EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW TO THE ONLY ITALIAN ACTOR IN THE CAST OF THE DARK KNIGHT RISES
Los Angeles. Massimiliano Furlan is the face of the Italian cinema who works in the major Industry of America, the largest in the world: Hollywood. Film4Life reached him after his last credit inside the movie The Dark Knight of Christopher Nolan and we spent few times about his life and future career. These are his words:
1.Let’s start with a quick question, how did you get the audition with a huge production like this?
The audition I got it thanks to my former manager back in May 2011. For all big project they usually have hundreds if not thousands of submissions, the first selection is done by photo. I guess my rough look of a bad guy put me straight to the next step which is of course resume and experience. Imagine, out of 800-1200 submission only 25-30 get actually called in to audition. Everytime I have an adulation I also play the lotto, because I think is easier to win the lotto then get an audition. I have not won a single dollar yet !
2. The sequence with you takes place in Wall Street, did you really shot inside?
Some of the shots yes. As far for my interior scene at the stock Exchange, that was shot in Los Angeles. They had an entire building and they build the stock Exchange inside. As far for the motorcycle chase with Batman, that was YES shot in NY.
3. When and how long you have been on the set?
My audition like I said was in May and I was cast in August. My scene were shot in September 2011 right after shooting in Pittsburgh and right before going to NY for the last scenes. The movie ended the shoots around November.
4. What is your idea about Bale-Hardy and how the director Chris Nolan works?
I met Christian Bale at a special screening for the film The Fighter where he ended up winning an Oscar. He is a reserved person, but very polite and professional. Tom Hardy which I had the chance to chat a lot since I was doping most of my scenes with him, is a very very nice person and he also like to play around. I remember when we were shooting the scene walking up the stairs to go inside the stock exchange, he was holding me by the belt every time Nolan was saying action. I payed him back for that, by telling him that his Italian tattoo in his arm ( Mio figlio bellissimo ) was spelled wrong.
Chris or better Mr. Nolan ( wow what a person ) First of all let me tell you that he was walking around with a stuffed animal in his pocket which we thought was a present from the daughter Flora. Then let me tell you that, as good English man, he likes tea, he has a person that is manly in charge of refilling his fresh tea.
Talking about his way to work, let me tell you, what a professional director, he knows exactly what he wants and how. He does not allow chairs on set, not even for us actors, when we have the breaks we have our own trailer of course with all the comfortable things available to us, but when we are on set we work and not sit down ( totally agreed with Nolan )
Also what is called “Village” on set, no thanks. He does not want the Village, which is where they have monitors and people ( producers, writers directors ) sitting down and watching the takes, he is the ONLY one with the monitor and it is tight around his neck. Nolan, communicate with the actors and also let actors be creative, I remember him talking very often with Tom and share ideas together. In my little, I can say I am very proud for giving Nolan an idea for my scene, idea that was used in the final editing. Maybe one day I will tell you what was that idea, but I can assure you Nolan, really liked it.
5. Everyone talk insistently of next Batman reboot saga, in your opinion, is there really this needs to restart the franchise?
I rather not comment on any reboot or next projects about Batman.
6. What impression abroad they have of our cinema and our most popular actors?
First thanks for reminding that I’m Italian, because a lot of people think I’m Russian. I don’t really talk about our Italian cinema, because there’s not much good things to say. I remember in the 60’s we were teaching the world how to make movies because we were the best, now ? Italian actors here ? Beside the same big names like Sofia Loren, Mastroianni and maybe Benigni there’s not many Italian actors that works in Hollywood. The only one that I think people related with the industry knows very well is Giancarlo Giannini.
7. The Dark Knight Rises plot was secret since the beginning, how did they ask to you to be “silent”?
First of all, let me tell you that I never got the full script of the film. Only my first day on set I got the sides for my scene and that’s all. So I was going day by day. It was an incredible secrecy and security, no cell phones, no camera of course and in my contract was stated that I could not discuss information about the film with anybody, including the my working days or location.
8. Any future project with your great career?
Ok so, I have two films coming out on Lifetime ( American channel ) one with Lindsay Lohan ( Liz & Dick ) story of the life of Elizabeth Taylor and the second one that should come out September 22 with Lauren Holly ( Jim Carrey ex wife and Dumb & Dumber starring actor ) where I play of course a bad Russian guy. Future projects includes a film in Cambodia scheduled in February and maybe two one or two films in Italy, films with a American production of course, but let’s hope someone in Italy notice me somehow and offer me a job there too. A real job, please do not offer me “Survivor”…
