The American Backyard, interview with actor Filippo Scotti at Cinema Made in Italy 2025

During the 2025 edition of the Cinema Made in Italy festival in London, Fred FM had an in-depth chat with the charming star of “The American Backyard“, Filippo Scotti.

The actor revealed how he was actually brought on last minute to take on the lead role in the gothic, noir thriller, loosely following one man’s search for a missing woman he holds an unrequited love for, by veteran of Italian cinema, Pupi Avati. With the director now into his seventh decade of movie-making, Scotti was at first a little intimidated but soon found he could collaborate and communicate honestly with the filmmaker.

Digging into the macabre nature of the story and his character, a lonely, obsessive writer, Scotti discussed the story’s theme of avoiding quick judgement of others, while the stylised sensibility of the black-and-white film not only transports its audience in terms of time period but also in the way it’s shot, heavily influenced by Avati’s love of 1940s American noir movies of Alfred Hitchcock’s ilk.

Scotti also reflected on Avati’s belief that working within a small budget is something more filmmakers should be adept at in Italy, noting, “If you build an industry, you build respect for the art.”

Commenting on the divided response to the unsettling, surreal and, at times, absurd feature out of Venice, Scotti reflected that not all movies need to be loved by everyone. He further spoke about how the title fits within his broader career, particularly building on his pivotal role in Paolo Sorrentino’s semi-autobiographical “The Hand of God“, and whether he still gets comparisons with Timothée Chalamet.

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