Fotinì Peluso: «My goal? Be happy”

PFor his first interview with our newspaper, Fotini Peluso came to the editorial office at the beginning of March 2020. At the center of the meeting was the new film by Kim Rossi Stuart, It will all be fine, a title that would later become the slogan of those dark months. But we would also have talked about The Swan Company: the young actress was in Milan to shoot the second season of Ivan Cotroneo’s successful series but the set opened and closed, no one knew how to predict tomorrow, appointments were cancelled. We were in disarray, Covid was overwhelming us.

The chat went well, even though everyone’s concern was strong and could not be hidden. With Fotinì we said goodbye in uncertainty, perhaps we would talk again after the end of filming, within a few weeks. Instead, after a few days we locked ourselves in the house.

The long road of Fotinì Peluso

Three and a half years have passed and Fotinì, who is now 24 years old, has come a long way. You just finished filming the second season of a much-loved Netflix series, Everything asks for salvationwhere she plays the fragile and cheeky Nina: we will see her in 2024. She worked in Maria Sole Tognazzi’s latest film, 10 minutes, with Margherita Buy and Barbara Ronchi. She is the interpreter of the miniseries Les Indomilesbroadcast on Swiss TV (there is also Maya Sansa in the role of adult Fotinì). But the most anticipated film is the one that will be released on November 29th in France, in 560 theaters: La Tressethat is, the braid, directed by Laetitia Colombani, also author of the bestselling novel which inspired it (in Italy it is published by Nord). It is the exciting story of three women, on three continents, whose stories intertwine without ever meeting. Three women who take control of their lives, challenging a destiny that seems already written.

Which of these three women are you?
Giulia: Italian, works in a small family workshop that processes and resells hair for wigs. She lives in a confined environment, the other women stay at home. When her father dies, it is discovered that her business is full of debt. She often frequents the town library, where she meets a Sikh boy with whom she falls in love. This feeling is what drives her to lead the company and renew it. Giulia eats up life, she always wants more. But she does not deny her origins and the beauty is precisely this desire for change without a drastic break with her roots.

His Giulia of La Tresse

Giulia decides about its existence. And the other two women?
Smita, the Indian, is an “untouchable”, condemned to remain on the margins of society. But since she wants to give her daughter a better life, she takes her hand and runs away from her. Sarah is a successful lawyer, a force of nature. Suddenly, however, she discovers that she has a tumor and the world collapses around her. They are three powerful figures, who do not limit themselves to covering the role that society has tailored for them. The common thread is a braid, which will somehow unite them.

Giulia is very different from Nina’s Everything asks for salvationwhich will return for a second season.
Nina is a girl who hides her fragility under an armor. The series is beautiful because it deals with mental distress, a topic that is rarely talked about. She says that we can all feel bad, and we must accept ourselves as we are, neither white nor black, with our thousand shades.

Which of the two do you feel closest to?
My characters look like me, because I put a lot of my personal baggage into them, but they are not me. There is always a detachment between the actor and the role he plays.

His career began with a failure: the audition with Ivan Cotroneo for The kiss. How did you experience it?
Not like a failure. I was 15 years old, I went to school. The audition entered my life by chance, the next day I returned to class regularly. It’s clear that some roles interest me more than others, and if they don’t take me I’m sorry. But it doesn’t matter, it’s always sunny outside. Even when at university it happened that I didn’t do well in an exam, I didn’t make a tragedy of it. I was lucky enough to do a job that I really like. If it caused me anxiety or discomfort, I wouldn’t like it anymore. But if a dead period occurs, with a lot of empty time to fill, some worries arise, you still have to live. After all, I worked with Ivan Cotroneo later, for The Swan Company.

Fotinì Peluso’s goal

His goal?
Be happy. I know, it’s a challenge, you have to work on it, with yourself and with others. As a child I spent hours reciting monologues in front of the mirror. I hope to do this job better and better, and meet nice people with whom I feel good.

His first commitment was the series Family novel by Francesca Archibugi, at 17 years old. From that moment on she continued acting and studying together. First high school, then university: she graduated in Economics. Was it plan B?
Absolutely no. I liked Economics, I worked very hard and for a while I even thought that after my three-year degree I would continue with a master’s degree. But I reached the third year exhausted, I couldn’t take it anymore and Covid was also there to complicate things. I understood that I couldn’t live without acting, but without economics I could.

Why did you choose to live in Paris?
During university I did an Erasmus in Paris, I had a very good time. I like to interact with different cultures, learn new languages. I looked for an agent, I shot the series with Cédric Klapisch Greek Saladwhich is the sequel to The Spanish apartment, and so I moved. I’ve been living there for two and a half years now, and I only hang out with French people.

Do you still spend your holidays in Greece, your mother’s country?
I go there four or five times a year, my whole family is there, I have many friends. For the Klapisch series we spent six months in Athens. In the summer I go to the islands, the last one was Poros.

Does her longtime boyfriend follow her?
The longtime boyfriend is no longer there, and I don’t make predictions when it comes to feelings. The era of travel has begun, with friends or alone. Since I’m not a couple I’ve started traveling a lot. I went to India alone. I wondered how she would go, and I discovered that in reality on these occasions she never suffers from loneliness, because she always meets so many people. Discover others, and the place you are in, differently.

Do you still play the piano?
The problem is that without constant training you lose your technique and are no longer able to express yourself as before. Do a waltz, and little more. I’ve been playing seriously for 11 years, and now it’s frustrating to limit myself to playing very simple songs.

To relax?
Two years ago my sister introduced me to Vinyasa yoga, more muscular than meditative. She changed my approach to the body and I have now included it in my daily routine. I experience it as a moment for myself. When I practice, I’m not there for anyone.

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