Giancarlo Giannini backs De Gregori's call for artists to avoid political statements, as 'Baracoa' screens at Taormina
At the 72nd Taormina Film Festival, Italian screen legend Giancarlo Giannini agreed with singer-songwriter Francesco De Gregori that actors and musicians should refrain from political commentary, while presenting the Cuban-set road movie 'Baracoa' and receiving a lifetime achievement award.
A cultural debate reignited
Giancarlo Giannini stepped into a simmering Italian controversy when he endorsed Francesco De Gregori's recent remarks that artists provoke embarrassment when they take clear political positions. De Gregori's comments had drawn both criticism and support, and Giannini, at 83, did not hesitate.
De Gregori has every reason. Already the politicians don't understand, now actors and singers get involved too? I agree with him, I admire him.
The actor's stance is rooted in a career spanning more than six decades. He stressed that the craft itself should be the focus.
Why should an artist express his political creed? He should think about doing his job. If we already have politicians who can't even speak properly...
A return to Cuba and a road movie
'Baracoa', the debut feature of Cuban director Luis Ernesto Doñas, brought Giannini back to the island over fifty years after his first invitation to shoot a Russian film there. In the film he plays Felipe, an Italian general who volunteers during the 1956 revolution against Batista. The project, presented out of competition, was shot with scant resources amid frequent blackouts.
I discovered an extraordinary land, though they tell me it is suffering a lot now. We made a road movie from Havana to Baracoa, a film made with few means but a stunning result.
Giannini revealed that he told the screenwriter his character should die early to let the younger protagonists' story breathe.
I said: I'll do it, but make me die right away.
Legacy with Wertmüller
At Taormina, the festival also screened 'Journey to Meet Mimì', a documentary exploring Giannini's iconic collaborations with the late Lina Wertmüller. He recalled how the characters of Mimì metallurgico and Pasqualino Settebellezze were born from his desire to play truly popular figures, inspired by a bit player he observed at Cinecittà. Wertmüller, who died in 2021, directed him in some of Italian cinema's most distinctive roles.
Lighter reflections
Away from the screen, Giannini mused about mortality with a characteristic mix of irony and curiosity.
For me it's just a great adventure. Finally I won't have to think too much and everything becomes natural. But I know that at the gate of Paradise I'll find St. Peter, and I'll ask him just one thing: which came first, the egg or the chicken? And I already know he'll answer badly and send me away.
The actor, now preferring brief appearances to months-long shoots, said he has two film projects stalled for lack of funding, yet his enthusiasm for storytelling remains undimmed.
