins community and everyone reading this interview!
P: Thank you first of all to DarkVeins, and thank you to everyone who gave me some of their time reading this interview, please keep supporting independent horror, since money doesn't come in the satisfaction only you give us!
L: Hi Paolo, thank you for your availability!
