Filippo Timi. Life, love and theater

Until February 18, 2022 Filippo Timi at the Teatro della Pergola in his new show The Invisible Man

The meeting with Filippo Timi occurred on a special day. One of those timid rainy winter afternoons, where a series of strange adventures lead us to think about the inevitability of events and the power of fate. It is difficult not to be influenced, especially if at the other end of the phone - a firm, gentle and reassuring voice - of the thoughts of one of the most versatile actors of our cinema who has converted personal experiences, doubts and victories into a whirlwind of successes ranging from the theatre to novels, as well as numerous sets where he has been the protagonist in recent months.

Change, evolution and adaptability: the human species is the greatest proof. Do you believe in fate or the power of the individual?

In both. I think it's man who creates his own destiny and that all men, in doing so, give life to something a little larger. Of a movement. It is important to keep in mind that every choice, even the smallest, involves others. 

Some of your plays, and novels are very personal. Autobiography as self-discovery? Care? Forgiveness.

Any person who, when in a show or embodying a role, necessarily speaks of himself. A union must be created: this is the basis. When I write a drama, I create monologues inspired by my actors. What I highlight depends on the role.

Skianto, a show with and by Filippo Time

You are one of the Italian actors who can bring more people to the theatre. How did you discover the stage?

It was my first love, I started with the theatre. For 15 years that's the only thing I did, and it all started by accident thanks to the performances of the parish group in the square. I discovered that the same things I was doing at home, and make my mother angry if done for an audience was applauded. Here, I discovered what I might call the spectacle of myself.

How old were you?

Fifteen. The shows were organized for festivals in the country. At twenty I joined a company in Florence, indeed the first serious course I followed was in Pontedera.

So we can say that it all started in Tuscany? Even his last set, Like the wind by Marco Simon Puccioni and the Sky series The Crimes of BarLume are set here ...

Tuscany is a key region for the theatre: I think the city of Prato linked to authors who I love such as Luca Ronconi and Carmelo Bene. What I experienced is a peripheral Tuscany. Pontedera and Buti, with performances by Dario Marconcini. Volterra, the island of Elba and Grosseto ... what can I say? It 's beautiful. And the charm of Florence is inevitable: you can breathe the Renaissance. I pass by often for the theatre or for presentations of my books at Feltrinelli, a library with excellent programming.

Acting, dubbing, writing ... Are you a workaholic?

I work a lot, I like it.

Theatre and Film, where do you feel most at home?

Wherever I can do a good job.

At Niccolini Theatre, Florence

What does Filippo Timi dream and gives value to the unconscious?

The most important value. I think the real existence is unconscious. Those who live consciously are just the tip of the iceberg of something much deeper and more interesting.

If I asked your greatest extent?

A perpetual and desperate hunger for love. 

Your own definition of love.

I reply with a quote of Céline: 'love is nothing but infinity down to the level of poodles'.