Alex told us about his acting beginnings, his inspiration, how acting changed his life and reconnected him with his inner child. He also shared his opinion about the UK not being too open to International actors at the moment.
Sabina: Alex, can you tell us about your acting beginnings?
Alex: "I was dissatisfied working as a pharmacist. I decided to try a summer school of acting at the Old Vic School in Bristol and soon realised that I wanted to be an actor. I then studied for a year at the Bristol Acting Academy and acted in a few student films. In 2013 I managed to get into Drama Studio London, from which I graduated in 2015."
Sabina: Who inspired you to become an actor?
Alex: "The Italian Marco Baliani was the one who made me fall in love with acting. I was only 8 years-old. The school took us to the theatre, I thought it was going to be very boring. He got me from the beginning: just a chair, an empty stage and himself. He could tell a story like no one. I was hypnotised.
Sabina: What are your best projects to date?
Alex: "I played the lead role of Caravaggio, the painter, in Caravaggio: Between The Darkness at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival last year, a successful run. But my most important role is definitely the Newspaper Photo Editor in Ridley Scott’s movie All The Money In The World. I filmed with Michelle Williams and Mark Wahlberg, I still can’t believe it!"
Sabina: How did acting change your life?
Alex: "Acting is liberating. It’s playing, experimenting, failing, learning, growing. Simply: it’s fun. It reconnects me to the child I used to be. It makes me feel myself and gives my life a purpose: when I act I’m the happiest person in the world".
Sabina: Do you have any interesting film or TV projects coming up?
Alex: "I'll be playing the role of a homeless man in a short movie about the loss of maternal love and the purpose we can give to life.
The research I’m doing for the role is extremely interesting: some of the life stories I read about how those people became homeless were incredible."
Sabina: How do you find the UK industry is towards international actors?
Alex: "I think the UK is not too open to international actors at the moment. They still end up playing very stereotypical parts and I still see British actors playing foreign characters.
Why not casting from those talented actors in London that are native in that language and/or accent? The situation is improving though, thanks to the recent political events: there is more room for the acting industry for debate and provoking. Therefore more need for European actors."