POP interviews: who is Leonardo Bocci, the face of Actuals

Leonardo Bocci is a young Italian actor who became famous thanks to his comic duo Actual, paired with Lorenzo Tiberia, today he is engaged in theater, cinema and television. And between one test and another he granted us a Digital Global Times to interview him. Curious huh? You just have to read below!

POP interviews: Leonardo Bocci, Actuals and the new theater experience …

If you say Leonardo Bocci you say Actual. The comic duo who told about Rome through the differences of our neighborhoods. The Actuals have also brought the rest of Italy closer to the strangeness and problems of this city. How did the idea come about?

The idea comes from me and Lorenzo Tiberia; we started by making film parodies, always putting Rome at the center. We did the parody of Perfect Strangers, of Romanzo Criminale on the age-old matter of Mafia Capitale … but the North Rome / South Rome topic had never come out and we said to ourselves “Why not try ?!” and fortunately – because, let’s face it, we also need a lot of luck in this job – he told us well and today we are here. And the beauty, among other things, was precisely that of reaching all of Italy, not only in the center or on the outskirts of Rome; we made our city known through the typical stereotype of the Roman, therefore not only North Rome or South Rome, but also all the realities we know well: the potholes, the traffic, the people screaming in the street. The idea, however, was born a bit for fun: we wanted to be set and classic actors and instead we threw ourselves on the web and found our luck.

I think that behind such projects, especially if they then work and reach the public, there is basically a great friendship. Is this the case with you and Lorenzo?

Absolutely yes. We’ve known each other for years and when you do things with friends it’s never a job; you have the moments in which you find yourself writing, trying, thinking, but also those in which you completely disconnect. Then fortunately it became a real job and there is really a lot of work! As we grew we started a small production that requires time and effort, but we managed it by.

Absolutely. How much do you think being Roman influenced your comedy?

Well I’d say a lot. Even at a cinematographic level the Roman dialect goes a long way, perhaps together with the Neapolitan it is the most widely spoken. It is no coincidence that we are very inspired by different Roman actors, such as Carlo Verdone, Gigi Proietti, Mario Brega. By now it can be said that the Roman descent belongs a little to all of Italy.

However, Roman is also the most mimicked dialect in cinema …

Yes, absolutely yes. We have all heard Boldi who speaks Roman and it is a cult.

You are currently engaged in the theater with the show Three men and a dog. What about this experience? Did you find it different than the previous ones?

Now yes. It is certainly an experience very different from those faced in the past, it is another world. More challenging and more wasteful as energy, but it gives you a million more emotions than the videos I post on the web. It is one of the experiences that I will carry with me forever with a smile.

There is direct contact with the public …

Yes that’s right, you lock yourself an hour and a half there on the stage as if you were living another life. Then you finish and say “Oh my God what happened ?!”. It is a really good experience.

In this work in the theater you work alongside colleagues like Alessia Fabiani, Andrea Dianetti, Martufello… what’s it like working with them?

Really beautiful. A good group was created right from the start, we work well together and it’s really exciting, because it’s not often that we get along so well. There is a beautiful harmony between us and when this is the case, everything is calmer, lighter. Then they are professionals, but I am a beginner and I have a lot to learn and I am honored to be able to do it by them and to be able to share their same stage.

It’s nice to see when an artist is really passionate like you right now. Do you have any future projects you can tell us about?

Right now I’m rehearsing another show at the theater, which will always be at the Tirso De Molina Theater in December. I will obviously continue to make lots of videos and at Christmas the film Din Don, with Enzo Salvi and Maurizio Mattioli. It is the second chapter of the Christmas comedy Din Don, which will be broadcast on Italia 1. In short, I don’t stop for a moment! We must never stop because, it is true, whoever stops is lost.

Listen, let’s get to the sore point of this interview. We at Digital Global Times are a bit meddlesome …

Eccallà … (laughs, ed)

Tell us the truth: did the fact that you become famous affect your relationships with the opposite sex?

Look, I’ll answer you very sincerely, even going against my interests. Obviously when you are known on the web or on television, in short, when you have a following, your aura is different. Also because people know you before; everyone knows what you do, who you are, etc., etc. So yes, it often happens that a girl already knows who you are and what your job is, but just as often it happens that the girl in question tells you “But you are not like in the videos, you are not stupid or forced!”. I’m not that different from my character, but clearly I have a bad day. But of course in the case of a hypothetical engagement you have to get to know the person in front of you so it is more difficult; now I don’t want to sound like De Filippi, but true love is more difficult to find if you are known; doing this job you never know if someone wants to know you because it is you or because of the character you play. But over time you realize it.

So let us tease you a little… better the girls from North Rome or those from South Rome?

Ah! This is a good question: I’ll tell you, it depends. Every aspect of North Rome or South Rome has its pros and cons; maybe the girls of North Rome have a little more stench under their noses, with those of South Rome you get along with a beer with bangla! (laughs, ed.) Now I’m kidding, obviously not necessarily. The important thing is to always make a good impression; whether it is from North Rome, South Rome or Valle D’Aosta, you must always amaze and be amazed.

Let’s go back to Lorenzo Tiberia; which of the two tows more?

Here, I just don’t know! You have to ask women; when they ask me these questions I never know what to answer. Who is more beautiful, nicer, better with women … I don’t know, you have to ask who you relate to with us.

Leonardo, we conclude the interview with our closing question: we are called Digital Global Times because for us POP has a positive meaning; it is something beautiful, captivating, trendy. What is POP for you?

POP is what belongs to us. We are born listening to POP music so POP is what brings us closer, something that has always and always accompanied us. These are the positive things… kill what a philosopher I am today! (laughs, ed.) POP are the simplest things. Without making two thousand films: simple is beautiful. When something is POP it means that it is something close to everyone.

Leonardo Bocci can be found at the Tirso De Molina Theater with the show Three men and a kennel and on Instagram under the name @leonardobocci_