Born in 1996 and with an international upbringing, Sebastiano Pigazzi is becoming increasingly well known thanks to the series And Just Like That 2 with Sarah Jessica Parker, where he plays the role of Giuseppi, the boyfriend of Anthony Marentino (Mario Cantone). After important experiences with directors such as Luca Guadagnino, Sebastiano has also been in other productions such as the fourth season of For All Mankind, an Apple TV+ series, in which he is present in two episodes, and starred in his first film where he plays the right-hand man of Al Capone in 1920s Chicago. A talent to follow and with a rising career, which we decided to reward with the NEXT GENERATION AWARD in Venice.
Let’s start from the moment you realised that, following in the footsteps of your grandfather Bud Spencer and your great-grandfather, this would become a job, as well as a passion.
Maybe I’m still kind of realising it, but I’d say I figured it out in high school when I starred in a Shakespeare play, Much Ado about Nothing. I got a lot of compliments then: for such a small, insecure boy, it was that push that helped me say, “Okay maybe I could do this”. Which unfortunately led to a battle.
I read that your family tried to talk you out of it…
Well, rightly so. In my opinion, no family should push their child to be an actor. My parents were worried about all the no’s I might hear…
Where did you study acting?
A little in high school and a little in New York, where I took several courses and met my favourite teacher. Then I attended the Beverly Hills Playhouse in Los Angeles, a theatre and acting school where numerous actors have trained.
What was your first real role?
My baptism of fire was with Luca Guadagnino in the series We Are Who We Are, followed a year later by the film Time is Up by Elisa Amoruso, with Bella Thorne and Benjamin Mascolo.
«It’s great playing different roles. I don’t have a preference, I like being able to work with this mix of characters that are a bit different from each other»
In Guadagnino’s series you have a role that’s not very easy, with nude scenes…
Yes, let’s just say it’s one of those experiences that make you realise how much you love this job. You do everything to achieve a result, even sacrificing your needs or your way of being. So on the one hand it was very difficult, but on the other it opened a door that let me get rid of so many fears.
Were there any productions that were important for you before And Just Like That?
I played a part in a Paramount series, The Offer, which essentially describes how The Godfather was filmed. Then I made my own short film as a director and actor. I’ve shot other things that will be coming out soon but were actually filmed before And Just Like That. One of these is an independent film with a good cast, in which I have a leading role.
You’ve gone from dramatic roles to more histrionic ones, like in And Just Like That.
Yes, it’s great playing different roles. I don’t have a preference, I like being able to work with this mix of characters that are a bit different from each other.
Is there a particular character you’d like to play that you haven’t yet?
Lots and lots of them. I’d really like to play Biff in Death of a Salesman. Or any character who’s really different than who I am would certainly be welcome.
How did you join And Just Like That?
In the simplest, most classic way possible, because sometimes that’s just how it happens: with a self-tape. It was the first time in my life that just one was all it took.
In the series your character is a poet, so in a way also similar to you and a bit your nostalgic side.
Yes, I wrote a lot of poems when I was younger, I was a touch melancholy. But beyond that, I must admit that there aren’t many similarities between me and the character. It’s true that it’s often seen on the streets of Rome, but we’re rather unalike in many ways.
What was the hardest thing you had to overcome on that set?
The hardest thing was trying not to say, “Oh my God, I’m on set with Sarah Jessica Parker and everyone else”. You have to try to minimise the context a bit. If I stop to think about it, I have a small part of 25 years of television history on my shoulders.
Will you also be present in the new series?
I don’t know yet, but I hope so. Nothing can be said right now because of the strike.
Living in Los Angeles, you experienced this momentous strike firsthand, what do you think about it?
It’s definitely an issue that has to be solved, artificial intelligence is a big problem. Actors are receiving much less money in America due to streaming. When technology changes, the contracts with which actors and everyone else are paid should also change. Those with contracts stipulated with more independent productions might feel the effects a bit less.
The Hollywood actors and screenwriters have been striking for many months now, perhaps the longest ever organised.
Yes, it started around 10 July, so it’s been going on for several months now. The writers have been on strike since around April/May. This situation has also destroyed the industry around the studios: consider the various bars, restaurants, etc. In a way we are experiencing the same situation as ten years ago when there was the strike for the rights to DVDs. Today the issue is about streaming rights.
But thanks to streaming platforms, there have been more productions and many more possibilities for youth like you in recent years…
Yes, platforms have given young people so many possibilities. Surely with so many more funds, they are also in a position to experiment and do more interesting things.
What series and movies have inspired and excited you?
I don’t watch a lot of series, I have to be honest, but years ago I watched Black Mirror and I really liked it. I thought it was interesting. As for films, I’d say Tom Ford’s Nocturnal Animals, although it is very underestimated and nobody ever talks about it, and The Father with Anthony Hopkins.
Speaking of fashion, I know you make and customise jackets.
EIt’s a hobby to pass the time. I was looking for a classic jacket, but not a boring one, with a slightly more eccentric touch. I couldn’t find one, so I made it; then I made another one, then I made twenty.
So you also have a certain dexterity?
Unfortunately no, but I have three tailors here in Rome who are working day and night.
Is there a site where you sell these jackets?
I have a site, but I never launched it. I also have the photos ready, but I haven’t ever put anything up for sale (he laughs).
What’s the name of the site, if you’re willing to say?
SEPUU. At some point I think we’ll have an auction with other brands. Everyone in the family calls me “Sepuu”, practically since I was born, I think for the Chilean writer Luis Sepúlveda. It’s a kind of childhood memory.
Let’s just say that you’re not ready for this “fashionable coming-out” yet.
Exactly… I’m shy in many situations (he laughs).
What passions do you cultivate between Italy and Los Angeles?
I practice a lot of sports, tennis, basketball, swimming (not at a competitive level). Then I also like cooking, writing and directing, when I have the opportunity. Now I’m about to direct a play in Los Angeles. It’s a show I wrote for a clothing brand, which asked me to create a short work of about 25 minutes. It will come out towards the end of October.
So you’re very prolific, you write a lot…
Yes, the gears are always turning, I write a lot and it’s wonderful when all the projects take shape. If it happened more often it would be even better.
Credits
Editor in chief Federico Poletti
Photographer Davide Musto
Stylist Martina Antinori
Grooming Marta Ricci– Simone Belli Agency
Photographer assistant Cristina Proietti Panatta
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