Michele Placido says he has always suffered from depression. His cure? Food and his mother’s love
In a recent interview with Evening Courier, Michael Placidofamous Italian actor and director, has opened a window on previously unknown aspects of his life, revealing intimate and surprising details of his human and artistic journey. At 78, Placido has never ceased to amaze, both on screen and in his private life. From his love for his second wife, Federica Vincenti, 38 years younger than him, to his deep admiration for Luigi Pirandello, one of the greatest Italian playwrights, Placido paints a complex and fascinating picture of himself.
Placido spoke about how depression has accompanied him throughout his life, a constant presence that he has learned to live with since his youth. A simple but powerful ritual, which has helped him face the darkest moments, was to constantly go to his mother.
“I have always suffered from it. How did I cure it? By going to my mother’s house for analysis on Saturdays and Sundays. She would prepare baked pasta and meatballs, and we would get everything out, every confession. I would come out of those lunches cleansed.”
The passion for Pirandelloinstead, has deeply marked Placido’s career, so much so that it has become a sort of spiritual and artistic guide. Placido, recalling the parallel between the great writer’s relationship with his muse and that with his current life partner, declares:
“There was a 33-year difference between Pirandello and Marta Abba, practically like the difference between Francesca and me. He is the author who has had the greatest impact on me.”
His path to the theater, however, was not without obstacles. Unable to afford his acting studies, he joined the police force. But not even military discipline could stifle his passion. Indeed, it was precisely in that context that Placido found unexpected allies in the books in the barracks library.
“I devoured texts in the barracks library. My readings were viewed with suspicion. They caught me with “Paese Sera“, a left-wing newspaper, they confiscated it and gave me five days in prison. In the library I tried to memorize “The man with the flower in his mouth” when from the half-open door at the back of the room, a high-ranking police officer concluded my monologue. “So you want to be an actor,” he exclaimed.
Since that fortuitous day, Michele Placido has never stopped acting. Now, with a rich career behind him and the experience of a lifetime, Placido has a new dream in his drawer: to make a film about Pirandello. He enthusiastically describes the project that he feels is deeply important for the bond with the Sicilian writer. Written by Matthew Collurajournalist of the Evening Courier.
Read also: Michele Placido withdraws the David di Donatello and nominates Parkinson’s
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