Elia Tedesco, Sicily is on TV in the eyes of a gentleman
Credits: Matteo Boltro
Elia Tedesco is a young and talented actor. The television audience is getting to know him day by day thanks to his role in “Il Paradiso delle Signore” where he plays Vito Lamantia, a fascinating and mysterious Sicilian accountant. In his career there is also enough time for cinema and theater, and a suitcase full of dreams to come true. Sicilian Secrets interviewed him.
Q: How did your artistic career begin?
A: Since when I was a child, I ‘forced’ my relatives to pay attention to my creative ideas. I watched many comedy films that marked me: I studied them and memorized the lines. I liked acting and my parents understood it, moreover I’ve always had a strong interest in artistic subjects. In the end, I attended high school specializing in modern languages and tourism and during those years, when I was 17, I took part in the Turin Sottodiciotto Film Festival with a short movie that won first prize.
Q: So this journey has started very early…
A: Yes, I started making videos with my cousin, we used to shoot funny stuff and our family laughed. After winning this contest, something changed, basically I understood that this field was really interesting. After high school, my father enrolled me in an acting class, so I studied as an actor and dancer and at the end of the first year, they took me into the theatre company. In recent years I worked a lot coming to play even some main characters.
Q: Theater, cinema, TV: what does each of these experiences give you?
A: Each of these experiences is different, and I’m lucky because I have the opportunity to do all three assiduously: during the week I’m in Rome on the set of “Il Paradiso delle Signore”, and on the stage in Turin during the weekend. The stage is my home. In the theater the warmth of the audience is incomparable, you have immediate feedback and the emotion is strong. While when I act on TV or in the cinema I think about when people will watch me. I like watching myself again, I’m self-critical and I need it to understand how to make it better. For example, when “Sul più bello” was released at the cinema, I watched it 4-5 times… I got chills.
Q: In February we will see the name of Elia Tedesco in the cast of a musical, what can you tell us about this show?
A: It will be a musical that we have already staged this year at the Teatro Erba in Turin entitled “Il fidanzato di tutte”. In 2023 we are going to perform it again from February 24th to 26th and then from March 1st to 5th. It is a musical centered on the character of Luca, we will also involve the corps de ballet of the Germana Erba high school with the best students able to support the professionals. Funny, thoughtful…it’s a beautiful story!
Q: This year you are one of the characters of “Il Paradiso delle Signore” on Rai 1 in the role of Vito Lamantia. What did you do to step into the shoes of a Sicilian guy from the 60s?
A: I live in Turin but have southern origins, especially from Calabria. The dialect is similar to that of Reggio Calabria, moreover I have a Sicilian aunt who helps me. To shoot, they changed my look, which is essential to interpret the character in a great way.
Q: Do you have anything in common or totally opposite with Vito?
A: Even if I’m not like Vito, I let myself be inspired by something that is part of me. Actor and character take from each other. Talking about Vito, I like his good manners and his kindness, he always helps his friends. This courtesy and elegance should be appreciated, these are some characteristics I try to steal from him. The costumes and scenography, then, make me plunge into a distant reality like that of the 60s.
Q: Have you ever been to Sicily?
A: I was in Palermo to do some shows at the Teatro Libero with Piero Nuti. Unfortunately, we always were there for a couple of days. We were greeted warmly but now I don’t know when we will return…
Q: Before saying goodbye, what are the professional dreams that Elia Tedesco wants to come true?
A: There are many dreams I’d like to make true! I certainly would like to make other films. But also giving life to shows written by me, shooting a film as a director. At the theater I am already trying to work as a director, but a movie would be simply wow.
