There are those who know him as Dr. Andrew DeLuca from Grey’s Anatomy, those who know him as Diabolik from the Manetti Bros and those who have just discovered his talent in the new Netflix series “Inganno”, the erotic thriller where he stars alongside Monica Guerritore. We are talking about the actor Giacomo Gianniotti, the Italian-Canadian actor, born in 1989, with a brilliant career behind him that spans both the small and big screen but, above all, both Italy and the United States. In fact, Giacomo starred in large Italian productions such as the last two films on Diabolik by the Manetti brothers but he became famous throughout the world for being part of the legendary medical drama Grey’s Anatomy where he worked as an actor for 7 years. Currently, Gianniotti has been on Netflix since October 9th with Deception, the sentimental miniseries, directed by Pappi Corsicato, about the tormented love story between a 60-year-old woman and a mysterious boy much younger than her.
What made you want to be part of the Netflix series “Deception”?
“I am very much in favor of new, modern stories that give more space to women and “Deception” was an extremely feminine project, written by women for women. Furthermore, the series tells the story of a 60-year-old woman and was very interesting to me because the stories of women of this age are almost never told.
Then there is the issue of the age difference in love, a fairly taboo topic, especially when the woman is older than the man and in my opinion it was interesting to explore and redefine this stereotype because the more these things are told on the screen, the less they seem strange or taboo. For men, for centuries, it has been totally normal to go with a younger girl but if we want balance it should also be normal for a woman.”
The series also breaks the taboo of female sexuality at 60 and is not afraid to show the naked body of an aging woman. How important is it to talk about these issues nowadays?
“It’s very important. And it’s especially important for young girls who can see a woman of a certain age who has left herself to her years and life without having to touch up, redo or use cosmetic surgery. Today young girls are a little victims of the world they live in, they always compare themselves with those they see on social media and there is more pressure, more pressure to change themselves, to retouch themselves. It is a very beautiful thing that a young girl can see a naturally aged woman who still makes herself very beautiful and charming, we should show it more on screen.”
In the series your character is with a woman much older than him, do you believe in relationships with a big age difference?
“I think that in a couple where one is older than the other only part of the problems derive from the age difference, the others are the classic couple problems such as jealousy, arguments that have nothing to do with age. I think that a relationship with a big age difference can work but it requires greater maturity from the younger person because the older person already has greater maturity, different priorities. But if you train these things it can work, why not ?”.
There are a lot of sex and nudity scenes in the series, how did you approach them? Did they embarrass you or did you enjoy shooting them?
“I had never done nude scenes before and this was something that scared me but at the same time attracted me. In the end it’s always the things that scare me that give me the push to decide to do something, that’s what it makes you grow as an actor. Obviously it wasn’t that I was extremely comfortable or comfortable, I had no experience, on the contrary, Monica had much more experience from this point of view. For me, these nude scenes were a newer concept We, however, had a good chemistry and we worked a lot on these intimate scenes and I hope they reach the public.”
You starred in Grey’s Anatomy, one of the most iconic series on the small screen, what is the best memory you have?
“Look, the best memory I have is linked to when I had already left the series. I had the opportunity to direct an episode of Grey’s Anatomy and it was wonderful to be on the other side, behind the camera with all my former colleagues who trusted me. It was truly a beautiful, exciting, satisfying moment. I grew a lot on Grey’s Anatomy, I went from a boy to a man.”
How different is the way of making TV series in Italy compared to the United States?
“I never know how to answer this question other than with the joke that you eat better in Italy during the lunch break. In reality there isn’t much difference except in the budgets, in America we have more money so we can create things with more time and tools, in Italy there is always a lot of rush because there is a lack of money but in any case there are good artists and the final product is always very beautiful even in Italy”.
You talked about your experience behind the camera on Grey’s Anatomy, should we expect your future as a director?
“Yes, I dream of it. I would really like to have a career that spans between acting and directing.”
What is Giacomo Gianniotti like when he’s off set?
“I am a very simple person. I have my wife who I love very much, I have a dog. I like walking in the mountains, I often go by bike. I go for hours and hours on my bike to discover new places. If I go to a new place the first thing what I do is look for a bike.”
The review of Deception
