It is the queen of commercials and if it is not yet the most popular among Italians, it is certainly the most watched. Queralt Badalamenti, her name is pronounced “Càral”, half Sicilian, half Catalan, but authentic Milanese from Porta Romana, she is the woman of advertising records: a smile, her, that advertises everything: from pots to cars, from medicines to supermarkets , from wines to tuna. Now he is expecting, among other things, little Sofia.
Is it true that you hated advertising as a child?
“When I saw her, I changed the channel. But I was wrong.”
Why?
“Advertising is art, hard work and better than a lot of television.”
Is it also true that you don’t have a TV at home?
“I moved and bought it.”
And what are you watching on TV?
“The news, La7 programs, Netflix. I also dared to read the “Brothers Karamazov”.
It is a novel in which patricide is the focus.
“That’s why I preferred to give up after a few pages.”
How many commercials have you done in your career?
“At least a hundred.”
Can anyone mention it?
“Lagostina, Wait, Unieuro, Lidl, Ferrero, Volvo, Riomare, Scaldasonno, Alfa Romeo, San Pellegrino… shall I continue?”
Instead, tell us how we can recognize it.
“In the Dimagra ad I’m engaged to a scale, in Dalani I’m being packaged up by my friend and sent back to sender, in the Misura ad I’m diving into a box of biscuits.”
I imagine the gifts…
“Mikado sent a truckload of chocolates to my home and made not only me happy, but also all my neighbors.”
What did you want to do as a child?
“The actress or singer. Then I completed my marketing studies and thus combined my calling as an actress with my studies.”
Is Milan still the advertising capital?
“Definitely. There is a lot of creativity and a very serious and professional environment. Then it is really democratic.”
In what sense?
“There’s a lot of money in advertising and hundreds of people show up for auditions.” You don’t skip the line if you’re the director’s daughter or the assistant’s girlfriend. Those who deserve it pass.”
She was also the protagonist of her own campaign against street harassment.
“At first they thought I was crazy. They were just compliments that they told me. However, these days there is less and less tolerance for certain bad habits and I am happy to have opened this path.”
Have you ever turned down advertising?
“Recently I was asked to do advertising for children’s products, but I said no. I didn’t want my pregnancy to become a commercial, I almost feel an obligation to protect this moment.
Have you ever gotten stuck?
“Never. Instead of arriving unprepared, I study the joke all night. I’m rarely wrong.”
Would you do a reality show?
“Big Brother No. Beijing Express maybe.”
What does he want to be when he grows up?
“I teach acting at Mohole School, a film university. I discovered that I really enjoy teaching.
To paraphrase well-known advertising slogans: Are you more of a heart of cream or no limits?
“Heart made of cream. But don’t underestimate what I can do.
Is optimism the scent of life?
“Life is the scent of life, even with its bad moments.”
How does it help against the wear and tear of modern life?
“I do yoga, I call my friends, I cry when I have to and laugh when I have to.”
What more do you want from life?
“Now that I’m about to become a mother, what more could I want?”
Is it better to have a Crodino with Owen Wilson or a coffee with Clooney?
“The blonde Crodino makes the world go round.”
Would you replace Julia Roberts in a stockings ad or Charlize Theron in a famous perfume?
“Charlize Theron is an unattainable goddess, but…”.
September 27, 2023
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