The forbidden city

YAXI

I knew that no actress would be able to step into Mei's shoes in just six months of training, so I was all set to leave for China, firmly convinced I would only find my leading lady in the Kung Fu schools there. Mei had to be a martial arts expert. I felt as if I was going off on some madcap mission.

But then came the turning point. There was no need for me to trek across the globe to reach the Giant of the East, because Yaxi Liu actually popped up on my phone. One of my colleagues sent me a video reel from her Instagram account, packed full of flawless kicks and punches. They were the kind of movements that can't be improvised; only someone who has trained from a very young age can pull them off. She was the one. Only one question remained: could she act as well?

The first audition in Rome was underwhelming. Her shyness, and the pressure of the audition – ‘But I'm a stuntwoman!’ –  seemed to be holding her back. But there was something powerful in her quiet presence, like a deep soul waiting to be explored. Yaxi wasn't just a formidable fighter: she had a subtle sense of irony, gentle restraint yet surprising energy. But there was still a gap to be bridged between her and Mei. What was needed was an open wound. As I attempted to find it, I asked her about the one-child policy in China, and whether she had struggled during that period. She looked at me and replied: I am the third child in my family.

"Do you know what it really means to act? It means taking what’s inside you, and channelling it into a character that gives it shape.” I’m not sure if she actually heard me - but tears were already streaming down her face. I asked her to say her lines again. She did, but this time it was me that was crying. In that moment, I think Yaxi realised that Mei had always been there, deep inside her.

ENRICO

I had already chosen Enrico, after seeing him in Giulia Steigerwalt's first film. His wide eyes, his loping gait, and that subtle presence that he managed to convey in his relationship with femininity, all convinced me he could be Marcello.

I did countless auditions and met many talented actors, but I kept coming back to Robert Bresson's words that it's not about what the actor portrays, but about discovering what the human being is hiding.

What I needed was what Enrico was hiding behind that forced smile in his role in Settembre.

MARCO

YOB: So what did you end up in a boarding school for?

MAURIZIO: To study…

YOB: Study?!

MAURIZIO: Yeah… I stuck it until year eight… but I guess I’m just a bit of a dipshit…

REMO: Why?

MAURIZIO: I kept reading all this stuff… but I couldn’t remember jack shit!

This was how I first stumbled across Marco Giallini, when he played Maurizio in “L’Odore della notte” (The Scent of the Night) by the amazing Claudio Caligari. It was love at first sight. I've been a fan ever since. Marco is a consummate actor. When he makes his entrance, he has a magnetic presence; he acts with the audience, and for the audience. He's a tightrope walker who balances the instinct of someone brought up on the streets of Rome with an innate elegance, someone who is acutely aware of the importance of every gesture, every glance.

Little did I know that eight years later I would have the honour of directing him in my short film, ‘Basette’. Then we worked together on the set of ‘La Nuova Squadra’ where we shared the set, as well as nights out on the town in Naples. Eighteen years have passed since then – Marco says it’s been too many years – and he likes to remind me with a smile: “Hey, Mainetti, you forgotten about me or what?!” But at last, I've got the perfect role for him: Annibale.

— Marco, it’s all good, you know, I love all that Rome stuff and we all have a laugh, but I really need you to show me that gentle side, the pain you keep hidden away.   I promise I’ll treat it gently, I know just how much it means to you. Annibale is special, and only you can give him the soul he deserves.

— You’re kidding right? I’m with you. Always...

SABRINA

When I first called Sabrina, I didn’t even have the story concept for the film. All I had was an idea in my head that was about to take shape.  I knew how busy she was, and that I’d need to get in there early, so we arranged to have an initial chat on the phone.

Hello?

Hi. It’s Gabriele.

Hey!

Hey!

I was desperately trying to come across calm and collected, to hide my excitement.  But before I could even begin to explain what I had in mind, she caught me off guard:

“I’m crazy about your work!”

I laughed. “Same here!” And without wasting another moment, I started outlining the vague idea I had in mind. “So I was thinking of doing this film, and I’d love it if…”

“Count me in!”

Straight-forward, to-the-point, no beating about the bush. That’s just how Sabrina is: she’s real, and she has this energy that wins you over in an instant.  She has the strength of a woman who knows what she's doing, but she also has this genuine, unpretentious warmth that makes everything more real. In a heartbeat she was on board with the project, with no need to be persuaded.

LUCA

I needed an actor who could live up to the expectations of an audience watching a ghost. A ghost who, when he actually appears in the flesh, is no longer just someone who chased his own selfish desire, with no regard for anyone else.

I needed someone we wouldn't write off, in spite of what he’d done in the past. Because he did it for love. Because love leads you astray, it takes you beyond the realm of reason. And when you look at a man who loved so hard that he lost his way, you don't judge him. You feel him. You understand him.

Actors that can pull this off are a rare breed. If you are lucky enough to linger for more than five seconds in Luca Zingaretti's gaze, you realise that he has this incredible tenderness. On the set, in our quest to find Alfredo, we alternated between moments of strength and moments of despair, but we never gave up. We just had to keep digging, deeper and deeper. Until all of a sudden, his steady, resolute voice cracked when he was talking to Annibale about his overwhelming love for Yun.

That was when we knew we had found him.