It all started with Kiss, Ivan Cotroneo, in 2016, his first film as a protagonist. Next year he is in red doora successful series conceived by Carlo Lucarelli, set in Trieste and over the past three years, in and out of the Naples juvenile prison: in Sea (Season 3 airs on Raiplay and airs on Rai 2), Valentina Romani, 26, plays the gypsy Naditsa: she steals to escape from her father, who wants to sell her in marriage to the highest bidder. Roman, writes poetry, the only Italian in the French miniseries. bardo and his next film will be released in April: sun of the futureNanni Moretti.

Let’s start with the lyrics…

I’ve always written, it’s a way to put my thoughts in order, but poetry is a recent fad, I liked the idea of ​​giving a musical rhythm to my thoughts… I have no complaints, they’re just good for me. . For Christmas, a friend gave me a beautiful book by Alda Merini, fox and curtain.

Instead of a piano? Naditsa has a gift.

Unfortunately, I can’t play any instrument, I took piano lessons to learn how to move my fingers on the keyboard, but it’s not me who plays in the series, but a very good conservatory student who later became my friend, her name is also Valentina.

His character is a prisoner of the family. Have you spoken to anyone who has been in similar situations?

To tell the truth, I preferred not to be guided by real life experience, I wanted to bring something of my own into it, I worked in collaboration with the directors of the series. Between the first and second seasons we were locked at home due to covid, nothing compared to the hell some women live in, but I thought a lot about what it means not to be able to make decisions about your life, it must be scary. Naditsa needs to be in prison in order to feel truly free, this is also inner freedom. In addition, she is going through adolescence, a delicate stage in the life of any person, and for this we forgive her many mistakes.

What is so special about a teenager Valentina in her character?

Like her, I wasn’t afraid to make mistakes, I thought there was always time to correct mistakes, I didn’t worry too much before I said or did something. Then you grow up and at some point the bell rings for you, you understand that you pay for certain mistakes, so you carefully evaluate the consequences. It was a job that made me grow, it taught me to be less hasty.

Naditsa is like an animal, she is very physical: how did you work on the movement?

When we were all reading together, one day the principal said to me, “You’re Tinker Bell from Peter Pan,” and I sort of stuck that in my head, because Naditsa is crazy and sunny, despite the dramatic experience, it makes me laugh. She’s silly and funny. Piano lessons helped me master portamento. Having been doing ballet for many years, I had to perfect the way I walk, sit… She is also very mobile, she doesn’t think too much about raising her hands, she is used to taking them and she moves a little like a child: there is this idea of ​​lightness that she can fly above everything because she is ultimately a dreamer.

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In prison, the differences are reduced to nothing, the gypsies and the rich and cultured Milanese stay together, but at large?

Naditsa does not make allowances for anyone, sometimes her words are very strong, for example, when she tells Filippo that here we are the same, and there I will always be a “shitty gypsy” … Therefore, she feels protected behind bars. . The situation in prisons is difficult, they should be places of reintegration, but there is still a long way to go and Sea it can act as a magnifying glass to some obscure realities. A few months ago, some boys fled Beccaria in Milan, suggesting that the path of re-education up to this point could be jeopardized by a few hours of freedom. Our series is rather crude, but very authentically tells about such values ​​as friendship, gives a lot of hope, makes it clear that mistakes can be made by anyone, that sometimes the fault is not only on you, but also on the spot. where you are, a lot is growing. But there is a sea…

And it sheds light on the many people who sacrifice their personal lives for a job of great social value.

Educators and directors of juvenile prisons are becoming important reference points. This is a calling, these people can really help children: it is very important to find a person who believes in you.

Who taught you the most?

My two guides are Alessia Barela and Lino Guanciale. I was 19 during the first season of de red door and Alessia always told me, “You can move mountains.” This gave me courage. Lino is a professional, very presentable and generous, you don’t often feel so comfortable with someone on set. Our work is difficult because the working group is constantly changing. Lino taught me that kindness and professionalism must coexist, one cannot exist without the other. When I met him I was just starting out and he was an inspiration, since then I have always tried to be like him.

I know it’s still top secret, but what was it like working with Nanni Moretti?

A dream come true, I saw all his films, I thought he was a giant, I was very excited. Now I can confirm it: he is a giant.

Cast Sea it’s full of guys: who knows how much love was born on the set…

As for me, great friendship, yes. Massimiliano Caiazzo and Nicolas Maupas (Carmine and Filippo) are now brothers, I love them very much. And also Carolina Crescentini, an incredible actress who is always listening: with her you really feel like you have your back covered and she is a good friend even off the set.

Turning point in your life?

Applying to university: my job can be intimidating, you are not sure that you can do it all the time. Resuming my studies gave me a very healthy detachment from this profession, allowed me to do it even better … Failure in the exam brings back an unsatisfactory sense of reality.

What’s the most illegal thing you’ve done?

Other than forging my parents’ signature at school, what don’t I consider a crime? Nothing. One day I forgot to go to the cash register and left the bar. No one noticed, but the next day I came back, apologized and paid.