There was a golden age in which it was our stars that drove Americans crazy, from neorealism to Fellini, from De Sica to Mastroianni, from Lollo to Lauren. Then our light faded – with notable exceptions, of course, from Salvatores to Tornatore and Benigni, but still exceptions: because for some time now we Italians have become accustomed to falling in love with overseas stars, with our own VIPs, a very small VIP in another place. Something is changing. Love for some time again began to reciprocate.
A new generation of Italians is lighting the sparks in America. The first and most prominent example is Måneskin, blessed by Jimmy Fallon and chosen by the Rolling Stones, now candidates with video the loneliest at the MTV Awards and a new single. Their followers behind the homegrown stars were never seen except during Modugno’s time.
Another small-big Copernican revolution is taking place in the world of movies and TV shows: a universe where Italy hasn’t really arrived. More precisely, some of our products managed to cross the Alps, but it is unlikely that a Roman, Sicilian or Lombard actor attracted the attention of the majors, not to mention the Stars and Stripes press. Sabrina Impacciatore made sure to reverse this trend: seeing her in White Lotus 2, America understood that there is a New World. Our. The former Non è la Rai star has become highly sought after: she has been a guest on Jimmy Kimmel, one of the most popular foreign shows; Tv Line magazine named her “Performer of the Week” and Variety even dedicated a time and place to her appearance. Then came the climax with a 2023 Emmy Award nomination also received by Simone Tabasco, also in TWhite Lotus 2 and on the crest of a wave.
The success of our faces is not only a matter of the star system, Italy benefits from this, and not only in terms of image, as the case with white lotus 2: Scenes filmed in Italy and set in Sicily (according to what was recently discussed at the Audiovisual Producers Summit in Trieste) generated an economic impact of 32 million euros, created 1,500 jobs and paid wages equal to 8 million euros. Over the past year, flights from the US to Italy have increased by 205% and from Germany by 265%. 700 Italian companies contributed to the GDP of 38 million euros. However, already in 2021, Sicily was one of the most popular destinations for American and foreign tourists: last winter, the New York Times reported a dizzying increase in online searches for places to white lotus 2.
Americans are also crazy about Matilda De Angelis: the critically praised “Cancellation”, she competed for the scene with the main character Nicole Kidman. He repeated this with the Netflix-branded series Lidia Poët and will soon appear in the super-spy version of the franchise. Citadel: Diana on Prime Video. And again: in the second season of the sequel Sex in the city, And also…2 (Sky), Sebastiano Pigazzi has landed. Discovered by Luca Guadagnino in We are who we are (another director the world envies), the young twenty-year-old – Bud Spencer’s nephew – makes headlines for his talent and his character’s “skills” (those who have seen it know, no spoilers). Before him, Giacomo Gianniotti, Dr. DeLuca for 6 years on the show, paved the way for the show. Grey’s Anatomybefore the writers “killed” him in a heartbreaking farewell scene with Meredith (Ellen Pompeo) that left millions of viewers in tears. In the group it is impossible not to mention the older artists, namely the very good Lorenzo Richelmi, launched by the Marco Polo series, and Pierfrancesco Favino. Also of note is the ascent of Salvatore Esposito: Gomorrah turned him into a star, then we saw him in fargo 4 and soon he will make an American film, the title of which has not yet been disclosed.
This is about film and television. We are still unavailable when it comes to food and fashion. The most famous and envied chef is Massimo Bottura, but Americans also adore Celestino Drago, considered the pioneer of Italian cuisine on the California West Coast, who boasts actor Dustin Hoffman and singer Justin Bieber among his regulars. Giada De Laurentiis also pays a lot of attention: a chef and culinary blogger, she is the only Italian who was included in the ranking of the richest chefs in the world (her fortune is estimated at $ 30 million). He even plans to launch his own brand of Giadzy Pasta. They are joined by a group of chefs led by Carlo Cracco and Gabriele Bonci (renamed “Michelangelo of Pizza” by the foreign press). When it comes to fashion and fashion trends, Chiara Ferragni remains the undisputed diva, who, shouting “Hey guys!”, Gathers millions of followers. Italy is like America.