Victor Alfieri

Victor Alfieri, Italian heartthrob and soap star from "Passions" and "The Bold and the Beautiful," is more than just a pretty face. He spoke with TCC's Kimberly Helk about his feelings on movies, acting, and his upcoming endeavors which include the much anticipated movie "Angels and Demons," out in theaters this May and his personal favorite, "My Father's Will" out later in 2009.

KH: Now when you first moved to Hollywood from Italy, did you have any idea that your career would sky-rocket to what it has become today?

VA: Uhhh, no, haha! Not at all, actually. When I moved here in early '94, I didn't expect that, no, but I'm very happy.

KH: What was your family's reaction when you called them and told them that you landed your first acting role?

VA: Well, back then, they were happy actually. They were like a little shocked but at the same time happy. They did believe in me, but it's the kind of belief that it's like "okay, you know, just to support the family member," but I don't think they really really believed it was going to happen. But they were nice about it and when they heard that I was booking all these jobs. They were really really really happy.

KH: When you were on the Italian police force for two and a half years, did you feel like your heart was in a different place?

VA: I like to help people, I like to help people a lot. And that's why I was a policeman. I always feel like I should be a cop, I mean I like that. But when I got involved with the movie people, at the beginning I did it for the money. I have to be honest because in 1994, I was 22 years old and I had left the police force and they offered me this commercial and I made a lot of money off of it, and I was like, "wow this is easy, you know I can make money in an easy way and I don't even have to risk my life." But you know learning about acting and studying acting as a form of art, I can help people actually. I can send messages. The media is really powerful. And I always wanted to become a writer actually, since I was a little kid, and I know writing really really touches a lot of people like that. It touches a lot of people. But so into acting I said, I can make movies that really can change people or people's minds actually. And so that's my goal in life right now, to become a successful actor so I can choose my own movies, and movies that send messages.

KH: Now do you still write? Are you writing a script that you want to make into a movie that gets out a message that you want to portray to audiences?

VA: Yes, Yes, I am still writing and I just finished another script not too long ago that I'm producing right now. And that's my goal, that's my dream: to produce something that really really impacts people's hearts and a movie that makes you think what real life is all about and can make a difference.

KH: Is that why you started your own production company?

VA: Yes, correct.

KH: What was your favorite role thus far out of all the roles that you've played?

VA: My favorite role? I don't have a favorite role, and I tell you why. Each role that I play, I enjoy playing it. I've never done something that I was forced to do-...oh well, no I take it back, I done it once. It was with the soap opera, "Passions". I'm not embarrassed to say it, but you know it was like a straight offer from NBC so you don't want to get in their bad side. But no, each role that I've done, I've done it with joy and happiness and I love to transform myself and become a different character every time. But I look more at the script, the movie, I think of the teamwork. And you read a good script and you attach to the project and you want to do it, that's the difference. I think the movie that I've really enjoyed so far was "My Father's Will," which it comes out this year actually, at some point. It's a beautiful, romantic comedy so it's one of those movies actually that send messages and different messages of course because there is love, there are sex acts and consequences for sex acts. So, this one movie you can attach different, how do you say, issues, you know? That's why I like doing that movie and I am very proud of it, actually. So I enjoyed to bring that character, that role and I am looking forward to seeing the audiences' reaction later this year.

KH: What message would come up in a role that you haven't played so far that you would like to get across? What message would you really want to send out to your audiences through a movie?

VA: I think the message that I would like to send out is kind of complicated but it's really not if you think about it. A few years back when I was living here in America, I learned you have to respect freedom, but you have to be free to respect. Meaning that you actually respect the fact that everybody's free, but also you have to be free to respect everybody else. Sometimes we live in a box and we're not free to respect other point of views or religions or cultures. It's easier to say, "oh you have to respect me," but then I don't respect you basically. And I really want to change this way of thinking.

KH: Did you find that when you first moved to America, that people were categorizing you in only one role because you were from a different country or because of your accent or because of the way you looked? Did that influence the message that you want to get across?

VA: No, no, no, it has nothing to do with that. It has nothing to do with the acting. I found actually that I am very happy that I found that the United States gave me the chance of a lifetime and I never complained. I never minded actually that I was casted for the same role over and over. I mean, my choice was to come here and I was very well aware of being a foreigner and having an accent and I was happy actually. I was happy that people were casting me and hiring me for movies. I am who I am and I can not get rid of my accent or my background so I just have to work harder and try to break free from these maybe stereotypes of the 'Italian guy' and play something like Schwarzenegger for example. When I say that, I don't want to be an action hero, but you know what I'm saying, he can play like different things, like a cop, and a bad guy, and this and that. There are many, Antonio Bandaras for example, that cross that line of what they can play, different things with different directors. But no, my message is more about races and cultures and religions because I saw a lot of diversity here and a lot of people, they always talk about freedom, but if you think about it, everybody is living in their own location or area. I mean, you got the Russians in one spot, the Koreans with the Koreans, and to me it's funny. They don't ever get out and meet their neighbors sometimes.

KH: How was it with "Angels and Demons"; were you interested in the book, had you read the book before you tried out for the role?

VA: I did not read the book, I read "The DaVinci Code" and I enjoyed it. I did not read the ["Angels and Demons"] book because I didn't want to. . . you know, every time you read a book, I don't know if it happens to you, but you envision the book in your mind, your mind runs wild and so you create your own movie in your mind. So, I did not want to do that because I was making the movie. I said "I don't want to read this book and create something else in my mind and when they direct me, I am going to say, 'oh, that's not the way I saw it or I read it.'" To me, when I play a role or when I prepare, I just want to be the top actor, meaning that like a plain, white sheet of paper, that you can write on. You prepare, but you are open to anything and everything. In fact, when I was talking with the director and he wanted to change the intensity and the way you're performing the scene, each take you want something more, something different, something less. I mean, he's the kind of guy that he's going to make you do it 30 times 'til you nail it and if you come to the set tuned up and over prepared, you lock yourself into a spot where you can not get out of it.

KH: I understand, sometimes the book is better than the movie; you read the book first and then you're disappointed when the movie isn't what you expected it to be.

VA: Yeah, exactly, because in your mind you can. . . you know, there was an Italian writer, Emilio Silgari, he never traveled. Never traveled, always stayed in Italy, and he wrote books about Malaysia, about China, you know about all these different countries he never traveled to. So, that tells you that the power of the mind can travel faster than anything else. I could be in Rome right now in my mind, but be at home right now. So when you create your own movie in your mind, there is no limit.