ROME – Lino Banfi wears a tourist shirt in Miami, with a triumph of green leaves, apologizes to the beautiful brunette he is talking to, and answers the cell phone: "Yes Lucia, don't worry, Aurora is fine: she got married." He doesn't know yet that In Barcelona, the daughter did not find a husband, but a wife.
At 70, after Family Defect with Manfredi, the actor returns to explore 'homosexuality, telling in Little fathers, the film for RaiUno by Lodovico Gasparini, the story of a father, a widower, a true Apulian, an olive oil taster, who discovers he has a lesbian daughter. The idea is his, Paola Pascolini (who knows him like the back of his hand and created the role of Nonno Libero for him in Medico in famiglia), wrote the screenplay with Fabio Leoni and Giancarlo Russo.
Never so human, so credible, Banfi explains why he chose a topic that will provoke discussion. "When I was filming Family Fault with Manfredi, someone asked me: how would you react if you found out that your brother was homosexual? I remember the answer: 'I wouldn't throw a dance party, but if he needed me, I would help, because ‘Love for a brother is more important than prejudice""I imagined what I would do if I had a homosexual daughter, and I wrote about twenty pages. I talked about it with Pascolini, who developed the story with the screenwriters, and the film was born. I care so much about it that I'm co-producing it with Carlo Bixio." Did you have any problems when you proposed it to RAI? "To be honest, I thought I'd encounter some obstacles, but instead they immediately welcomed it with enthusiasm. Besides TV should tell the story of changes in society, I hope that the director of Raifiction Saccà will broadcast it soon".
Why "Little Fathers"? "Because fathers often become small when they don't understand their children, even though Riccardo, the character I play, in his journey of self-discovery, turns out to be a "little big father.". Only when he has truly known his daughter will he discover what love is.. We shot intense scenes with my daughter Rosanna, I think it's liberating for her, she can shout things at me that she wouldn't have the courage to say. The protagonist has my roots, it's a tribute to my father. The president of the Puglia region, Nichi Vendola, gave us a big hand". What does the film tell? "The story of a simple man, who lives with his sister (Lucia Sardo): on the trail of his daughter, in Barcelona, he meets the woman he believes is a friend of the girl, Rosario (Mapi Galan), divorced with a child. Instead they love each other and form a family. In Spain you can"".
Banfi, Zapatero doesn't live in Italy. Have you taken into account the criticism from Catholics, you, an actor with a family background? "I've thought about it, yes, the topic is delicate. I'm careful with every nuance, with every word, because I don't want to offend anyone: neither Catholics nor homosexuals. I corrected a line my sister says: 'When a tragedy like this happens to a family...' But what tragedy, 'something like this.' I'm sure the audience will understand the spirit of this Italian comedy with a touch of Almodovar… 'besides, I'm loved by Catholics and the gay world.' Since the vaudeville days. "Do you know that everyone came to confide in me? I can inspire serenity, I know how to listen. During the days of Stasera Lino, a dancer confessed to me that he had fallen in love with me. Aside from the initial moment of amazement, I've never been a beauty, I was pleased.".
‘Are you in favor of civil unions? "Society has changed, civil unions should also be valid for two pensioners who live together to make ends meet. Lawyers, notaries, and accountants should meet to study a way to protect couples of any kind. There's a scene in the film that still moves me: when my daughter is stabbed by her partner's ex-husband, only one relative is allowed in intensive care. Instinctively, I shout: 'I'm coming in, I'm the father!', but then I realize that Aurora wants to see Rosario, and I back out. An act of extreme love." Beautiful. But are you open to all new ideas? "I'm honest, when a gay couple talks about adopt children, I freeze. I don't know, I have so many doubts, even though little ones are the first to experience things naturally. 'I understood when Virginia, my niece, saw some scenes from the film.'.
ROSANNA BANFI: "IT'S 'EMBARRASSMENT' TO CURSING HIM""
Lino's daughter, Rosanna, will star alongside her father in the Rai1 film: "The Truth Is That Female Homosexuality Is Taboo." As a girl, I thought "lesbian" was a dirty word.
Rosanna Banfi
ROME – Rosanna Banfi is a petite 43-year-old woman, with big blue eyes and two children: Virginia, 13, and Pietro, 8. She explained her role to the kids simply: "You see, this is mom's new wife, in the film Mapi and I love each other, we are together. For them, everything is more natural, they smiled, those of dad's age are scandalized". ' appeared with her father in the series Il vigile urbana and in Medico in famiglia: now, with the role of Aurora, in love with the Spanish Rosario, she breaks a taboo.
""I couldn't wait, it's the first time I've had the chance to bring something out. They've always given me the roles of respectable girls, social workers, or 'bourgeois wifes, you're boring me', to me, who has nothing wrong with me. The topic of civil unions is a very sensitive one," Banfi continues, "and it's right to continue talking about it. The truth is that ‘Female homosexuality is a taboo. As a girl, I thought "lesbian" was a dirty word, but it's actually a definition. Let's approach this love story with a light-hearted comedy, in the style of Spanish authors, and Let's dispel the clichés, including the one that homosexual women have a masculine air.: in Little Fathers neither I nor Mapi are virile".
What's your relationship with your father like on set? "We've already had a couple of big fights, I'm waiting for the scene where I'll tell him "asshole"". The thing that struck me most wasn't acting like a lesbian, but saying a bad word to him. I'm a little anxious at the idea of being able to say it to his face, like that scene where Nanni Moretti slaps his father... But insulting him in public reinforces the truth of the story." she must have contested. "Of course. I argued with him a lot but I always stayed at home. At 16, it was a constant fight: he didn't want to let me go out, he asked a thousand questions. And today, having a teenage daughter, I too am afraid of many things, but different things: the Internet, chat rooms, ecstasy pills; at most I drank two martinis at a party.".
