“The pioneers are all alone: this is the price we pay for being free.” It is one of the lines from Supersex, a Netflix series inspired by it Biography of Rocco Siffredi will be released on March 6th, with the Franco Caracciolo, played by Turin-born Mario PirrelloHe turns to his friend Rocco. “This line – he explains – represents an ideal delivery to the young and promising actor who would later become Rocco Siffredi.”
Versatile actor and character actor, but who was Franco Caracciolo really?
“Like Siffredi, he also had to navigate a complex and problematic personal journey. In his filmography, his debut in Risi's “I Mostri” and his various appearances in Fellini's films as well as in the Pierino saga and in Brass's “Io Caligola” stand out. But above all, his most difficult test lies in the difficulty and pain of being accepted by his family for his homosexuality. If I remember correctly, his father, Prince Francesco Caracciolo, sent him to a professor to “cure” him with injections of monkey testosterone. Years later he commented: “Thanks to Dr. Pende I have become a great woman.”
What was the friendship like between Rocco and Franco?
“Siffredi called him one of his greatest friends, probably because, after initial rejection of his homosexuality, he realized that he was judging him in a similar way to those who judged him. Unfortunately, they didn't see each other often as Franco died of AIDS in 1993. Rocco loved him so much that his wife's stage name became Rosa Caracciolo.
How did you prepare your interpretation?
“I tried, starting from the script, to develop its main features that so stimulated the emotional imagination of the actors that after a few lines I felt comfortable in their inner world. Obviously I already had an image of Franco, with whom I never associated the term “vulgarity”. He always seemed to me to be a luminous being who was never in the shadows, and this allowed him to be sincere in life and in friendship.
And on set?
“Directed by Matteo Rovere and Francesca Mazzoleni with great respect for the actor's creative work and care for the construction of the scenes, I collaborated in a playful and intimate way with Alessandro Borghi.” The world of the 80s and 90s in which I immersed, was colorful and excessive and at the same time overwhelmingly lively.”
Isn't it time to recognize pornography as having social value?
“We can be outraged by it, but why should we be outraged by a depiction when we are often no longer outraged by reality?”
Do you mean artistic representation or reality?
“With all the fighting we were taught in school, we were given the idea that violence is necessary to resolve a conflict.” Searching for porn, on the other hand, comes with a need for information that no one is giving you and that everyone looks for wherever they can. My father loved crime films and in my childhood I had to watch hundreds of people die because the taboo against killing does not exist. However, there is also the opportunity to show joy; Unfortunately, I believe this is an evolutionary step that is far from complete.”
Supersex and Black Glasses took him to the Berlinale, while Adagio took him to Venice. Will he be an actor for major festivals?
“Let’s not exaggerate. So far I've only been on the big screen without stepping on the red carpet thanks to directors like Argento and Sollima. But who knows, maybe I’ll bring luck to the films I act in and sooner or later I’ll make it there.”