At the height of his popularity as a soap opera actor, a scandal overwhelms his existence and he loses everything. After the collapse, rebirth. Edoardo Costa tells about his transformation in the book “The change” (Santelli Editor). Sunday, October 15, at 5:30 p.m., presentation of the artworks of the Mazzoleni Gallery at Largo Belotti in Bergamo. The actor’s life changed in 2008, when some television reports “The news is spreading” They raise doubts about the amounts he has collected through his club Take (Construction Intelligent Association Kids) and intended for poor countries.
Costa, where do you live now?
“Mostly in Los Angeles, but I’m often in Miami and also have a home outside of Milan. I have lived for thirty years between Italy and the United States, where I studied acting. America adopted me. But I love Italy (for better or worse).”
In Italy he was at the center of a legal dispute that led to his conviction for embezzlement. His book begins here. Why?
“Because it was the fulcrum that could move the boulders. Life offers you the opportunity to go deeper and live fully. I was trapped in illusory joys in a life of excess, like a rock star. Now I have changed.
Model and actor from ““A Place in the Sun”, “Beautiful”, “Living”, “The Night Before the Exams” and many other films. How did he become the focus of the investigation?
“The investigation stemmed from the “Striscia” media attack and was followed by a very long legal process. I have done extraordinary things with my Ciak association: I built a kindergarten in Senegal and helped non-profit organizations in Afghanistan, Kenya, Brazil and India. I got help from outside people who I paid illegally to create photo books and calendars. The receipts for 180,000 euros that were paid out to them over a period of five years were missing. Tax crimes are statute-barred. My lawyers have identified those who received the illegal payments and there will be a review of the process. But by then I had lost everything: my school, two agencies, two production houses, my non-profit organization, my books were wasted.”
How did he feel?
“Devastated. I could not explain the intensity of the media hype. Antonio Ricci, as a communications genius, repeated the same lie every day. I felt anger and a very strong desire for revenge, also because my parents, my sister and my nephews had also suffered.
What would you say to Ricci?
«I would thank him. Thanks to his persistence, I became the person I am today. Change can come in a thousand ways, from health issues to bereavement. In my case, I lose my reputation.”
What was his life like before?
“I gave it my all: I worked during the day, then there was the gym, the meetings, the events, the guest appearances on television. Drugs were part of the game, that additive that allowed you to succeed.”
And today?
“I always work a lot for the cinema: I filmed “The Island” with Michael Jai White, where I play the villain, I co-starred with Elizabeth Hurley in the comedy “Christmas in the Caribbean”. And I am a life coach through the platform The-change.it. I help people feel better through live social media broadcasts, workshops and meditation. Knowing that I am providing comfort fills me with shivers of joy and a sense of accomplishment that I have never felt before.
His teachers include the Indian yogi Sadhguru, which organized the largest meditation program organized in Italy on October 1st at the Allianz Cloud in Milan. She was there?
“I was in Bologna to present my book, I returned to be with him, he is a transmitter of wisdom, he teaches without teaching, to live in gratitude, compassion and love.”
AND Is it true that he auditioned for Big Brother and was rejected?
«It’s fake news. But if there was a reality show where I could say what I think to raise awareness, maybe I would consider it…”
What are you watching on TV?
“I don’t have a TV. I’ve seen some clips of “Belve” on social media and I have to say that Fagnani is beautiful and talented. I always liked her. The characters he interviews, no. But this is Italy.”
October 13, 2023
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