Anna Maria Sambucco isn’t slowing down anytime soon: the casting director continues her success in the film industry with a series of impressive accolades and projects. Her work on The Hand of God earned her a BAFTA nomination in 2022, showcasing her talent in finding just the right actor, albeit established or new talent.
A longtime collaborator of filmmaker Paolo Sorrentino, having cast all of his films, including Academy Award-winner The Great Beauty (La Grande Bellezza, 2013), which won Best International Feature, received global acclaim and won numerous other awards. Over the course of her career, Anna Maria has had seven films featured in the main Competition at the Cannes Film Festival (all of these with Sorrentino) and three in Venice, alongside a host of prestigious Italian awards, including the Nastri D’Argento.
Recently, she sat down with us for a candid conversation about the intricacies of her craft. Anna shares her insights on the nuances of casting, revealing how the process behind selecting the perfect actors for complex roles works. She discusses the importance of emotional depth and the unique challenges she encounters in her work. From her experiences with celebrated films like The Hand of God to her collaborations with other notable directors, Anna reflects on the journey of bringing characters to life. She also discusses the valuable lessons learnt along the way and the personal fulfillment she finds in her profession.
In your career, were there any moments that had a particular impact on you? Which moments are you most proud of?
There have been many decisive moments, but the Oscar win for the film The Great Beauty was certainly very significant for me. I remember that on the night of the award ceremony, I had most of the crew at home. We were so excited and when we finally heard those words ‘And the Oscar goes to The Great Beauty’, the party erupted. Unforgettable night.
What was the most challenging film you worked on? And the most exciting?
Each film presents different difficulties. I think each time there are obstacles to overcome. One of the most challenging was Il Divo (by Sorrentino), which won the Grand Jury Prize at Cannes in 2008. The subject was hot because it concerned the life of Senator Giulio Andreotti, a key man in Italian politics in the 1990s. The film takes an in-depth look at the man and his alleged relations with ‘Cosa Nostra’. The cast consisted of over 100 actors who had to play real-life political characters. So I had to look for actors who had not only a physical but also a psychological resemblance to the characters. My husband wallpapered the house with photos of the politicians so that I could have them in my mind's eye. For months, the cast board in Paolo's office remained empty. Then the miracle. Having chosen the first actor then everything came easy. That's always how it happens: you have to overcome the first fateful hurdle. In the cast there are great theatre actors: in addition to Tony Servillo, who masterfully played Andreotti, there are Giulio Bosetti, Flavio Bucci, Carlo Buccirosso, Paolo Graziosi, Massimo Popolizio and the wonderful Piera Degli Esposti, who won the David di Donatello with her performance as Andreotti's secretary Signora Enea.
The most moving is undoubtedly The Hand of God (which was presented at the 78th Venice International Film Festival where it won the Silver Lion – Grand Jury Prize and the young Filippo Scotti, in his first film experience, received the Marcello Mastroianni prize). This film was very important for Paolo, because it was inspired by his youth and marked by the drama of the loss of his parents. Sometimes during filming the actors during the auditions, I was moved to tears because I understood how important it was for Paolo to retrace certain moments of his life.
What is the most difficult aspect of finding an actor for a complex character? Can you give us some examples from a past project?
The most difficult aspect is certainly interpreting the director's vision. It is not enough to have the technical skill and intelligence of the actor, sometimes it is the nuances that lead you to the choice, those nuances that the director is looking for.
Returning to the film E' stato la mano di Dio (The Hand of God), particularly complex was the search not only for Fabietto, Sorrentino's alter ego, but also for the mother. And when after endless auditions Paolo told me: ‘We have found Mamma’ (the wonderful Teresa Saponangelo who won the David di Donatello for her performance) the joy was infinite.
Has it ever happened during an audition that an actor changed his understanding of a character?
If you mean that an actor gave me new suggestions different to what I had in mind, yes absolutely. The audition is an exchange of emotions and suggestions between the casting and the actor. The intelligent actor is the one who is ready to revise his understanding of the character without becoming attached to what he had built up so the intelligent casting is the one who accepts interesting suggestions and is also ready to revise their vision of the character.
Have you ever cast someone who seemed unsuitable and then turned out to be perfect? Or the other way around?
Yes, of course, both. Sometimes actors who have a beautiful audition unfortunately happen on set not to be so effective, perhaps due to emotional or even simply character factors. In the films you have worked on, it is essential to choose an actor with a wide emotional range.
What do you look for in an audition that shows the actor's ability to convey complex emotions?
In the audition, I look for sensitivity, the ability to get emotional, even to the point of tears if necessary, and I also look for the ability to create silence and space. Often actors rush, they can't wait to say the line, but they get it wrong. I always say that silence and a look, even a lingering look, are sometimes much more important than words. And then for me, the preparation of the text is very important. With memory and a perfectly internalised text, one can work freely on emotion.
Young people often dream of a career in the film industry. What advice would you give them, especially if they have had to face rejections? What are the necessary characteristics to become a casting director?
My advice to young people is to train, always train. Always be in class and don't neglect the theatre for the cinema, because you inevitably face frustrations and rejections and in the theatre! There are more job opportunities. Stopping to wait for the role in life is counterproductive because the waiting can also be endless. Doing theatre not only prepares you, but you are forced to confront yourself, colleagues and the audience. And confrontation is always enriching. Then I recommend going to see plays and films, certainly the good ones but also the bad ones because you learn a lot, especially from them. You learn everything you should not do.
To become a casting director I don't know what it takes. As chance would have it, I landed in this work. I studied something else: Art History at university and I worked for 10 years in Italian Radio and Television. I started late in life because I wanted to change my life. I left Rai and started from scratch because in cinema the hierarchies are rigid and insurmountable. You have to work your way up through the ranks: so I became an assistant director, first without pay and then I finally started getting paid. Then I was a casting assistant until I started to get my first films. Then there was the fateful meeting with Paolo Sorrentino who gave my career a turning point. I think that a casting director must have sensitivity, taste and curiosity. And always have respect for the actor, who can be very fragile, especially during an audition.
Over the years, how have your professional goals and ambitions evolved? What experiences have been particularly significant for you?
I think I have already had great satisfaction from my work, so my only wish is to be able to work on interesting projects that have their own dignity. So far, I have been lucky enough to be able to choose, and I hope that continues!
The most significant experiences, in addition to all of Sorrentino's films, which are great achievements for me, and the series The Young Pope and The New Pope, which allowed me to work with actors from all over the world, were the film La Passione by Carlo Mazzacurati, because I had the opportunity to work with Carlo, who was a special person, a great, sensitive and generous director, and then the meeting with Terrence Malik for a very complex film that has yet to be released (we have been waiting for it for more than five years) and Michael Mann for the film Ferrari. Tough, Michael Mann… but very likeable.
The media industry is fast-paced and full of change. How do you manage to stay true to yourself?
I am very shy. Unpresumptuous and unobtrusive. Reserved. These qualities are not suited to our environment, but that's how I am, and I don't think I will change… What I think is essential is to maintain my enthusiasm and my desire to share the joys and sorrows of this work, with colleagues and collaborators. The beauty of this job is precisely the fact that you are not alone, you are part of a team, of a group, which often in the best situations becomes a colourful family.
Is there a motto that guides and inspires you? In your work and/or private life?
A motto that follows me because my father used to repeat it all the time is: ‘Endurance continues’. We must always resist with all our strength against whatever adversity life presents us. Have courage.
And another one that I always repeated to my son when he was little is: ‘Off to new adventures!’ because life, a film, a journey, are always an adventure to be lived with passion.
How much do you trust your instincts?
I am instinctive. My work is based on instinct like everything else in my life. I am not a rational person, I often get carried away by instinct in an impetuous way but I am rarely wrong. If anything, my problem is to verbalise my instinctive judgements, to make them understandable to those around me.
What values do you hold dear?
My own fundamental values, which I have also tried to pass on to my son are kindness, respect, always and everywhere, and freedom of thought and action.
Can you tell us about your involvement in charitable organisations and why these causes are so important to you?
I am a member of Doctors Without Borders an international organisation whose mission is to provide medical care where it is most needed. Every day they treat thousands of people and children around the world affected by epidemics, natural disasters and wars. Their support is needed to save the innocent victims of conflicts around the world today more than ever. The situation in Gaza especially upsets and outrages me. I feel deep down the injustice that the Palestinian people are suffering. By financing Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders), I try in my small way to help the people who are suffering.
Is there a particular hobby you couldn't do without?
Until recently, I used to go to the gym almost every day, now I don't feel like it any more. But I'll have to take it up again, or else that's the end of it! I'm actually a very active woman; I cycle around the city of Rome, which has seven hills.
I also love going for walks with my dog, and I always dream of travelling to distant lands with my son Tommaso, who is now 20 years old and doesn't want to travel with his mother.
After a long day at work, what do you most look forward to?
It depends, but I almost always come home and watch a good movie with Tommaso and Lulamy (my dog) lying on the sofa. Unfortunately, however, I am unable to switch off completely. I always live work with a lot of anxiety so it can be said that until the whole cast is closed I find it hard to relax. Even when I sleep, I think about work.
Is there an essential piece of clothing or accessory for you?
An indispensable accessory that I always wear is an antique silver ring with amber that my sister gave me. I always wear it.
What are the five essentials for you when you travel?
Unfortunately, when I travel, I don't go for the essentials but always carry too much stuff that I never wear. When I was in Japan, it was a challenge to find space in the trains for my suitcase… However, the most important thing is the pharmacy. I carry everything from antibiotics to healing cream, a thermometer, and disinfectant plasters ready for anything. Then a book that sometimes just changes air because there's no time to read, my beloved Mac, if I'm working and there might be an emergency to be resolved immediately: a cast of voices of Argentine actors to be able to dub The New Pope and I was on holiday in Japan with a great time zone difference. I also like to have a paperback guidebook of the place I am visiting, so I can underline things. Also a swimsuit, always, even in winter, because you never know.
Do you have a favourite room in your house? What makes it so special?
Mine is a strange house with many rooms and no doors. It is a curious, messy house full of objects and so many memories… A sort of labyrinth full of chiaroscuro. But the room I live in most and therefore love most is the living room that overlooks the most beautiful square in Rome: Santa Maria in Trastevere, which I know is no small privilege.
How do you define luxury in your life and how has this definition changed over time?
The luxury in my life since I am not a rich woman is being able to devote myself to the things I like without having the anxiety of time. The luxury is being able to travel with my son. To give him and me good memories.
What book are you currently reading or what was the last one you read?
The book I finished reading a few days ago was Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver. A sort of David Copperfield in 1990s America. The main character is a child that nobody wants but whom you want to embrace and protect from the very first pages. Funny and moving at the same time. Beautiful.
Thank you Anna Maria, it was a pleasure!
Last Updated on November 26, 2024 by Editorial Team
