In this new episode of PopCorner we had the pleasure of hosting Luisa Ranieri, one of the most talented and loved actresses in Italian cinema. From icon of elegance to interpreter of visceral roles, Luisa told us behind the scenes of her profession, her relationship with her husband Luca Zingaretti and her vision of cinema and life in an intimate story full of surprises.
It seems incredible, but Luisa Ranieri didn’t dream of being an actress at all, but rather wanted to become a magistrate. Acting came about purely by chance when she decided to accompany a friend to a theater therapy course, thinking that it could also help her to cure her shyness. Even today, in fact, she confesses to being a shy woman who plays the part of an open and extroverted woman, demonstrating how life sometimes takes us down central roads that we thought were only side streets.
We then explored his working method, discovering an almost scholastic but extremely effective approach. Luisa reads the script several times and writes summaries to focus on the emotional blocks and the character’s journey. On set she uses specific “key words” that she uses to unlock the energy and her instrument-body, just like a musician goes over the chords before playing. Even crying on command, he revealed to us, is not a magic trick but a “trained muscle”, the result of the ability to remove the daily mask and remain “with an open heart”.
Luisa remembers with enormous affection the role of Patrizia in It was the hand of God by Paolo Sorrentino, a character who felt like a perfect fit from the first reading. The chat also moved on to private life and what it means to live with another actor like Luca Zingaretti. The advantages are obvious, since there is a total understanding of the crazy pace, travel and tiredness typical of the job. However, the downside is that we end up sharing too much, often bringing professional discussions even within the home, despite trying to impose limits to separate life and work.x
Luisa also spoke to us passionately about her next project, the series La Preside, out on January 12th and set in Caivano (Naples). The idea was born in 2019 after seeing a documentary that devastated her emotionally, pushing her to want to talk about the loneliness of teachers in the suburbs and their daily struggle to give children a future through education. In closing, the actress shared an important reflection on technology: she self-imposed a limit of one hour a day for using social media, realizing that endless scrolling creates a drug-like addiction and takes precious time away from real life and reading.
