«In a very short time, the great master Gigi Proietti died and then the man who gave me my license, the acting license. With the Costanzo Show he introduced me to the whole nation». Enrico Brignano is one of those for whom meeting Maurizio Costanzo was a crossroads. Success from here, from there (if he didn’t invite you) you had to settle for it.
The first crossing?
“Catastrophic”.
Or?
“They were looking for someone who was easy-going and had a quick wit. And I was among the suitable candidates. They gave Maurizio my name, which was unknown at the time, and asked me to go to his show but to sit on the floor. That did not please me. I had my truth I said do I do big things in Rome and start on the floor? I felt belittled… I told my agency: I’m not going, let’s find an excuse».
And him?
„He understood immediately. He was a man of a thousand intuitions and didn’t believe that excuse; we stayed apart for a long time. He was upset, I had betrayed his expectations».
Then the opportunity came…
“Thanks to his intelligence, he gave me a second chance. It’s been 30 years but I still remember his call: Why didn’t you want to come last time? At that moment I made no excuses. Doctor Costanzo forgive me. But he immediately reassured me: well, don’t worry».
What has happened since then?
“We made a friendship pact and he always wanted me on every radio and TV show. Sometimes I couldn’t because I wasn’t in Rome. And he: I’ll let you come and get it with the helicopter».
did it happen
“By a private plane. From Riccione to Rome to go to Maria De Filippi».
The quality that impressed you?
“Memory. He remembered everything. He was a marvel, unbeatable, anecdotes, words, sentences spoken or read».
He gave unforgettable interviews…
“I remember the one in Gorbachev. He asked him what was the music of the heart of his wife, who died after 46 years of marriage, and he replied that it was a Neapolitan song, dicitencello vuje: he made him play it on the piano and let him wet his eyes. Unbelievable: It made a Russian cry! I believe that no other person on earth would have been able to do this. Our idea of the former Soviets still clung to Rocky’s Russian, the ice-cold, emotionless Russian from I’ll Split You In Two. He was unrivaled in that.’
how was it private
‘His personal life coincided with his work. He had a long line of people wanting to speak to him, a very busy schedule, you had to queue but you knew you were in the presence of someone who would do it if they could do you a favour. When I called him on the beach, he answered so quickly that he surprised me.”