The third season of Call My Agent – Italia once again brings agents to the stage with exceptional guest stars such as Luca Argentero, Stefania Sandrelli, Michelle Hunziker, the cast of Romanzo Criminale and Miriam Leone
Call My Agent – Italy returns with the third season, coming soon November 14th on Sky and streaming on Now. The comedy series follows the events of the agents and assistants of the CMAalways dealing not only with famous people, but also with the vicissitudes of their personal lives. Francesco Russo takes on the role of Pierpaolo Puglisi: the actor tells us about the evolution of his character, a very faithful assistant and advisor to the agency, from the frustration of wanting to become an agent, to the lightness in dealing with difficulties. And because he always brings something of himself into his characters.
How has Pierpaolo’s character evolved in recent years?
“He has the great desire to be an agent. However, this desire is not satisfied during the seasons, until the character becomes truly frustrated, which gives rise to certain comical situations.”
With two seasons under our belt and a third on the way, has the way the cast works together changed?
“We are now like a theater company, also because practically almost everyone comes from the theater and does theatre, and therefore we work a lot in company. After filming we see each other, we talk about the scenes, so yes, we are very close as a group.”
In your career you move from theater to cinema and TV series, from comedies to dramas and even horror. These worlds have helped you in some way Call My Agent?
“They’re different things. I’ve done a bit of everything, but the comedy genre is the one I’ve tackled the most and the experience on set in general certainly helps me. Having never studied cinema and film acting in my life, so with the camera, having done so many different sets also helped me on Call MyAgent to face the work.”
You said you gained experience in a real agency to prepare for the role. Can you tell us something?
“Before the series, I spent a couple of weeks in my agency and they put me to make photocopies. In short, I saw a bit of how they moved. One thing that impressed me and that I wanted to add in the series is all this frenetic pace that the agents have: they have to continuously answer lots of emails and have to answer the phone to several different people at the same time.”
Did you find yourself having trouble with that agency job?
“Not in difficulty. I also had fun because I’ve always been in the same agency, since I was at the academy, with Marina Diberti, the old agent who took me on, so I knew them well and got on well. I remember that after the first two days, I was very tired and I arrived late on the third day.”
Is there something about Pierpaolo that you have brought out in your life? Did you learn anything from him?
“I learned to face situations more lightly, because Pierpaolo is a cynical boy, and he is a light-hearted boy, but then he doesn’t face the most difficult situations lightly. So I learned, even in difficulties, to be a little lighter.”
The series is full of cameos and characters who play themselves and bring reality into the series. Did you ever feel the risk of stepping out of character and returning to reality while filming?
“Always. I am a type of actor who brings a lot of his personal experience and himself onto the set. I’m not ashamed of it. I know that in recent years there is a common belief, a very cliché fashion that says that the actor must not do himself, he must take on various roles. But in reality it depends on the type of actor. If we want to go a little more specifically, the theories on acting from the late 19th and early 20th centuries already categorized actors into different natures: there is the one who can do everything by always doing himself and the one who can do everything by never doing himself, it’s really two different natures. It’s like expecting a central defender to be the central striker. So I always bring a little bit of myself and then I look for a little something different from myself that can make me take on a specific rhythm to carry on the scenes. does another, and if I really react I find something in the dialogue.”
There is a scene that you feel closest to you or what impressed you the most?
“There are many scenes that are tracking shots between one office and another, in which I say one thing to one person and then I say one thing to another. In short, this double ear of talking to one person and then simultaneously listening to what the other says.”
After Call My Agent Is there a role you dream of playing?
“In reality it’s not so much a role, it depends on the projects. Honestly, I’d like to go back to collaborating with the directors I’ve already worked with, because you make good projects when you work with the same director again. In my life I’ve worked with many of them, but always once, that is, I’ve rarely been called back and I’d like to go back with the same ones again.”
Is there a particular director you would like to work with again?
“Obviously apart from Joe Wright’s M – The son of the centuryI would like to work with Alice Rohrwacher who I had met on The brilliant friend.”
Can you tell us something about the third season of Call My Agent?
“There are new guest stars who will be Luca Argentero, Stefania Sandrelli, Michelle Hunziker and Aurora Ramazzotti, then the whole cast of Crime novel – the seriesthen Marchioni, Montanari, Roja, Pesce and the others. And Miriam Leone and Ficarra and Picone. This series is definitely a lot of fun. Obviously, there will no longer be Elvira played by Marzia Ubaldi, and we have decided to declare in fiction what is in reality, that is, her disappearance.”
Were you very affected by his passing?
“Of course, she brought something very useful, a beautiful energy.”
Do you have a ritual before going on stage?
“I actually walk a lot. I walk, walk, walk as if I’m letting off steam. But it’s not really a ritual, it’s something that comes naturally to me.”
