What is the best thing that I love about my work?

The things that I love about my job are many. But what I love the most is probably the feeling I get when I do it. The ugliness of life stay out, and it is as if I was lifted to another dimension, the dimension of the Art. And up there all is shape-able, possible, noble. And you can bring all those imperfections and turn them into art, in fact. As once the great Meryl Streep said, quoting the just as much great Carrie Fisher: “Take your broken heart, make it into art”. The opportunity as well as the luck of being able to do this, I think is one of the greatest blessings of making this job.

What is my idea of perfect happiness?

Being who we are, and deeply loving it. The rest is a consequence

What is my greatest fear?

The fear of having fear. An insane fear I mean. Because, paraphrasing a recent declaration of Will Smith, “The best things in life are on the other side of terror; on the other side of your maximum fear.”

What is the trait that I most deplore in myself?

My huge ego. I’m working on this also, on finding the middle-way, that, as my friend and collegue Nicolò said, it’s ok to have a huge ego, what’s important is not taking it around. Knowing that it’s home watching a movie, or if we’re in danger it, big and fat, will come protecting us!

Which living persons in my profession do i most admire?

Monica Vitti. And I owe a lot to Carlo Verdone and Paolo Sorrentino.
As concerns my very personal teachers, they are Mauro Mandolini, Francesco Trento e Fabio Bonifacci.

What is my greatest extravagance?

Always telling what I think, even when I know it will cause me problems.

On what occasion would I lie?

I am an actress but even so I am not at all able to lie. Ironic, isn’t it?

What is the thing that I dislike the most in my work?

The chit-chat and the complaints. I learnt that in order to build something lasting one should look inside, not outside. The time we’d lose in small talking we should spend to act, with confidence and accuracy. Otherwise -as a Buddhist teaching by Nichiren Daishonin recites- is “like a poor was counting night and day the wealth of a rich without gaining half cent”. It makes no sense!

When and where was I the happiest, in my work?

Every time I was on stage, including when I was in the worst basements, and behind a camera, including when I was with my back turned because I was “just” a counterpart. I am happy when I see something taking life, from the pages of a script to the screen. I am glad and honoured every time my project is shared, appreciated, loved by colleagues who make it a bit theirs too and work with me to get it realised. I’m happy all the time that the “users” of my projects or the projects I take part in, tell me they appreciated it, that I made them think or smile, or when they say “Thank you”. I’m happy when I hear the sound of the applause.

If I could, what would I change about myself?

I have to say that what I disliked of myself, I have been able to change it almost completely. Impatience has become patience, jealousy has become trust, insecurity has become a profound self-esteem, and so on. Maybe I still have to work on my very Bridget Jones-like clumsiness … but all in all I can say that I have become the Mark Darcy of myself: I like myself very much, just as I am

What is my greatest achievement in work?

That that is yet to come

Where would I most like to live?

Exactly where I do live, in the most beautiful city of the world

What is my most treasured possession?

Honesty, irony / selfishness and humility. I always tell my friends that if I should get them lost along the way they are allowed to practice euthanasia on me!

What is my most marked characteristic?

Irony/self-irony

What is my most inspirational location, in my city?

Every corner in Rome is inspirational. When you are there walking, by car or on foot, and suddenly, turning the corner, you find yourself in front of one of its monuments. It’s one of the things I love the most about this city.

What is my favourite place to eat and drink, in my city?
.
Not drinking alcohol and loving herbal teas (at home I have dozens of different types), sweets and London, I often find refuge in a tiny British corner in Rome, in a neighborhood that is very dear to some illustrious exponents of my beloved Italian cinema: The British Corner at the district of Pigneto.

What books influenced my life and how?

There’s many of them, but if we talk about a profound influence on my life, then without any doubt the collection “Facezie, autobiografie e memorie” by Ettore Petrolini and “Fare un film” and “Intervista sul cinema” by Federico Fellini. There are two persons who play a very important role in my life: they taught me to look at things differently, taught me the power of irony and dream. And, of course, the power of theatre and cinema.

Who are my favorite writers?

I have always read willingly Baricco, Miller, Piccolo, Capote, Plath, Borges, Wilde, Bukowski, Yoshimoto. But the pen I love the most is absolutely Ennio Flaiano’s.

You Only Die Once. What music would I listen on my last day?

I think the answer to this question would change every day. Today I feel like answering “Nevermind” by Nirvana.

Who is my hero or heroine in fiction?

Noah from “The Notebook”, Barney from How I Met Your Mother and Ugo Fantozzi accountant.

Who are my heroes and heroines in real life?

My mother and father who love each other since 40 years as it was the first day
Those who fall, crawl, eat dirt, but sooner or later always find the strength to rise, with a smile and stronger than before.
All those who have made their the mission of creating value through their lives, even more so if it’s my colleagues.
My dog Harry. Picked up on the street in pitiful conditions, he is joyful and trustful as if he had never been bullied, abused, abandoned.

Which movie would i recommend to see once in a lifetime?

“8 ½” by Fellini, “The great beauty” by Sorrentino.

What role plays art in my life and work?

I never loved to refer to myself as an “artist”, but art IS my life and my work

Who is my greatest fan, sponsor, partner in crime?

My mother and father

Whom would I like to work with in 2017?

I would like to work with Paolo Sorrentino, Nanni Moretti, Carlo Verdone, Fabio Bonifacci (because I’ve already worked with Mauro Mandolini and Francesco Trento!) and Luca Marinelli.

Which people in my profession would I love to meet in 2017?

Al Pacino, Dustin Hoffman, Meryl Streep and Charlize Theron.

What project, in 2017, am I looking forward to work on?

Soon I will be on stage with a show on Rome, the city that I deeply love, and on women: “Donne de Roma”.
Other works are on progress, including a book and a feature film.

Where can you see me or my work in 2017?

I hope in the biggest theatres of Italy! But even in the smaller ones, what’s important is to have lights over your head, wooden boards under your legs, and curious eyes before.

What do the words “Passion Never Retires” mean to me?

That if it retires it was not a real passion. But if, on the other hand, the “fire” is authentic, you have to go on, persevere, fight, never back down of one centimetre. We must have faith in ourselves and in our passion; in what we are and in what we do; in a religion, if we have it.
A phrase by my Buddhist master Daisaku Ikeda says, “Where our abilities end, our faith begins. And a strong faith sees the invisible, believes the incredible and receives the impossible. ” And it is that “impossible” that we must never stop searching. We owe this to us and to our passion.

Which creative heroines should Peter invite to tell their story?

Sabrina Paravicini. Woman, mum, actress and recently also brave and marvelous photographer.

How can you contact me?

By searching Alessandra Kre on Facebook

[Here’s the ink to my showreel: https://vimeo.com/187441041]