Paul Risker chats with Claudia Gerini, star of the TV miniseries Labyrinth and the upcoming giallo Tulpa…
Labyrinth, a two part television adaptation based on Kate Mosse’s 2005 novel of the same name, will be airing on Channel 4 this Easter weekend. So in anticipation of one of the television events of the Easter break (yes we love Doctor Who here at Flickering Myth and will be eagerly tuning in before turning over to Channel 4), we had an opportunity to interview Labyrinth’s villainess Marie-Cécile herself, Claudia Gerini, the Italian actress who following her English television debut will be seen later this year in the lead role of husband Federico Zampaglione’s “Giallo” Tulpa.
Claudia spoke of the appeal of acting, the instinctive approach to her profession, her time in the theatre, the distinct characters of Labyrinth’s Marie-Cécile and Tulpa’s Lisa, the opportunities to play interesting female protagonists and the experience of Labyrinth…
Paul Risker: Why a career in acting? Was there that one singular moment when you decided to pursue a career as an actress?
Claudia Gerini: I have always wanted to be an actress. It has always been something that I wanted to be; something really natural and so there was no particular moment when I made the decision. I suppose I must have been about 8 or 9 years old when I realised I wanted to be able to express myself through acting and music. I could also have chosen other careers or professions because I know how to do a lot of things, but being an actress has always been my first choice. I suppose I could say I’m a natural born actress…
Paul Risker: Is there an attraction to changing your identity, adopting alternative personalities to your own, or even exploring your individual ‘self’ through the multitude of characters you have played?
Claudia Gerini: Certainly. I think that this is the essence of being an actor, having the wonderful opportunity to explore yourself though other people, even for the briefest of moments. The magic of acting is its unpredictability and unexpectedness. This is its truly positive side … being able to travel and not knowing what will happen in the next couple of months, if the public will react positively or negatively, if things will work out or not.
Paul Risker: What are your thoughts on the unique relationship between audience and star, the inevitable time delay, always seeing your past work whilst you are busy working in the future? It is almost a time paradox. We live your past while you are living your future?
Claudia Gerini: I don’t think this aspect is important at all. What is immortalised on film is always part of you even if you are working on something else. It is part of your being, part of your emotions and this is what is transmitted to the public. I love my public. I love it when they recognise me on the street, when they stop me and want to chat. I feel proud that my acting has left some form of reaction. I believe that our work as actors is not to give a true depiction of the past, the present or the future but to create pure fiction, to create something that is not real. Yes, I suppose we could consider it as being reality but which exists on the screen only and in real life. I don’t think that we can apply the classical conventions of time in these cases and in any way, we are usually talking about a time span of some months and not decades.
Paul Risker: 2012 was a busy year for you, and 2013 will see you appear on UK screens first in ‘Labyrinth’ a two part television series airing over Easter on Channel 4, followed later in the year with the release of your husband Federico Zampaglione’s “Giallo” Tulpa. What are your memories of 2012? I noticed that the majority of your films were comedies, so how would you describe the experience of making Labyrinth and Tulpa?
Claudia Gerini: In 2012 I had parts in a lot of movies. It was a really prolific year and I received a lot of very interesting offers and I didn’t refuse any of them. I think I played parts in about 7 films and also an appearance in a reality show by Matteo Garrone ― a one day shoot ― but seven movies was a really great year. I think that it’s normal for an actor to interpret different roles in different films and I don’t think it would be challenging to interpret the same role every time. It’s an enriching experience having to play a range of diverse characters. I’d feel limited or stifled interpreting the same type of person and so, shifting from the dangerous killer/tormentor such as Marie-Cécile in Labyrinth to the suffering, frightened victim of Tulpa was a really positive learning experience for me as an actress.
Paul Risker: You’ve spoken about how Labyrinth is your unusual turn as the villain of the piece. I’m curious to know how you’d contrast the way in which you prepare for a villainess role in Labyrinth to your more sympathetic roles.
Claudia Gerini: In Labyrinth I interpreted the role of Marie-Cécile, the CEO of a big multinational pharmaceutical company who is also the leader of a sect ― Noublesso Véritable, involved in various dubious and shady trades. She is a single-minded woman with one desire; to gain possession of the Holy Grail which she needs to achieve eternal youth. She is very determined, powerful and we could even say an evil person; the complete opposite to me and so I had to work a lot to be able to create a cruel part of myself. Marie Cécile is very black or white and she takes no prisoners. If anything or anyone gets in her way then he, she or it is eliminated. Given that these traits are so foreign to me, I had to work a lot and I suppose it was a very liberating experience having to play a character that was so different from what I am in real life. I also had to work a lot on her way of dressing, on her clothes and how she used her femininity, her make-up and her high heels as a weapon. She is a master of intimidating men with her sexuality and this took a lot of practice.
Paul Risker: How did you become involved in the project, or more so how were you approached for the part of Marie Cecile? Were you familiar with the source material?
Claudia Gerini: I was contacted by a casting agency and was called for a first audition. Later I was called back for a second audition in London. After that, I really got down to study the part to get into the role. I knew that they were initially looking for a French actress but then they extended their search to Italy and I was selected. I hadn’t read any of the source material before auditioning.
Paul Risker: You speak English fluently, though Labyrinth is your first English language television project. Would you be interested in doing more English speaking roles or productions in the future, or with the current trend of powerful female characters on the continent, thinking of The Killing’s Sarah Lund, Borgen’s Birgitte Nyborg, and The Bridge’s Saga Norén, do you think the continent offers a more intriguing range of female protagonists for actresses?
Claudia Gerini: Well, although I speak English, I had to work on my accent as I have more of an American accent and the other actors were more British and so I had to align my accent with the other actors, even though I was playing a French character. I’d love to do more English speaking roles. I think that having the opportunity of acting in other languages really widens your horizons. The cinema sector is still very much male dominated but it is becoming easier to find good female roles. More opportunities are coming up and I must say, I’ve been very lucky to be able to find challenging roles. I think that it’s a situation that is always improving and more and more interesting roles are being scripted for female protagonists.
Paul Risker: You’ve worked in theatre, television and film. On reflection how valuable has the time been that you have spent in the theatre? Is there the distinction present between television and film that exists between theatre and these two other dramatic formats?
Claudia Gerini: There are technical differences in acting for the theatre, TV and cinema. My theatrical experience was a very important experience for me as on the stage you have to keep up the same level of emotion, to maintain your voice and guarantee continuity in your performance; sometimes for 2 to 3 hours. All of this in front of a live audience. This is an opportunity not to be missed and is real training. The theatre is like a gym and is the ideal place to increase belief in yourself and your own acting or communicative skills. In cinema or in television, everything is done in bits and pieces; the same scene is shot various times from different angles and even the emotional part is syncopated, whereas on stage everything is or has to be a single, flowing, continuous act.
Paul Risker: You have mentioned a familiarity in previous interviews with Bava, Argento and Martino (whose Torso features one of the most nail-biting sequences in horror cinema), so which took you more out of your comfort zone: the historical Labyrinth or the Giallo Tulpa? Or did both present intriguing and distinct challenges?
Claudia Gerini: As I said before, both experiences were very different. In Labyrinth I was the tormentor; I was the cold-blooded killer able to cut a victim’s throat and then answer the phone with my hands still covered in blood; whereas in Tulpa, I was the frightened and tormented victim. I was the prey palpitating from fright but I also think that we can see both roles as being two sides of the same medal. Both roles involved fear. In the first, I created fear whereas in Tulpa I was victim to it, and what links the roles is that in both, this fear had to be communicated to the audience. The skill of the actor is to find empathy with the audience to transfer this fear. He or she has to be able to communicate or transfer this fear to who is watching.
Paul Risker: What are you looking for in a character when you read a script? What appealed to you about the Marie Cecile character?
Claudia Gerini: When I read a script or study a character I try to identify the emotions that are needed so that I can see what I can contribute to the script and not the other way around. I like to see what I can add or contribute through my emotions, and if I can find these in myself. I really had to work a lot to pull out a cruel part of myself which was foreign to me. Marie Cécile was very adept at eliminating in one way or another anything that gets in her way. Given that these traits were not part of my emotional make-up, I had to work a lot, which was a very liberating experience because I was able to create a character totally different from myself.
Paul Risker: In a previous interview in which you discussed Lisa (Tulpa), you spoke about the soul of the character, submitting to her and not allowing yourself to think too much. Is instinct over thought your preference, or do you prefer time for preparation and rehearsal to contemplate your characters?
Claudia Gerini: I like an instinctive approach and I think that this is the approach that comes best or easiest to me. Yes, I like to rehearse but when you start shooting then everything is different, and so I think that what you do instinctively on the set is what counts. You know, it’s all the result of a series of factors; the other actors, the scenography, how you react to the setting and this is a very different scenario indeed from rehearsing a part on your own. So, yes, rehearsal is an important part of the preparative work, but what adds that special touch is the ability to improvise on the set.
Paul Risker: As Labyrinth afforded you an opportunity to engage with the past, through the sets, costumes, how does the challenge of preparing for historical roles differ to contemporary set drama?
Claudia Gerini: There is definitely a difference between the historical and the contemporary set drama. The historical or period movie is more challenging because you have to be aware of the different conditions of life in those times. You have to empty your mind of the present day with its mobile phones, social media, convenience foods and the way we interact with each other today and shift your whole mindset into that period. Some things we take for granted today like the role of the women in society which was very different twenty, fifty or a hundred years ago. So for me, historical roles are not only about costumes and scenography; it goes much deeper.
Paul Risker: Labyrinth, directed by Christopher Smith, features an international cast. Filmmaking is described as a collaborative process. What will you take away from the experiences of working with this cast and production team, as well as working with an iconic actor such as John Hurt?
Claudia Gerini: I can still remember every moment of the days in which we shot Labyrinth, and I have really fond memories of John Hurt and his patience and great kindness and generosity on the set. There was a really strange moment for me when we were filming and I had to shoot him! I can also remember John giving me some tips on my accent during the rehearsals, and other little things like cues when filming to let me know that things were going well. He is really participative despite his age, because sometimes we were working over twelve hours a day and he was always there, ready for action. Working with Christopher Smith is always great fun because he is like a child when he’s on the set. He loves all the action and the blood and gore and you can see that he loves his work, and he is able to transmit this to the actors and the troupe.
Paul Risker: A number of major characters feature in small roles in Kate Mosse’s second book of the ‘Languedoc Trilogy.’ Would you be interested in returning if a sequel to Labyrinth were to be produced, or is this a question that puts you on spoiler alert?
Claudia Gerini: Well, I’d love to do a sequel but sadly ― or perhaps not sadly knowing the character ― Marie-Cécile commits suicide and so I don’t think it would be possible. But yes, I would have loved to do a sequel but that is not going to be in the role of Marie-Cécile.
Labyrinth is screening on Channel 4 on Saturday March 30th and Sunday March 31st. Tulpa will be released in the UK later in the year.
Many thanks to Claudia Gerini for taking the time for this interview.
Paul Risker is co-editor in chief of Wages of Film, freelance writer and contributor to Flickering Myth and Scream The Horror Magazine.
