It is with great pride that I republish with prior agreement granted, this article-interview of mine which was originally published in Italian and exclusively on Sbircia la Notizia.
Giorgio Cantarini, born on 12 April 1992 in Orvieto, is an Italian actor whose talent was revealed from an early age. His artistic journey began in an almost fairy-tale fashion when, at the age of five, he had the opportunity to star in Roberto Benigni’s famous film, Life is beautiful (1997). In that film, Giorgio played the young Giosuè Orefice, son of the main character Guido, and his performance immediately captured the hearts of audiences around the world. The sweetness and innocence with which Giorgio brought Giosuè to life made his performance impossible to forget. His every smile, every naive and trusting look touched the hearts of those watching, triggering an emotion so pure and profound that, even today, it remains engraved in the memories of those who lived that story through his eyes.
Giosuè embodied the purity of a child who, while immersed in the brutality of the Holocaust, manages to find solace in his father’s protective fantasy. With naturalness and sensitivity, he was able to portray that delicate balance between childlike carefreeness and harsh reality, creating a portrait of resilience and hope that touched universal emotional chords.
Life is beautiful triumphed at the Oscars, winning three statuettes, including Best Foreign Language Film, and in this success, Giorgio’s performance played a key role.
After the resounding success of his debut, George returned to the big screen in 2000 with another iconic role, playing the son of Maximus Decimus Meridius in Ridley Scott’s colossal, The Gladiator. Although his was a brief role, his presence in a film of such magnitude, alongside a star of the calibre of Russell Crowe, further confirmed his talent and potential in the world of cinema.
Giorgio’s conscious choice
Despite the incredible success that overwhelmed him as a child, Giorgio decided not to get carried away by that avalanche of fame. He has chosen, with maturity and awareness, to keep his feet on the ground and take the time to listen to himself, instead of letting himself be conditioned by the expectations of the outside world.
With wisdom and maturity, he preferred to devote himself to his studies, carving out time to reflect and make considered choices regarding his career. He continued to work as an actor, but with a more discreet presence, participating in film and television projects, both in Italy and abroad, always keeping control over his artistic evolution.
Giorgio’s challenge: from acting to dancing
In 2005, she accepted a different challenge by taking part in Dancing with the Stars, where she showcased not only her talent, but also her friendly and affable personality.
In the following years, Giorgio embarked on an in-depth study of acting, expanding his skills in theatre and experimenting with new forms of expression. Although he is no longer in the spotlight with the same intensity as in his early days, he has kept his passion for art intact, choosing projects that reflect his personal and professional growth.
- Giorgio, thank you for accepting this interview.
- The pleasure is mine.
- How did you experience the transition from being a child actor in such iconic films to building your career as an adult?
Growing up, after ‘Life is Beautiful’ and ‘The Gladiator’, I continued to work in the film world, participating every 3-4 years in a few projects, such as new TV films or small collaborations. I took part in these projects when they were interesting, even though at the time I had no real aspiration to be an actor. It wasn’t something I was really interested in. Basically, it was something I had fallen into almost by chance and knew how to do, so I would take parts now and then, but I really wanted to do something else. Like many boys of my age, I dreamed of becoming a footballer, a professor, an engineer… At one point I even wanted to be the Pope!
It was only towards the end of high school that I started thinking seriously about acting. I really liked cinema, films, the great performances of Hollywood actors. So, I decided to try to enter the Experimental Center of Cinematography, where I was admitted. I studied there for three years, and during that time a real passion for acting was born. I felt fulfilled, both personally and socially. I liked working with others, being part of a group, but also working on myself.
After graduation, it took a while to get back into the working world, but in recent years things have gone very well. Initially it was not easy, neither to find continuity in work nor to overcome the weight of the way I had started, with the role in ‘La vita è bella’. I felt under pressure, as if I always had to give my all, surpassing that goal, that performance. But with time I realized, that it was not necessary. At five years old, in the film, I was not acting, I was just playing myself. There was no real ‘performance’, but a natural spontaneity.
Having overcome this block, I started to express myself with much more freedom. Experience, study and time have allowed me to grow as an actor, and now I feel freer to express myself, much more so than at the beginning, right after the academy.
- Looking back at your most iconic roles, was there a time when you felt the “weight” of expectation or notoriety, and how did you manage those feelings? What were the biggest challenges?
In part, I already answered you in the first question, talking about how I felt, in quotes, the ‘weight’ of the notoriety I had acquired as a child. But it was during my years of study and especially in the first years after graduating in acting that I started to feel this pressure more. I had to enter the world of real work, and I felt I had to prove something more than others. It was as if nothing was owed to me, and I had to prove myself. With time, however, I realized, that this was nonsense.
Looking back, one of the first works that gave me the most satisfaction was the short film ‘The Fish Doctor’, directed by Susanna Della Sala, a very talented director and set designer. It was one of my first works after graduation and was very successful at festivals all over the world. We won awards in Los Angeles, Canada and Holland, and I was nominated for best actor at a festival in Los Angeles. I also went to pick up the award because the director could not be there and I was already in the United States.
Being one of my first jobs, and having worked with a director who had studied at the same school as me, I felt a certain pressure. Many others in the technical departments of the short had also attended the same school, so there were high expectations, and I really wanted to give it my all. I think I succeeded, as they liked my performance very much. “The Fish Doctor” is a simple and cute story, very imaginative, almost fairytale-like.
As for how I handled these feelings of pressure, well, I couldn’t tell you exactly. I’m a very positive person, and although sometimes these emotions blocked me a bit artistically, I always tried to work on myself and give my best. When I felt blocked or not 100 per cent, I would try to understand what was holding me back and, step by step, I managed to process these feelings. I am very proud of that.
- Having chosen to maintain a more discreet profile in your career, what values or principles have guided you in your artistic choices?
Having chosen to maintain a more discreet profile in my career, I have always followed well-defined principles in my artistic choices. My main goal has always been to participate in good projects with a certain level of quality. Right from the start, together with my team, we tried to set a clear direction, carefully choosing the projects to join and deciding not to put myself forward for certain types of work. This was important to maintain a certain level of artistic integrity.
Having started in a particular way, even though I was just a child and not yet a professional, I have always wanted to maintain a certain consistency in my choices. Obviously, it is not easy to replicate successes like those of ‘Life is beautiful ‘ or ‘The Gladiator’, but we have focused on not participating in products that, let’s say, we do not consider to be as good from an artistic point of view. For example, we have decided to avoid dramas or soap operas of a certain type, without naming names, but we are talking about television that is less artistically sophisticated.
We have preferred to invest more in cinema and TV projects of a certain depth. It has been possible to do that especially in the last few years, with the advent of streaming platforms, which have changed the way of doing seriality, bringing more investment and new stories to tell. I must admit, however, that so far, I have not yet had the opportunity to work in a TV series, but it is something I am waiting for.
In any case, I have always tried to join only projects that I was passionate about and that enhanced my work. Only once did I make an exception, accepting a project purely for financial reasons, and I regretted it. I won’t tell you which project it was, but after that experience, I decided that I would never again do something just for money.
- How has acting and theatre changed for you over the years, and what do you look for today in a project that stimulates you personally and professionally?
My vision of acting and theatre has changed over time, especially as my awareness as an actor has matured. My approach is also different now. As soon as I graduated, I felt a bit like when you learn to drive: at the beginning you have to concentrate on every little movement – engage first, second, manage the clutch, the brake – but with experience everything becomes smoother and more automatic. In recent years, I have noticed with surprise how my way of approaching a script or a text has become more natural, almost automatic. There is much less conscious ‘work’, many things come spontaneously, without me having to make an effort to understand the character or the text.
Another thing that struck me is the ease with which I enter into a character today, compared to the past, and at the same time, the greater difficulty in letting go. The last film I shot was particularly challenging for me. It is a production in two languages, Italian and English, shot between Italy and the United States. I play a soldier suffering from post-traumatic stress syndrome, a character who has lived through the war and goes through the 1960s with a very complex life. Despite the complexity of the role, I was able to immerse myself in the character with ease, but I had difficulty getting out of it.
After the first tranche of shooting, which will continue between September and October in Friuli, it took me at least a week to get rid of the intense feelings of the character. This really surprised me, even though I had already noticed something similar in the past, even in less intense roles. I realized, that I can enter characters very deeply and naturally, without too much effort, especially when I feel a certain affinity with them. If, on the other hand, the character is more distant from me, it requires more in-depth work.
Honestly, I have not yet reached the point in my career where I can freely choose what to do or what not to do. Alas, I am not there yet, but I know that time will come. For now, I apply for various projects, obviously looking for the ones I think are good, but I also often have to accept what comes along, without being able to make a big selection. Of course, they must be projects that have artistic and professional value, where I play a character that enhances me, and above all that tell a story worth telling, directed by people who know their stuff.
Unfortunately, I came across people who wanted to involve me in projects that, in the end, were not up to the mark, because making a film, or even just a short film, is not easy. You need experience, not only production means, but also an artistic vision. You don’t necessarily have to have studied at the best schools, but you have to have an overall vision and know how to form a team. Every single element must have the right experience to make something good, because the risk of doing something terrible is always just around the corner.
What I am looking for, therefore, are people who know how to enhance me, who have an interesting story to tell and, if possible, who bring an original vision, outside the box. I really love projects that go outside the traditional canon, like the film I was telling you about, ‘The Fish Doctor’, which has a fairytale atmosphere in which I particularly find myself.
A dream I have had for a long time is to play a villain, a role I have never been offered. Probably because I don’t have the classic ‘physique du rôle’ of a villain: they always tell me I have eyes that are too good! But I would really like to, and I am convinced that I would do it well, perhaps playing a character who seems good, but then reveals a dark and devious side. In fact, I had a taste of this kind of role in the theatre last year, in the play Altrove, written and directed by Agustina Risotto Interlandi. I played a young husband, caring in appearance, but who turns out to be a calculating manipulator. The story tells of a young couple forced to live together during the lockdown, and over time the demons of their relationship emerge.
I would love to play a character like that again, something completely different from what I have done so far. I think it would be interesting, given my ‘good’ face, to play someone who on the surface seems harmless, but hides a dark side. It would be a really intriguing contrast!
5. Could you tell us some funny anecdotes that happened with Benigni during the filming of ‘Life is Beautiful’?
Sure, I can tell you some funny anecdotes about Benigni! I remember that during the shoot, considering I was only five years old, my mood was not always right for filming. Sometimes, like any child, I was not in the right mood, and Roberto always tried to make me smile, to relax and put me at ease.
There was one thing he often did that made me laugh a lot. He would say to me: “Giorgio, what is it? Is there someone you don’t like? Let’s send him away. You like that one? Do you like him? And that one? No? Then you, go away!” And so, he joked, sending people away to make me laugh and calm me down.
Another nice thing concerns the nickname ‘Testa Dura (Hard Head)’. In the film, Guido’s character calls me that, but in reality, it all stems from reality! I have always been a bit stubborn, in a good way (or a bad way, it depends!), and both Roberto and his wife, Nicoletta Braschi, had started calling me ‘Testa Dura’ on the set, affectionately. And I, of course, would respond with, “Oh yeah? And you’re Testa Durissima!” Eventually, this was also included in the film, which is really nice.
There were also scenes where Roberto would say: “Yes, do that!” because he liked the way I behaved spontaneously. Some of the things I was doing, without realising it, remained in the final cut of the film. It was nice to see how some of my little spontaneous reactions were retained.
Unfortunately, I don’t have many other anecdotes, because I was really small. My memories mingle a bit with the stories I heard from my parents, with what I have told over the years, and with my flashbacks. Then again, it’s been 27 years, and everything in my mind gets a bit mixed up between imagination, real memories and fabricated ones. But what I can tell you for sure are these little things that I still remember fondly.
- Thank you very much, Giorgio for this very comprehensive interview!
- Thank you for giving me this opportunity.
Giorgio Cantarini’s story is that of an artist who knew how to cultivate his career with intelligence and moderation. Although unforgettable for his early performances, he chose to live his artistic life with integrity, following his own rhythm and always keeping his passion for acting alive. Audiences will remember him for those two roles that marked a generation, but what distinguishes him is his personal journey, a balancing act between success and loyalty to himself.
Life is beatiful, Benigni, Giorgio Cantarini, La vita è bella
