from our correspondent
Berlin
Inheriting a trillion and not knowing what to do with it. Or better yet, become the richest man in the world by spending every penny on a utopia: eliminating poverty on earth. Based on a fascinating premise, part Da Vinci Code, part eco-thriller, the new Paramount+ series One Billion Dollars, a new adaptation of Andreas Eschbach’s bestseller, hits the platform in six episodes on Thursday. The series was filmed in Germany, Spain and partly in Italy (the thousand billion belongs to the fortune of a 14th century Florentine fantasy noble) and follows the rise into the world of billionaires of John Fontanelli, a penniless delivery boy from Berlin ( the German Philip Froissant, 29 years old), who was predestined by a dark prophecy to redeem the world. Next to him, in a role between financial guru and supervisor, an excellent Alessandra Mastronardi, 37 years old, with an impeccable English accent that (sadly) gets lost in the Italian dubbing: “It’s the first time they’ve offered me one .” Character like this: A woman in a man’s world who stands up to everyone, says the ex of I Cesaroni from Berlin, in the cast with the Italians Greta Scacchi and Orso Maria Guerrini – I like German series, raw and true, without “Italian do-gooderism”.
He has a trillion. What does he do?
“I wouldn’t try to solve poverty by distributing money, but I would try to manipulate the financial markets, like my character Franca Vacchi does in the series.” As a UNICEF ambassador, I have been to difficult countries and I understood “If you want to change the system, you have to do it from within.”
The first money he made?
“The first win with I Cesaroni. I bought myself a car. Obviously not a Ferrari.
Have you ever turned down a large sum of money?
“When I was 22, I said no to a clothing ad. I didn’t believe it and didn’t want to show my face.
Regretful?
“NO. You can have a lot of zeros in your account, but if you’re not happy, it’s no use.”
Why did you say yes to One Trillion Dollars?
“For courage. I like stories that aren’t afraid to be politically incorrect. In Italy someone writes them, but they are few: most of our products are anachronistic compared to the freshness of the platforms. They seem to come from the old world, when there was only Rai and Mediaset.
The world of “I Cesaroni”: If you did it again, would you come back?
“I’ve heard rumors but nothing official. If they did it again, I wouldn’t be there. I’m not for reboots (editor’s note) and I don’t need them: when the cycles close, they close. Also, my character (Eva Cudicini, editor’s note) had married, had two children, and if she came back she would be a grandmother: No thanks. And then we’re not talking about a global success like Friends.”
Would you look at it?
“NO. If I want to see the cast of I Cesaroni again, I’ll go there for dinner. I’d like that”.
Why did he leave?
“I decided after thinking about it for a long time. I suffer from the decisions, but then I don’t go back. I was no longer me, I was no longer that thing there. I wanted to raise the bar. The hard part was convincing others to accept the break.
Does it bother you that they still remind you of this series?
“I’m sorry that every time we talk about my career we have to go back 17 years. I also did Woody Allen (To Rome with Love, ed.), no one ever says that, but whatever.”
Did he raise the bar?
«From I Cesaroni on, I learned everything on my own. I fell, I made mistakes, things I could have done better or shouldn’t have done, all under a giant magnifying glass. I have started over many times. And I’m only 37 years old.
What would you like to do now?
“A different kind of character. Like Zendaya in Euphoria (the Sky series, ed.). I believe I could do it, the others don’t believe it. And I am also convinced that Italy could produce products at this level.”
Many actresses are making their directorial debut. And you?
“It was time. A tsunami of female directors is coming and we hope it lasts. It was necessary: the Metoo in Italy was a shadow, only a breeze came. I am happy that women are raising their voices by “Behind the camera. But I’m not interested in directing. Maybe writing. Or producing.”
From Rome to England and back. Why?
“After eight years in London, I returned to Rome to come full circle. I left because I needed to find myself. I was lost, or maybe I didn’t know it myself: from a young age, I was what others wanted me to be.”
And now?
«Now I know what I want: projects that I believe in 100%. Do you see me as a TV presenter? It does not interest me anymore”.
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