Although Valentine’s Day is over, it is still the perfect time to be in the rom-com spirit with the new Netflix film La Dolce Villa, available to stream now! Since its debut, the film is currently number one on the Netflix charts. Before the film’s release, we chatted with Giuseppe Futia who stars as Giovanni to learn more about starring in his first international film and how he prepared to play his character. 

La Dolce Villa follows Eric Field, played by Scott Foley, a dad who rushes to Italy after his daughter tells him she’s purchasing a cheap Italian villa to restore. Naturally, Eric feels he has to go there to stop what he feels is a poor decision but once there, Eric discovers the romantic lure of Italy. Violante Placido plays Francesca and Maia Reficco plays Olivia, Eric’s daughter.

Giuseppe’s character Giovanni is a local Montezara chef who clearly has an eye for Olivia.

Giuseppe is new to the Hollywood scene but he has been working on his craft for many years leading up to this breakout role. Giuseppe’s career began in modeling and he has had roles in several Italian films including U.S. Palmese, Still Out of My League and Backstage: dietro le Quinte. 

“I felt a rush of adrenaline [when I booked the role].”

Giuseppe said he originally auditioned for a smaller role in the film, but he was later asked to send in another tape for the larger, heartthrob role of Giovanni. Giuseppe was born in Calabria, Italy and said he loved returning to his home country to film and see new places. 

“I was really happy to go back to my country.”

In preparing to play Giovanni, Giuseppi said he read through the script many times and tried to understand how Giovanni would fit within the cast of characters. Giuseppe said he was originally nervous that the film would portray Italian stereotypes as it was directed by an American but he was instantly proven wrong, with the film remaining true to Italian culture.

“I wanted to understand not only [Giovanni] as a character but how his features help tell the story.”

While playing a chef, Giuseppe said he and Scott Foley also took cooking classes together and learned to make pasta and pizza from scratch. Giuseppe had to hone in on Giovanni’s charm and passion for cooking and found similarities through his own passion for acting and the arts.

Giuseppe works closely alongside Maia Reficco in the film and he said their chemistry felt instantly natural and they had many pasta dates and sightseeing trips around Rome to get to know each other.

“I love Maia so much and she is the easiest person to work with… I learned a lot from her, not only on the technical side but also the emotional side.”

As a breakout actor in his first international film, Giuseppe gave us some great tips into relieving tension and nerves on set and he said he relied upon reading comfort books and also meditating to be more present.

“Meditation definitely helps with the craft because I feel I am a better listener.”

Thank you, Giuseppe, for chatting with Young Entertainment! Make sure to follow him on his Instagram at @giufutia. Watch the rest of the interview where we ask him more about finding opportunities in America as an Italian actor and stay tuned till the end where we do a rapid fire round of firsts. While you’re there, be sure to like and subscribe to our channel for the latest news in young entertainment. 

Consider this:

• Diction refers to the clarity in which an actor pronounces words. Whether you are taking on a character with a different accent or simply just saying new words, there are many effective exercises to improve articulation, such as saying tongue twisters or repeating your lines aloud.
• Meditation is a great form of stress relief. It helps to relieve tension and allow you to be present in the moment.