This month I had the pleasure of meeting actor and independent filmmaker, Carlo Corbellini. Born and raised in Rome, Italy, Corbellini began his acting career at 16 with the role of Benny in the critically acclaimed movie Biuti Quin Olivia. In 2002 he moved to Chicago to complete studies in Industrial Engineering and Economics at Northwestern University while continuing his drama training with Kimmie Companik (The Second City) and Grant Stokes (Uta Hagen scholar, Royal Shakespeare Company). In the Windy City he both acted in numerous independent films and formed the improv troupe The Stringed Puppeteers.<\/p>\n
His recent credits include the Thai feature Glory Days, the Italian movie Christmas in Beverly Hills, the Butterfinger Defense League campaign and Abraham Lim’s God is D_ad (Best Feature KOFFLA, Best Feature Phoenix Comicon) which he also produced. Carlo is currently training with mentor Joan Scheckel, internationally renowned for her visionary filmmaking and acting labs (Little Miss Sunshine, Whale Rider, Vintner’s Luck). <\/p>\n
I met with Carlo to talk about Indie film, acting, and his recent win at the Korean Film Festival in Los Angeles:<\/p>\n
Carlo:<\/strong> Growing up in Rome is such a unique experience that I am afraid to not give it enough justice and perhaps accidentally spoil Fellini’s awesome depiction. It’s hard to describe the way the city is held under the weight of its own history and to what extent that influences the local culture. It is a blessing, a curse and probably the most influential factor on who I am today as an artist. I had always worked with music and theatre, but it wasn’t until my first day on a movie set that I realized this was what I wanted to do with my life. Italy, unfortunately, has been suffering for sometime in the world of cinema, mostly because there is not the money or structure in place to support a thriving independent film market. The US was the logical next step, so I moved to Chicago and studied Industrial Engineering, Economics and Drama. I know..totally weird choice.<\/p>\n Carlo:<\/strong> Absolutely. It gives me the opportunity to audition for roles of both nationalities and languages which keeps it extremely fun and interesting. The flip side, however is that casting can be somewhat tricky. As long as the story exists solely in a script, the image of the characters exists only in the imaginations of the creators and casting director. What can happen, and often does, is that a character, that could’ve ended up being played by completely different actors, is narrowed down to a very specific “type”. The name “Carlo” (by many read and said Carlos) seems to often evoke the impression of a foreigner with an accent, making it sometimes difficult for me to be seen by casting directors who are not familiar with my work. Ironically, people who meet me never believe I am Italian.<\/p>\n Carlo:<\/strong> The movie you are referring to is “God is D_ad” by Korean writer\/director Abraham Lim. When I met Abe for the first time at my audition in Chicago, we talked for at least an hour about the vision he had for his newest feature. In a matter of minutes, he pulled out his trusty laptop and began showing me footage from the Korean half of the shoot just completed in Seoul. Warriors, caves, a different language…I was literally blown away. His enthusiasm was refreshing and I wanted to be a part of the action. I began line producing the American portion of the film while interpreting the role of “the hitchhiker”. It was both mentally and physically exhausting due to our budgetary and location constraints (keep in mind half of the movie takes place in an 80s RV and we filmed during the summer)….but we were happy and bonded like family. Our win at KOFFLA was amazing!! It was the first time the cast had the opportunity to tour festivals, so as you can imagine we were all completely floored when we received the news. <\/p>\nASIANCE: And you speak both languages fluently, has this helped you in regards to your acting career here in America?<\/h3>\n
ASIANCE: Recently, you produced and acted in a film that won Best Feature at the Korean Film Festival here in Los Angeles. Can you tell us about this project and about your participation in it?<\/h3>\n