Jacopo Rampini is an Italian-American actor who lives and works between Italy and the United States. He has a solid experience in American productions, and over the years he has built a path that holds together the American style with Italian history in the wake of a path of life that led him to turn the world.
With Final Broadcast, the film by Davide Ippolito, produced by N41 Studios, which will be available in spring, Rampini experienced a hybrid production model, shot in English but with Italian sensitivity, moving between New York urban realism and international ambition.
What experience was Final Broadcast?
It was a very interesting experience, especially because it is a film out of traditional circuits. I have often worked on very structured American productions, where everything is extremely efficient and organized in detail. In this case we have adopted a more pragmatic approach adapting to real situations. It is a way of working that approaches a certain contemporary realism, like that of directors such as Josh Safdie or Sean Baker, who like to mix actors and living realities.
How do you really live?
We also went on a road to Canal Street, Chinatown, New York, where people without a fixed abode lived. Our history speaks of a world on the brink of a nuclear crisis: that reality was perfect. Entering authentic elements in the context gave the film a particular force.
There is also a strong international component in the project.
Yeah, and that’s something that really impressed me. The film is in English, with American actors, but is born from an Italian writing and directed by Davide Ippolito. I am the only one with Italian background in the cast, but I recite in English. It is a way of making American cinema with an Italian mentality: to combine American production ambition with European ingenuity and flexibility.
In short, a size suitable for you who lived between Italy and the United States.
Absolutely. I feel halfway between the two worlds. Hollywood today focuses a lot on great productions and global entertainment. Europe remains more artisanal, more authoritative. In Final Broadcast we tried to merge these two souls, and I am perfectly in this mix.
How do you value Italian cinema compared to the American market?
It’s a delicate theme. Our films are struggling to emerge in the United States because the offer is huge. But there are exceptions: the films by Paolo Sorrentino, for example, find distribution. And I believe a lot in the series: products like The Young Pope have intercepted a high-level American niche. When we offer something distinctive and quality, we can cut out a space, even if a niche market remains.
What are your next goals?
Continue to build this link between the two continents. Intercept American productions that turn in Italy and, when they do not exist, create them myself. That’s what I’m trying to do with the novel The Power Game written with my father (Federico Rampini, ndr), from which we aim to develop an international co-production. The idea is always to combine the American and Italian aspect, even in an experimental way.
Speaking of experimentation, we cannot but face the theme of artificial intelligence. What’s your position?
It’s a central issue. I think about the case of the video generated with the faces of Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise without authorization, which caused many controversy. Clearly they need rules, but I don’t see it as an enemy and we can’t ignore it. If it is used to enrich the cinematographic language or to improve the special effects, well come. The problem arises when the actor replaces. The challenge will be to find a balance: not to close the door to innovation, but to rule it with responsibility.
L’articolo Jacopo Rampini: “In Final Broadcast we merged two souls, European and American” comes from IlNewyorkese.
