S.to be able to imitate is no small gift. Francesca Manzini he found out he had it very early: “Already at 9 years old – he says – I was imitating Carrà in an aunt’s house”. Growing up, he then made it his art of him. A commitment and a passion that, for a few weeks, exercises on Rai 2 in One box a day; game show hosted by Paolo Conticini from Monday to Friday which, unfortunately, has not yet managed to take off in the ratings. In the program, Manzini is in the “Scientific Committee” together with Marco Marzocca.
Considering that the planned 30 episodes are almost over, the hopes of a turnaround in the Auditel are minimal. “We are always a bit constrained by the in-depth debates of politics and sport”, explains Manzini. “But it is an investment for a network like Rai 2 of which Stefano Coletta (Prime Time entertainment director) is trying to raise the audience with many new programs”.
“This is my time of awareness and serenity”
When you accepted, were you aware it was going to be an experiment?
Yes, I did it with the right spirit: that of variety, a genre that is making a comeback. However, I also believe that a One box a day justice has not been given in terms of advertising: the right communication has been lacking.
Francesca Manzini. (Photo Karen Di Paola)
What is the spirit of variety for you?
The kind of 70s-style show that I recognize myself in: imitating, singing, acting, dancing. When do I get back to being offered it at 32?
At 32, where is your life path?
I live the time of awareness and serenity to the bitter end. I value life, I am attentive, cautious and calm. As a human being belonging to a community, I am concerned about what is happening. When we had program meetings, I would question the writers about the war and I would get chills. Unfortunately, things repeat themselves proving that humanity has learned nothing from history: the lust for power, possession and dominance still produce dire consequences.
Francesca Manzini: “I defeated my enemies”
He fought a war with eating disorders. What has he learned?
To be calm. Before, I did not know the meaning of this word. In my life I have not only struggled with eating disorders, but also with generalized anxiety, self-sabotage, fear of abandonment and insecurity. I defeated all these enemies by embracing them. I realized that embracing evil and becoming stronger than it is the only way to defeat it.
It’s not easy to be that strong …
I started suffering at 9 and it took me 16 to get strong.
He recounted his path in the book Stay Manza. Was writing it the last step towards awareness or the first of his new life?
The question is a bit Martullian. Let’s say that it was the way to completely strip myself of the past and finally discover myself mature and balanced. I do not hide that I also came out a little hurt. Rereading myself and realizing everything I went through in life was a big blow to the heart.
How much did imitation help you in your path?
It was always something that distracted me from the pain. I always thank my work that gives me the opportunity to learn every day, without I would feel like an unrealized woman. Instead I am a privileged one.
Antonella Clerici and Francesca Manzini as Sabrini Ferilli, 2021. (Getty Images)
“Caterina Balivo was my Pippo Baudo”
When did you start making imitations?
At 9 I imitated Carrà, then in front of the mirror I played Venier and pretended to interview Alba Parietti. Then I sang and danced, but I never thought it could become a job.
When did you understand?
The day when Caterina Balivo told me: “Tomorrow you are on the air. It was September 14, 2009, I will never forget it ”. I was 18 and I had recently been rejected by Pippo Baudo for Sunday In who had considered me poor in content: I must admit that he was right. Caterina Balivo, on the other hand, really liked my spontaneity: she was my Pippo Baudo. With her I honed another of my skills: improvisation. In the meantime, I was doing my characters, for free, in the small radios waiting for the right moment.
Francesca Manzini imitates Patty at “Tale e Which Show”, 2020. (Getty Images)
Which, then, arrived.
Yes, but in my 13 years of apprenticeship many times I pulled back because I felt I was not ready. One day in 2018 Carlo Verdone called me, I auditioned and filmed with him Blessed madness.
Of all your imitations, which ones do you do best and which are you still working on?
To all of them I give my key to truth. I definitely have to work on De Filippi. I have fun like crazy with Federica Sciarelli and her enthusiasm in communicating people who disappear. She makes me laugh at Ilary Blasi’s cheekiness, Mara Venier’s fake stoning, Monica Bellucci’s frustration in being just boobs.
“After an imitation, someone didn’t let me join Rai for 2 years”
Has anyone been angry about his imitations?
No comment. One did not let me join Rai for two years, but she will never mention her name. She is not Venier, who at first did not take it well, and then she changed her mind, praising me and giving me a lot of visibility.
Which program gave you the most visibility?
There are two: Friends Celebrities And Strip the News. I have extreme esteem for Maria De Filippi, I always answer her even if I have no way of communicating with her because she changes the telephone number all the time. She is the emblem of professional and artistic freedom. Gerry a Strip, where I will return in March, is a great companion. He has always been very generous with me and he is not one who spends himself on everyone. When I had Covid in March while I was in Striscia, he called Piersilvio Berlusconi and told him to keep an eye on me.
Do you still hear someone doing the mess or an artist who has arrived?
I feel very prepared. I study every day, I’m curious, eager to learn and new adventures.
“In my work I have learned not to overdo it”
Balivo, De Filippi, Venier: in his professional career he has found a lot of availability in women. It is always said that among them they suffer from jealousy, is she the exception?
Until recently I lacked attention, I was experiencing a lack of affection and I was always trying to overdo it. These women understood my needs and taught me one fundamental thing: knowing how to wait. I have never been regarded as an enemy. Of course, then there were those who felt unnecessarily threatened: it happened to me on the radio or on TV, but I still consider myself lucky.
Why couldn’t he wait?
Everyone in life, starting with my parents, has often told me: “Wait, wait: this is not the time”. I have always suffered from this lack of confidence, but the years of cognitive-behavioral therapy (which I still follow, ed.) Have helped me to be ready.
The video in which at the beginning of the summer she showed herself only in underwear to underline the physical change caused a sensation. Would you do it again?
Yes, that change is not just physical, but mental. Today I am a person who loves himself, who no longer unleashes his discomfort on food because I have taken care of my health and my emotional dependence. I have a happy relationship. Today I eat to feed myself and not to make up for it. To women I say: look at each other and love each other, listen to yourselves because only by shining alone can we attract others in a healthy way.
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