Page 137 - Alternative Europe Eurotrash and Exploitation Cinema Since 1945

friendly way because he asked me I always revised Michele's scripts, even the last one which was on
St Francis. Whenever he writes something he always wants me to read it. On Deliria I also worked on
the dialogue, 80 per cent of my dialogue I wrote.
Are there any directors from your 'horror days' that you particularly enjoyed working with?
Yes, some directors I was very fond of, Antonio Margheriti for instance. Not because he was a
neat ditector, not because he says things that made him a genius or because I could say he changed
my life or my way of acting, just because he was a gentleman.
And he made some wonderful films, particularly his 1960s films like La Virgine dei Nuremberg.
He is an interesting figure: clever, funny and ironic. He is always laughing about what he is doing.
He wants the money, he knows he is not working on a masterpiece, he knows that he is doing these
films to get his bread and butter. So he is always laughing about this and that is why it was wonderful
working with him.
I suppose Cannibal Apocalypse is quite a joyously ironic film.
Yes, so many times I had problems trying not to laugh when making this film. There is a scene
in which I laugh all the way through, it is a long-shot so probably you cannot see. Because I hadn't
realised, it wasn't in the script. This is the scene when we have just escaped from the hospital and we
stop by a gas station, and we kill the owner, okay that was in the script. After that we resume escaping
and Margheriti said, 'Okay you run this way and you run that way and John is fitst and Giovanni is
second and whatever... Okay, ready ready', and then at the vety last moment the prop man gave me
a plastic bag with something inside and blood dripping from it. Margheriti says, 'ready ready, okay
camera...' and I say 'what's this?' and Margheriti says, 'it is a bit of the gas station owner, and you are
taking it just for something to eat. Action!' You know, it was take-away for the cannibals' breakfast
the next morning! We didn't have time to eat the poor guy entirely so we just brought something for
a snack. So I was laughing all the time!
By way of closing, I thought it would be interesting to see what you are hoping to do next?
First of all I am hoping to work, in whatever! It is a very bad moment in Italy for actors in TV and
movies, there is a big economic crisis. What I really would like to do is to be out of Italy. My dream
would be to go to L A . for six months and see what happens. Many people told me over and over, and
now I know they were right, 'you don't have an Italian face'. In Italy you ate always confined to some
roles and so they said I should go elsewhete. And I think they're right and I would like to try. Also in
respect to being continuously interviewed and people remembering these horror films. So I say, 'Okay
if I really have fans which is a funny idea to me. In America especially there are people who would
like to see me on screen, why not go to America and see what happens?' Right now I was thinking of
finding an agent in L A . There are some Italian actors who live in L A .
Well I know your fans will wish you luck. Thank you, Giovanni for your time and hospitality.

Interview conducted in Rome, 5 November 2002.

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