Italian actress Alessia Franchin Plays a Stunning Lead in the Film “The Italian”
Italian actress Alessia Franchin, who acted alongside four-time Oscar nominated actor Willem Dafoe in the film “The Dust of Time,” stars in the new film “The Italian” written and directed by American auteur, Evans Forde.
Not only does Franchin take on the starring role of Claudia, but her role in the project was specifically written for her. Franchin, who hails from Trieste in northeast Italy, but was trained in New York, stars in the humorous film, which centers on an Italian actress who gets into an argument with a casting director at an audition.
“The part called for a beautiful woman, who was fluent in both English and Italian, who could also pull off a believable [American] Georgia southern drawl… [She] had to be a great actor of course,” said Forde, who had already known of the red-haired, blue-eyed Franchin’s work many years prior to working with her.
“Alessia is a perfect storm of all these things… there really is no one else who could have played this role.”
Over nearly two decades, Franchin has accumulated 25 acting credits across the US and European film, television and theater industries, a career that commenced with her unforgettable debut in the film, “The Knights of the Quest,” where she acted alongside Edward Furlong of “Terminator 2: Judgment Day” blockbuster fame and the award-winning Italian TV series, “Police District” (“Distretto di polizia”).
Despite her extensive experience in acting in different projects across the world, Franchin said that the production of “The Italian” brought with it its own unique moments.
“As for memorable experiences, I would have to say the hike that we made at 3:30 am on the second day to have the best light that Evans, our director, had in mind, and to have the best background for the outdoor scene, which is a clear tribute to “The Adventure” (“L’Avventura”), the Italian movie from famed director, Michelangelo Antonioni.”
Set to be showcased at various film festivals this year, “The Italian” places Franchin opposite Molly Hagan, a veteran American actress whose credits include the hit film “Sully: Miracle on the Hudson” starring two-time Oscar Award winner Tom Hanks, and the beloved pop-culture phenomenon TV series “Friends.”
“Alessia brought a warmth and reality to the script of ‘The Italian’ that could have been potentially an over-the-top comedy,” said Hagan, who also starred in the milestone American dark comedy, “Election.”
Hagan adds, “The greatest compliment I think someone can say about another actor is ‘It was easy working with them,’ and Alessia was so well-prepared and so easy-going, that the work was simple.”
Franchin’s lead role in “The Italian” is the latest milestone in her already stellar acting career. One of the roles that first put her in the spotlight as an actress was her critical role in the film “The Dust of Time.”
In the film Franchin takes on the role of a secretary to a film director called ‘A’, who’s played by none other than acclaimed Hollywood actor Willem Dafoe, who has made over a hundred films and won over 69 awards for his superb acting performances.
“My role was to keep ‘A’ down to earth in the sense that I was more connected to the real world and to what A’s duties were in the movie making process, while he was most of the time thinking and dreaming, and not always willing to deal with a daily routine,” said Franchin about her role beside Dafoe in the film.
“To have had the opportunity to see the process and the journey Willem makes before, during and after ‘action’ is such a compelling experience; I was really blessed to have had the opportunity to work with him.”
Dafoe, whom Franchin has also described as “very welcoming and generous,” has been nominated for Academy Awards (‘Oscars’) and Golden Globes in acting for “At Eternity’s Gate” in 2018, “The Florida Project” in 2017 and “Shadow of the Vampire” in 2000 and for an Academy Award in acting for “Platoon” in 1986.
For “The Dust of Time,” Dafoe, Franchin and a stellar cast were directed by Theodoros Angelopoulos, the acclaimed Greek director described by iconic American auteur Martin Scorsese as “a masterful filmmaker.”
Describing her experience on “The Dust of Time” as “amazing,” Franchin also starred opposite luminaries such as the late Bruno Ganz, who portrayed Hitler in the Oscar-nominated “Downfall”, Irene Jacob, who won the 1991 Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actress, and
and Michel Piccoli, whose 170 films have made him a symbol of France’s film history.
“So, the real question is: why wouldn’t I want to have been involved in such a project?” says Franchin, of her historic time on the film, which was selected for the 59th Berlin International Film Festival in 2009.
