by Chiara Maffioletti
Stallone is a garbage man in “Samaritan” who rediscovers his past as a superhero: “It’s the story of a second chance, we always learn from our blatant mistakes.” In an interview he says: “I’ve done many jobs: usher, bouncer, Barkeeper. That’s how you learn a lot”
A superhero with one foot in reality. In an increasingly baritone voice, Sylvester Stallone defines his new character, a garbage man with a phenomenal past, as his forte. A past that wants to be forgotten. In “Samaritan,” the film by Julius Avery on Prime Video out August 26, an adaptation of the comic book of the same name, the Hollywood legend, just 76 years old (July 6), finds himself in charge of the future of humanity again. After all, this is always the job of superheroes. “But here the story is a bit different – he explains in his usual excellent form –. I accepted this role because of the normality of my character, who doesn’t fight in distant galaxies or parallel universes, but on the streets, in a world we all know ». And there’s something beautiful and metaphorical about this lonely garbage man who “brings home the broken, discarded objects that he then tries to fix: he’s doing it with things, but not with himself.”
At least until a little boy recognizes him: «My hero had decided to disappear, he had chosen a profession that didn’t attract attention. Sam (Javon Walton) wants to remind him of who he was. He throws reality in his face after denying it for so long. The message is: “Go back to who you really are. Sure you’re old, you’ve got gray hair, but you’re still a superhero. After all, I’m no longer what I used to be,” he comments with amusement.
But growing up also has positive sides, he assures: “I prefer acting today than I did when I was 35 or 40 years old. Now I know more, while I knew nothing then. You think you have everything under control and instead you have nothing: it is the experience that gives you everything ». Experience that he had before Hollywood: “I’ve done a lot of jobs, I’ve gotten to know tiredness. I was a bouncer, bouncer, I worked in a bar. That’s how you learn a lot. But I think it is always necessary to have a relationship with young people in order not to become too cynical: it is invigorating ».
In the film, Pilou Asbæk plays the bad guy who pulls Sly out of retirement: «A very good actor – says Stallone -. It’s a lot harder to play a bad guy than a good guy, especially when you’re playing smart, it’s really scary. In general, being an Ivan Drago is more complex ». But the controversy of a few weeks ago against those who now want to make a film about Rocky’s rival is no longer going. However, time often comes back in his reflections: “There is a moment when you realize that you can no longer be the 29-year-old Rambo: you have to represent your age in the cinema too, be who you are. Of course, who you are also depends on who you were, and in this case my character’s past is his strength. We can all identify with that.”
And he returns to describe this “believable superhero speaking of our world. If not, everything that could have been imagined is already created ». Among his references he cites Bruno Sammartino, the Italian wrestler who he says “shaped my personality. I love wrestling and I have shown it to my daughters too, explaining to them the ethics, the history behind this sport which is also entertainment ».
He returns again with an action film. “When I started there wasn’t any such categorization, it was only after a couple of films that I said to myself, ‘Wow, this is a genre and it’s fascinating. These are works where you can turn down the volume and still understand the story. I think of Rambo: you hear it without sound and you understand what’s happening. And in every part of the planet. So I realized its importance ».
That, he swears, is his secret: “It also applies to Rocky: nobody wanted to do it, they said it was a stupid idea. Nevertheless, I was convinced that everyone can identify with this fragility”. The same applies to “Samaritan”, a film that also talks about second chances. «Salvation is everything – he concludes -. Unfortunately, we always learn things after making glaring mistakes. One of my favorite topics is analyzing how we spend half of our lives trying to undo the stupid mistakes we made in the first half. We often say to ourselves: If I had known that … instead this film says that we can always go back to what we were, with the luck of having a little more experience ».
August 18, 2022 (change August 19, 2022 | 08:07)
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