On 2 April 1985 near Trapani, Sicily, the mafia attempted to kill the magistrate Carlo Palermo by detonating a car bomb as he passed by. However, Barbara Rizzo and her two six-year-old twin sons, Salvatore and Giuseppe Asta, died in the attack. while the magistrate was only slightly injured. the third daughter, Margherita, just by chance was not in the car with her mother that morning. The massacre became one of the most dramatic symbols of mafia violence against the state and innocent civilians.
Playing Margherita Asta in the film A future Apriltonight on Rai 1, directed by Graziano Diana, and based on the autobiographical book of the same name, is the young actress Ludovica Ciaschetti, 23 years old, with whom we had a long chat about her experience in the film and her training both as an actress and as a spiritual and cultural one. «For me it was very interesting to have the opportunity to enter into such important stories, which have gone so deep into the human soul and which, without a film, would not have had a voice or the possibility of being heard. So, in addition to being a great artistic, civil and social opportunity, it is also a great human possibility: that of discovering oneself better, of understanding better and of facing one’s own experience through the stories of others.”
Have you met Margherita Asta?
«Yes, I met her during filming, when the film had already started. It was an extremely emotional meeting. We said a few words to each other, because we didn’t need to say much: I knew her story and she knew what we were doing and how we were doing it. It was reassuring to have her in front of me, hearing her talk about her experiences and the scenes we were working on. I imagine it must have been heartbreaking for her to see herself in me again. We also had the chance to meet on a day when I personally wasn’t working, so we were both spectators of what was happening on set. In short, it was beautiful.”
Did you already know about the Pizzolungo massacre?
«No, I didn’t know about this story, however, as you grow up and study, you become aware of certain things, in this case the mafia. And I believe it is important to apply what we study about the past to today’s everyday life, which in my opinion is the most difficult aspect of school education. There is nothing that happened in the past that was “inhuman”: they were human beings, like us. And it is important to understand that certain things happened then, happen today and can happen again in the future. This is why it is essential to feel present with respect to that past and the present, to prevent them from happening again. When I learned that there was the possibility of working on this project, I researched as much as possible and tried to make that story my own. It’s something we often lack: knowing the stories. This is why it is so important to tell them.”
Margherita Asta, despite the tragedy she experienced, retained a strong faith in God and Providence. Is there room for faith in your life too?
«I always have a bit of difficulty answering this question, in the sense that I don’t know how to materialize what I believe in much, I don’t know how to give a specific name. I grew up in a Catholic family which however always left me absolutely free. I also believe a lot in Providence, that is, in the fact that things happen for a reason and that, at a certain point, we have to do something with what happens to us. Perhaps we find ourselves faced with certain experiences precisely in order to understand others. I believe it is impossible not to take into consideration that there is something bigger than us which, at times, acts in our lives, regardless of the name we give it. I don’t know if this can be attributed to a specific figure or to something broader. I’m still trying to figure it out and I’m very young, so I don’t feel the need to give myself a definitive answer right away. And I like to live with this doubt, to let myself be surprised by what happens to me.”
Why and when did you decide to pursue acting?
«Let’s say it was a combination of many factors. I have always been a lively child and I have always played sports, then I got injured and having to stay still for a long period put me in difficulty. I was looking for something to do to keep me busy. I was also shy, or at least I had some difficulty in relationships. So I thought about taking an acting course, but not with the intention of making it a profession, but rather to discover myself better or in any case to give me the chance to play a little more with myself and with who I am.”
Was the acting school in Pescara?
«I was born in Atri, in the province of Teramo, and I grew up in Chieti. Then I went to high school in Pescara, where there was this acting school. I was still studying when I passed my first audition and made my acting debut in the Netflix series Summertime. From that moment I knew that I really wanted to be an actress. After high school I entered the Silvio d’Amico Academy in Rome.”
And it was while you were studying at the Academy that you were chosen for the role of Elisa Claps. As a young woman, how did you experience that terrible story of violence, also made up of omissions and cover-ups?
«There are always many questions I ask myself. Violence against women has not yet been completely eliminated in our society. There is still a lot to do to protect ourselves, to feel safer and more protected, to ensure that everything we feel every day becomes just an extreme case and not the norm. I think it is important to educate boys and girls from an early age, to make them understand how important it is to respect others, to respect a woman and every human being, regardless. But it is also important that violence has a name and that the perpetrators have a precise name, and that there are consequences for the actions of each of us. It is important to feel responsible as human beings present in the society in which we live.”
Do you love reading?
“Yes. Reading has always been part of my life. I’m currently reading A spiritual thing by Vasco Brondi e The misadventures of truth by Galimberti. Sometimes I need to feel reassured by knowing that other human beings feel the way I feel or have experienced creative and spiritual processes similar to mine.”
So you are looking for many answers in philosophy, psychology, reflections?
«Yes, it also depends on the moment I’m living in. I also like to accompany myself with poetry books, but non-fiction helps me more to find answers.”
Upcoming jobs?
«Now I’m about to start the new season of May God help us and I just finished filming a movie for Netflix called The avalanchedirected by Elisa Amoruso».
