M. Son of the Century, which premieres on Sky in the U.K. on Feb. 4, covers a span of time in the life of Benito Mussolini, the founder of fascism. It ranges from his early years, when he was still a journalist who had just left the Socialist Party, to the murder, by Mussolini’s fascist forces, of socialist politician Giacomo Matteotti, a killing that helped pave his rise to power. Italian star Luca Marinelli (The Old Guard, The Eight Mountains) embodies the infamous populist in the new series, adapted by screenwriters Stefano Bises and Davide Serino from Antonio Scurati’s historical novel. British filmmaker Joe Wright (Atonement, Darkest Hour), who knows his way around a historical epic, directs.
The dark and handsome Marinelli underwent a complete transformation, to play the brutish, balding Mussolini. He is unrecognizable. Throughout the 8-episode series, the Italian actor constantly breaks the fourth wall, speaking directly to the audience. “Follow me, you’ll love me too. I’ll make you a fascist.”
M. Son of the Century was produced by Sky Studios and Lorenzo Mieli for The Apartment, part of Fremantle, and co-produced with Pathé, in association with Small Forward Productions, in collaboration with Cinecittà. International distribution is being handled by Fremantle.
In conversations with The Hollywood Reporter in Venice, where the series world premiered, and in London which he visited for the show’s U.K. launch, Marinelli discussed how he dove into the task of portraying the infamous fascist, the timeliness of the series, and a scene that sees Mussolini going full Trump.
Joe Wright has said you didn’t use any special make-up or prosthetics to become Mussolini. What kind of physical preparations did you have to go through?
Working on my body was without a doubt essential to get close to the character. I put on 20 kilograms [45 lbs], and I cut my hair; I learned Mussolini’s dialect from a dialect coach, which helped me a lot to get in character. Then I studied: I read Antonio Scurati’s book, and studied the screenplay. Most of all, I spent a long time discussing it with Joe. He was my guide. He held my hand and guided me through the series.
What existing material did you look at to prepare for the role?
I started searching everywhere. But it was difficult because much of the material we have, the video footage, pictures, and other books written by himself and by people around him at the time, were made under the regime. Everything was under his control. So we have just one aspect of him. But by searching very deeply in the texts and also in the images I found, I could spot the person behind the mask. He had his dictator mask on, but beneath was a person making criminal choices.
How do the person and the mask differ?
We had to find a human aspect, a private aspect [to Mussolini] and that was very difficult to find. I followed Joe’s ideas and what was written in the script. I think the filter that they found was very honest and really brave. But for me, he always wore his mask, even to himself. It was very hard for me to find the real emotion beneath. I think he was quite empty inside. He was someone who wanted power, who wanted to validate himself. But he always put on the mask. He is always giving himself a role to play, a mask to wear. For me, that was also quite painful because he was constantly using other people, causing pain and suffering for all those around him.
Andrea-Pirrello
To an actor, is a tale of evil more fascinating than one of goodness?
I would say this is about power rather than evil. There’s the risk that evil could almost become a justification. This series tells the story of a person who did everything he could to obtain absolute power at any cost. He ended up surrounded by a void of despair and death.
How important was getting his voice right?
Keeping up [Mussolini’s] specific manner of speech was fundamental. At the time, there were no megaphones or mics. And yet everything still had to be grand and impressive. I believe Mussolini achieved many things just by working on his appearance, on the way he presented himself, as well as his voice. He sought out theatricality. I did the same thing myself, in the scenes in parliament as well as the speeches in front of the crowd, with more than 400 extras. I lost my voice a bunch of times. Those scenes were pretty alienating and painful. Especially when we were shooting the parliament scenes. I had to repeat the speeches he made, from start to finish, and those words are truly wretched and macabre in their shape and composition.
How did Joe Wright guide you?
He’s utterly devoted to art, to the theater and cinema. I was overwhelmed by his artistic and emotional genius. He’s helped me a lot. I would have never been able to make it without him. The trust and sense of well-being he gave me were essential. Without that, I would have been unable to take even one step forward. It’s important for all actors to have an atmosphere where you feel protected and listened to. If not, expressing oneself can be hard.
