Agatha Christie lives again on Audible with The Infernal Series. Alberto Malanchino talks about Hastings between dubbing, technique and emotion.
One of Agatha Christie’s most beloved novels, The Infernal Series comes back to life, transforming into an immersive experience thanks to Audible Originals. Not a simple reading, but a choral story, constructed as a real staging, where each character takes voice through an exceptional cast. Among these, the interpretation of Hastings stands out, a key figure and perfect counterpoint to Poirot’s acumen, here returned with new nuances by Alberto Malanchino. We met him to get into the heart of this project and discover what it means to give body — and breath — to one of the most iconic characters in Christie’s universe.
It is available on Audible The infernal seriesin which you play Captain Arthur Hastings for the second time, after Poirot in Styles Court. A character much loved by fans: how did you work to make him yours without betraying the public’s imagination of him?
«We worked a lot together with dubbing director Marco Mete, especially in the initial phase, to understand in which direction the story was going and, consequently, also the characters. For the new audio series The infernal series we started from the character construction done for the first Audible audio series, Poirot at Styles Court.
The interesting thing about dubbing or playing a character in an audio series, as in this case, is that a lot of the work is actually done in the original; in this case we had the voices of the English actors and dubbers as reference. It was therefore a question of not betraying their work, already at the service of Poirot’s imaginative world, while trying to adapt it to the Italian “psychology of the sentence”. In fact, there are endorsements, ways of approaching a line that change depending on the language in which you are reciting.
As I was saying, there is therefore an original work that must be respected, but we insert in the middle what is a mediation for the public, in this case the Italian one, which interfaces with the Italian language. The objective is to re-propose what happens in the original in the service of an Italian edition, without distorting the work, without “betraying” what was done in the original, but trying to put what is our profession, our craftsmanship, our emotions into the language”.
What struck you most about this new audio interpretation of Agatha Christie’s stories?
“What always strikes me is Agatha Christie’s great mind, capable of creating an imaginary that is always very vast and coherent, but never repetitive in the situations and crimes to be solved. Even in this Audible audio series, without giving spoilers, the element of the letter was very stimulating for me, a curious trail to follow. It was also interesting to imagine Agatha Christie while she was building this idea and then seeing how far she managed to take it.”
What are, in your opinion, the most important skills to become a good voice actor today?
“I would like to make a more general discussion on what an actor must do today. As professionals even older than me, with much more experience in dubbing, explain, what comes out of all these worlds is in fact a great preparation. It takes great technique in everything you do, but this in life in general, because you cannot improvise as a professional if you don’t have the skills. At the same time you must never lose your sensitivity and be able to transmit it through a medium that is extremely technical. Dubbing is one of the functions of actors, even if today there are actors who only do dubbing and actors who have never entered the theater. Let’s say that we always talk about the same world filtered through different lenses, but in the end two fundamental things remain: gaining a lot of experience and studying a lot.”
In your career as an actor and voice actor, is there a character you have given voice to that has remained particularly close to your heart?
“So, if I think about my experience in the theater, therefore as a voice actor, there are different ones. Certainly the character of Scar, or rather of Taka, who then becomes Scar, in the film released last year Mufasa – The Lion King. I am also very attached to him from an emotional point of view, because The Lion King it was one of the films of my childhood. Likewise, the film about Bob Marley, One Love, was a very beautiful and interesting experience. Among other things, both jobs were done at Pumais Due under the direction of Fiamma Izzo, who was professional, kind and allowed me to grow a lot. Playing Scar was also fun, there were the Brancucci sisters who did all the musical direction, therefore singing. It was a double challenge, between acting and singing.
As an actor, however, I think of a monologue that I bring on stage with my theater company, Cubo Teatro di Torino: the show SID – So far so gooddirected by Girolamo Lucania. It’s a monologue, or rather a dialogue, between me and the two musicians. I’m on stage with a microphone stand for more than an hour and together we do crazy things. As dramatic as the story is, it still remains very playful for me. The microphone becomes from time to time that of a master of ceremonies, of a stand-up comedian, then of a serial killer (it almost seems like a space for confession). It is a work that I also feel is very close to the world of the voice, while still using the body fully.”
If you had to describe Captain Arthur Hastings in three words, what would you use?
“So, what words could I use? I would say loyal, instinctive and courageous.”
If you could choose the next Agatha Christie novel to bring to Audible, what would it be and why?
“A world truly opens up here. Murder on the Orient Express it would have been very interesting, but there are so many. What was the other title that escapes me now? I read it a long time ago…Ten little Indians. Ten little Indians, yes, I had missed it, so felt that I had missed it.”
