Roma comes first, even when there's a movie to shoot. Marco Giallini , actor and avid Roma fan, discussed his relationship with football during an interview on the podcast Nonlofaccioxmoda. When asked by Giulia Salemi how he manages to balance his professional commitments with watching his favorite team's games, the actor replied bluntly : "No, and who's filming it?"
Among the incidents Giallini recalls is one from the filming of Perfect Strangers, directed by Paolo Genovese. On that occasion, the actor was watching a Roma match with Valerio Mastandrea, while some colleagues were cheering for the opposing team. "Unfortunately, I had friends on the opposite side, like the director of photography and Paolo Genovese. Mastandrea and I were watching the game, and they were 30 seconds ahead because they were watching it on television and we were on our computers."
Giallini: "I'll tell you about the time Mastandrea and I left the set."
The situation became complicated when the crew called the two actors back to resume filming, just as Roma was looking for a decisive goal to qualify. Giallini reconstructed those moments like this: "They called us back to film and we shouted, 'Hey, wait a minute!' We had to score a goal to advance to the next round, and at a certain point I heard one of the two friends say, 'No, let him watch it.'" A seemingly innocent phrase, but enough to make the actor understand that the match wouldn't have the desired ending.
Giallini's reaction was immediate: "And then I thought, 'I'm not coming anymore, I'm leaving.' I wanted to leave. Mastandrea and I left. It was the worst thing I've ever heard from two close friends." The story then concluded with colleagues attempting to get the two actors back on set: "Then they came calling, saying, 'Where are you going? We're shooting a big movie!'"
