Venice Film Festival 2021: Toni Servillo on THE KING OF LAUGHTER

In The King of Laughter, Toni Servillo portrays iconic Italian actor and playwright Eduardo Scarpetta during the turbulent period in which the man went through the infamous copyright lawsuit moved by the equally infamous poet Gabriele D’Annunzio. Director Mario Martone lavishly recreates olden Neapolitanian theatres as the audience is introduced to Scarpetta’s ever-growing family, the man plagued by the decay of not only his reputation but his youth, the world he built around him crumbling as a new era arises. 

Film Inquiry sat down with actor Toni Servillo to discuss Eduardo Scarpetta, cinema’s love of Naples, and the limitations of comedy. 

How did it feel to come back to portraying an iconic Italian figure after interpreting Silvio Berlusconi in Paolo Sorrentino’s 2018 Loro?

I have to say there is a huge difference between playing famous politicians and playing a historic character. This is a man of theatre as he was not as famous as someone like Berlusconi, apart from the fact that he was the father of three very, very famous stage actors, the De Filippos. He was actually a man from the stage, as both Mario [Martone] and I. We are men from the stage, but we are also militant people, meaning that we don’t just act on stage, waiting for the opportunity to make a movie, we alternate with the same passion, with the same enthusiasm in both activities – we both work in cinema and on stage – and this was the trigger for wanting to make this movie, the idea of talking about theatre, of describing theatre, and doing this with this character, this famous person who was the head of a big tribe, a big extended family. He was someone who put his life on stage and put the stage in his life. 

What were the difficulties in navigating the nuances between playing an actor on stage and also off-stage?

I kind of drew from and resorted to my own memories and experiences. I have been working on theatre for over forty years and certain aspects of our lives are very similar, especially when it comes to the relationship with our family, the relationship with success, the relationship with the years going by and getting older.  I do share the passion for theatre with Scarpetta but what I don’t have in common with him is the fact that he was the king of a whole dynasty, a whole cohort of people who would go on to act. As a father, he was not so loving towards the children who were born outside of marriage and he was very demanding with them from an actor’s point of view, but he created a dynasty that would go on to be very famous around the world.

You arrived in Venice with three different films (The Hand of God, The King of Laughter, and Ariaferma), two of them set in Naples. What is it about the Neapolitan culture that makes it so attractive when it comes to filmmaking?

Some anthropologists have described Neapolitan behaviour as a kind of social pact,  an acted behaviour. It is as if acting is part of their DNA, almost like being permanently onstage. There is a historic background that is very noble, especially when it comes to stage art and art more generally, such as poetry, music, literature and architecture, which is very peculiar and typical of Naples. It is also in the language itself, which is very theatrical. Expressions can mean one thing but can also mean the exact opposite of it, so the language lends itself to artistic creation. Also, in terms of language, there is also an indication of movement which is very typically theatrical and the Neapolitans have this sense of irony that allows them to get fully involved with something at the same time as it enables them to retract from it, giving them space to step back. 

How was your research process to give life to Scarpetta? Did you rely solely on the script or did you employ other research methods when preparing for the role?

This movie is a rather faithful reconstruction of Scarpetta’s life over the years in which the story is set in. I did not research obsessively, I tend to rely on the script and the suggestions given by it. I let the suggestions and the indications feed my imagination. I try to imagine the person like an animal, kind of marking the perimeter of its territory, ready to go hunting. So he is preparing to hunt for women, for food, for success, for an audience. I imagined him as a person who was very much taken by this hunger for life.  

In the film, there is a parallel between the decaying of theatre, with cinema slowly becoming the new thing, and Eduardo growing old as his family prepares to take his place. How did it feel to convey this dichotomy and to explore themes of fatherhood?

I wouldn’t describe it as a dichotomy. It is more like a period coming to an end at the same time where another period begins to bloom. And, actually, Scarpetta understands that there is a type of theatre that is looming larger, getting closer and closer, which is different from the theatre that he was making. With that in mind, he decides – quite smartly – to retire and to leave the theatre scene before the audience is able to forget him. In the years after, as someone who is hungry for life, he tries to work in cinema but gives up. He wanted to try new things and to go into the unknown, but this is the melancholic part of the film: somebody is at their sunset while somebody else’s sun is rising.  

The film is about the limitations of comedy. Do you think it is possible to laugh about everything or are there still taboos that can’t be laughed about or widely discussed within Italian society?

I do not want to appear reactionary because I don’t think I am, but I think there are limits to what people can laugh about. I don’t think that one can laugh about everything, I think this is a false idea of freedom. I would be willing to say no to a project if it is about ideas that don’t share my sensitivity. It does not mean I would somehow prevent the project from being made, I mean, everybody else would be free and should be free to accept that project, even if I don’t agree with that. Oh, well, it is not a generic thing but I personally don’t have prejudices, I’m not biased. 

I’m saying this because I think that an actor is not just a trained monkey that lends itself to doing everything. An actor is a person who has a sensitivity and lends their ideas, their intelligence to a role, to a character. That’s also the reason why there are limitations because considering oneself able to do everything – having no limits – would be like asserting oneself like a God, and we are all just humans. 

Scarpetta’s opponent, Gabriele D’Annunzio, is also an infamous character. Would you also be interested in playing him in the future, or other historical figures?

I have played many real-life characters over the years and my tendency now would be to play fewer and fewer of them, because having to play a real character implies the additional difficulty of having to fight against the idea that the audience already has of that person. You have to dismantle that and provide them with another portrayal, your portrayal, so I rather now focus on completely imaginary characters, where you can give free rein to your fantasy and imagination.

I’ve also got the impression that cinema – and television in particular – is kind of obsessed with biopics and I think that what we need today is to see young people showing us how they see Hamlet, Ophelia, Juliet.

You and Mario Martone have been long partners and contributors (the two have worked together for over 40 years). How did it feel to be working together again and how was your creative process like?

It felt like home, because we spent beautiful days in Mario’s country house, not far from the seaside, and we discussed the script at length. He also gathered all the actors – and there were many – and tried to do the necessary matching between acting onstage and acting in the movie, taking into consideration the familial dynamics behind all of these characters, which was very important. We rehearsed selected scenes that were going to be staged for the film and overall worked very much as a theatre stage company, with all the actors involved in the process. 

Last but not least, in the film, there is a scene where Scarpetta is booed by the audience and forced to stop the play. What would you do if this happened to you? 

If this were to happen to me, I would act in the exact same way as he did. I would get on that stage and simply confront the audience (he laughs). 

The King of Laughter had its world premiere at the 78th Venice Film Festival. This interview was part of a roundtable.

Film Inquiry would like to thank Toni Servillo for taking the time to speak with us. 

What are some of your favourite biopics? Tell us in the comments!