Your first steps into horror cinema were born during the pandemic with the founding of Aquarida Production. How important was it to transform a difficult period into a creative opportunity, and what do you remember most fondly about those first improvised sets?

 

The free time we had on our hands definitely helped a lot. At the time, I was attending school via online classes, but it felt like not even going, so most of my time was dedicated to cinema. This also allowed me to deepen my knowledge of film and culture in general. In fact, during those first sets, I drew a lot of inspiration—and above all, "stole" heavily—from my favorite actors. But what I remember most fondly is the naturalness with which everything came together with the others. Especially for me, starting to act in front of a camera without any experience whatsoever was daunting, but the bond and friendship we shared, and still share today, certainly made it more immediate and direct.

In many of your short films, you are both the protagonist and an active part of the production. How complicated was it to learn "by doing," as a self-taught filmmaker, and what were the biggest challenges that helped you grow as a horror actor?

When you make independent short films, everyone is forced to do everything—especially if there are only three of you. For me, loving cinema as I do, it was already incredible just setting up the stage and helping with the lights and all the props. When I then found myself having to act on those sets, in those "worlds" we had created, it felt like a dream. And when we were shooting, all of us were so connected that "learning" didn't feel that difficult. Besides, I don't think it's something you can simply study; it was more like a series of experiences that simultaneously take something from you and leave something behind, shaping you in the process.

Films like Game Over, Beware of the Dog, A Xmas Tree, and Ace of Spades showcase very different atmospheres. Which of these projects do you feel is closest to your artistic personality and why?

One of the things we were really interested in was varying between the different subgenres of horror. Among those you mentioned, Beware of the Dog is perhaps my favorite, both in terms of style—since we drew inspiration from the atmospheres of Universal classic monster movies—and for personal affection. It was our second short film, shot during a scorching hot summer in an attic that was just as uncomfortable and dirty. We quite literally poured blood, sweat, and tears into that short, haha.

After your first projects, you decided to attend a film acting and dubbing course in Florence. How did this training experience change your approach to acting, especially in the more intense and emotional horror scenes?

The drama school experience definitely helped me a lot in how I interact with other actors, given that in our shorts I often find myself being the only character. Acting with others requires continuous rehearsals, coordination, and building a certain chemistry, which wasn't easy at the beginning. However, this wasn't just useful for me as an actor, but also as a person. To me, acting is knowing how to pretend to do something or be someone real. I think it's very important to observe and "steal," whether by simply watching a movie or by observing reality and people. By gaining many different experiences, it's as if you build a bucket from which you can draw different nuances for a character. That is what I hope to achieve one day.

Independent horror often requires creativity over big budgets. What was the most difficult scene or moment to pull off in your short films, and how did you manage to overcome production limitations?

Among the most difficult scenes I found myself doing were the ones inside a bathtub for Béba. Shooting in water for several hours, wearing wound makeup, with the water getting colder and dirtier because of the cosmetics, is not comfortable at all. Plus, for that same short, we set fire to a doll inside that very bathroom, which had no windows. So, for that scene, our camera operator and director of photography literally got smoked out just to get the shot. These and other kinds of sacrifices we make before and during filming are what make the difference.

Your journey seems closely tied to the idea of constantly stepping out of your comfort zone. Is there a role or character that has particularly tested you, perhaps even on a psychological or physical level?

 

Every character makes me step out of my comfort zone in some way, precisely because I view them as another person. However, in Haiku 27, the character of Yori was a truly extreme challenge. Yori is a heroin addict going through withdrawal. To portray him best, I had to lose weight, which is something I had never done before for a character. Furthermore, the entire performance is highly physical throughout the short, and shooting for six consecutive days—sometimes from the afternoon until dawn—definitely made it the toughest physical and psychological challenge yet.

As a horror cinema enthusiast, which directors, actors, or films have inspired you the most? And what do you consider your favorite horror movies of all time?

Among those who inspire me the most are Sam Raimi and Bruce Campbell, precisely for what they achieved with The Evil Dead, which is also one of my favorite movies. My other inspirations always come from the masters who managed to churn out masterpieces with the little they had, like George Romero or Lucio Fulci. Among more modern filmmakers, I love Jordan Peele, Edgar Wright, Oz Perkins, and Robert Eggers, to name a few. And among Italian films, I really loved Paolo Strippoli's Piove (Flowing) from a few years ago.

Your upcoming projects include unreleased works like Haiku 27, Acido, and the documentary Se la mia vita sapesse il mio amore. Can you give us a sneak peek into your future projects and the goals you dream of achieving together with Aquarida Production?

Haiku 27 is currently making the rounds at various festivals with excellent results, bringing home several awards. Acido, on the other hand, was a commissioned work for Domiziano Cristofaro, a very prominent name in Italian independent genre cinema. The documentary is a project outside of Aquarida; it’s a documentary about the poet Sandro Penna, and after a couple of auditions, I was chosen for a role. You could say it was my first real job booked through acting. What we are trying to do now with Aquarida is to produce our first feature film and, with it, shake things up in the Italian film industry.