Paolo Calabresi: “How I stay in shape for Perfect Strangers”

When Paolo Calabresi takes the stage, it seems like we are witnessing that suspended moment in which the referee is about to blow the whistle for the start of the match: the theater holds its breath, the audience settles down like a waiting curve, and he, at the center of attention, governs the scene with the same naturalness with which a great number 10 distributes balls in the middle of the pitch. And it will be like that too at the Manzoni Theater in Milan where, starting tomorrow, November 26will be the protagonist of an ensemble comedy entitled Perfect strangerstheatrical transposition of the cinematographic success signed by Paolo Genovese. He will bring on stage a Rocco who has the sure step of an expert player: he knows the rhythms, he knows when to advance and when to wait for better times to arrive. Calabresi moves the play as if it were an unpredictable matchin which every serve is a through pass and every silence can become a goal scored suddenly. And so, between theater and football, he builds, with his team, a small masterpiece of balance, irony and humanity: “At the beginning there was fear of the comparison with the film. It’s like when you read a wonderful book and then go to the cinema: the comparison is inevitable. Then we saw the reaction of the people in the theater”.

Can you explain better?
​”The text is the same but the audience’s behavior is different. At the cinema we experience the melancholic note more, at the theater people enter our living room and have more fun. And then the theme is increasingly current: we delegate things to our mobile phones that we would once have kept in the safe of our soul. The risk is very high”.
Rocco is the most balanced character of the group. Did you enjoy stepping into his shoes?
​”Very much. Rocco arouses empathy: he is a wiser man than those who play him. When he loves, he knows how to wait. He has that rare ability to remain still until the storm passes.”

“I’ve done many shows but this mode on stage is unique. We never get bored. At most I get anxious because there’s a Roma or Pisa match. But now I have my tricks. And they work splendidly.”

“At the start of the show I’m in the kitchen preparing the pasta. It’s easy to hide a mobile phone among the bottles and ingredients. I turn down the volume, press play and for a few minutes I can watch any match that interests me.”

Does football affect your performance on stage?
​”Yes, in a scandalous way. I have a level of anti-professionalism never seen before. A few weeks ago I saw live, during a change of clothes, Pisa’s goal in the match against Cremonese. My son Arturo plays for the Tuscan team. I returned to the stage thrilled.”
Have embarrassing situations also happened?
“I remember that time when Arturo scored his first goal in Serie A against Torino. It was October 21, 2018. I was working, on stage. I had to fake a phone call: I used my real cell phone, not the stage one. But unlike the other times, I made the mistake of leaving it on. 300 messages arrived. The actress Lucia Mascino, next to me, was desperate.”

“I have a paternal support for Pisa. My love for Roma, however, starts from afar: it is visceral. I have wonderful memories at the stadium with my father. I changed my life for Roma.”

Are you referring to that famous match against Milan?

“Exactly, when I became Nicolas Cage for an evening. That choice was born from a simple need: I wanted to go to watch the match and support Roma. At the time I was unknown. The Rossoneri club was so happy to host an ‘American star’ that they gave great emphasis to my presence.”

It wasn’t the only time.
“Years later, I returned to play the role of the US actor in Madrid too. I saw Real Madrid-Roma in the presidential box. When Francesco Totti saw me in the locker room at the end of the match, he smiled: ‘But do you want to pay for the ticket every now and then?’. Francesco has always had a superior speed in understanding things: on the pitch and in everyday life.”
The Rome of today?
​”Very good, I’d say. When Gasperini arrived I said he was the perfect coach. I have the witnesses. Rome needs coaches like him, like Capello: immune from the collective yellow-red madness. Gasperini is working a miracle with the squad he has at his disposal. Let’s hope some strategic additions arrive in January. In the meantime, let’s enjoy the moment.”

“Paulo Roberto Falcão. I have a wonderful photo of a Roma-Fiorentina match that ended 2-1: the Brazilian steals the ball on the edge of the area, receives a cross from Conti and serves a backheel assist to Pruzzo who scores. A prince. More than the eighth king of Rome. He taught football to everyone with his class.”

Is there a quality of Arturo’s, as an athlete or as a man, that you are particularly proud of?

“Courage. It’s something we have in common. He was brave on many occasions and this paid off for him. And then he deeply loves this sport.”

Are you happy that he found stability in Pisa?

“Very much. In Pisa there are good people. It is a privilege to know that our son is in such a serious society.”

What type of training do you follow to stay fit between theater and set?
“I walk a lot, especially in the mountains. And I go to the gym, a very boring activity… but it’s useful.”
He is also a skilled skier.
“The love for the mountains is valid in all seasons. My wife Fiamma is a former skier: I try to keep up with her. We love going to the Dolomites: the Alpe di Siusi is like home”.

“Very true. Years ago I was almost classified. I like playing serves & volleyball: I’m tall, I have a strong serve. I stopped temporarily due to a hernia but, little by little, I’m coming back. I miss the pleasure of holding a racket. And I’m proud of one thing: I’ve never given in to padel.”

Other sports in your life?

“As a boy I played basketball. I was a guard: good shot, quick legs, vision of the game. I reached Serie C, almost reaching Serie B”.