He’s originally from Palermo and was born in 1964, ever since he was very young, he’s always wanted to get closer to the theatre. He even started his career very early at the cinema and in 1992 became popular all around the country, thanks to the role of Antonio in the movie directed by Gianni Amelio Il ladro di bambini (The stolen children). He’s unforgettable even in other movies such as Farinelli directed by Gérard Corbiau. In the latest months we saw him on TV among the stars of Ballando con le stelle: Sicilian Secrets interviewed Enrico Lo Verso.
No name. No memory today of yesterday’s name; of today’s name, tomorrow.
Luigi Pirandello
Enrico Lo Verso in The stolen children
Q: Enrico Lo Verso, from Palermo. How did your career as actor start?
A: I was born in Palermo and grew up in Siracusa, when I was a child I used to play at the Greek Theater, there was a sort of bond with that place. Once I became part of the Istituto Nazionale del Dramma Antico, when I was 16, I had the chance to perform in my first play at the theater in Siracusa in the cast of Agamemnon.
D: Until now what’s a professional experience that you happily remember or that left you with something special?
A: They are all moments of the same journey, each of them is important, each of them is connected to the next one. I don’t regret anything, maybe today there are just a couple of decisions that I would reconsider.
Enrico Lo Verso
Q: How much of you being Sicilian do you bring with you every time you’re in front of the camera?
A: A lot. To fully understand the meaning of being Sicilian, we can watch Cinema Paradiso. Philippe Noiret moves like a Sicilian, like an old-fashioned man. I saw my grandparents in him. We are Sicilians and we are lucky because we are part of a millenary history.
Q: In this period, you have been very busy both at the theater and on TV at Ballando con le stelle. How can you manage all of this?
A: I’m performing at the theater with two shows, one is Metamorphosis by Ovid, the other is Uno, nessuno e centomila (One, No One and One Hundred Thousand) by Pirandello. The first is about change, that in the end is the everyday food of an actor. The second is about masks. Let me say that both shows are FOR the actor.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SSvZNNTg8gA
Even Ballando con le stelle was a metamorphosis. I really liked to face many different situations that I never encountered before. I like to dance, especially improvisational dance I was good at because Enrico Lo Verso is a free spirit, I suffered a little bit more in the choreographed routines. The best part of this experience has been dealing with something very far from what I normally do, I reached the semi-final mostly by pure commitment and strength of will more than agility.
Enrico Lo Verso with Samanta Togni
Q: TV, cinema and theater: is there anything you love more?
A: I like to act and like it to do it in the highest and most beautiful way. Cinema is the most difficult, you have the camera that literally looks at your inner self and you must be 100% on point. The theater has other characteristics but is based on a convention, it’s immediately understood.
Q: Is there any advice that Enrico Lo Verso, as a professional, would give to young Sicilians that want to do this job?
A: My advice is to work on the roots, which doesn’t mean to stay on the ground but get anchored to go up, that way everyone can see the plant that grows and goes towards the sky.
Enrico Lo Verso on the stage
Q: You achieved many goals, but is there any dream you still want to realize?
A: I have many professional dreams. If I didn’t have them, it would be useless to go on. My job is not easy, it’s hard and we always have to seek motivation, that in the end we can find it at the height of the objectives that you set forth.