Alessandro Calza: The New Italian Hunk

Alessandro Calza is a whole new discovery for the world’s eyes. The Italian web designer, musician, screenwriter and now actor, is always looking for creativity, and a challenge to raise him to the next level in his life. Meeting to Alessandro was a great experience. I talked to a tough guy, who is full of energy.  Behind his powerful masculinity however, you’ll find tenderness and sensibility. I bet with his first movie Ciao, he will be the next Italian sex symbol.

Last December, the 39 year-old crossed the Atlantic to be in the premier of CIAO, a movie released at the Gay Miami Film Festival.  For him, it was a big new experience to be part of a movie project that started through e-mails with director,  Yen Tan. The two put everything together and made a dream come true.  Although the film is an independent, and had a very low budget, it received great reviews in American newspapers and magazines.

“Ciao” involves two strangers, Jeff (Adam Neal Smith) and Andrea (Alessandro Calza) — who become acquaintances after the death of a mutual friend. It is a journey of acceptance and wisdom, in the approach of two men learning to live with their own feelings and emotions. Let’s meet this sexy, talented and creative new Italian hunk.

Was “Ciao”, being your first movie a challenge for you? What was the most difficult part of that challenge? Yes Ciao was my first movie. Not being a trained actor it was a long process to go through but I was lucky Yen Tan, who is a friend, assisted me and was very helpful. The most difficult part was to play a character that is similar, in some ways, to my persona, but at the same time has a different psychology. So it is always hard not to overcome the boundaries of the character risking being ‘yourself’ instead of the character itself. That I think was a the most difficult part

Did you follow step by step instructions from Yen Tan?  After all you guys developed the screen play together via email. We did go through different rewritings of the script and we did conformed dialogues to my character, so when I had to play the part I was pretty comfortable to my dialogues. Also Yen is a very open minded director, always open to suggestions so it was pretty much of a collaborative work.

How much of Alessandro did you use to create your character? Did you use your own feelings and emotions? I think Andrea; my character just has some more superficial and formal aspects of me, but is psychologically and emotionally very different. Andrea is a more reflective person, more introverted yet more emotionally available. I’m definitely less introverted in social interaction but I am very private about my emotions. So eventually we are two very different people substantially…just apparently close.

Did your sexuality, (being gay) help you to create the character? Do you think this was an advantage for you? Well in this case yes, I do believe there is a specific approach that gay people have toward relationships since for most they are sort of difficult especially if you don’t live in an open minded environment, like a small town or some countries. So yes the fact helped me to nail that aspect of my character. Emotionally on the other hand, I think the movie deals with more universal type of feelings, like loss or grief…and those are pretty common for everybody. But for sure the long distance relationship thing was more close to the ‘gay world’ and needed a specific approach.

In the movie we can see the loss and the grief.  We also see a great deal of feelings and emotions.  But you mentioned how difficult is to be gay when are not in a very open-minded environment.  Was it easy for you to come out? Did you have to deal with some intolerance? I have to say that I never had to come out…meaning I was never into any closet. This is at least at a very personal level about my consciousness. As much as I remember I was always in touch with my attractions and feelings then of course you have to deal with the outside world though, so I had some little troubles here and there but nothing dramatic. People always find an excuse to pick on you, that we have to keep into account, whatever u are gay or you belong to any other minority…But there wasn’t really any coming out path for me, it was more growing and being able to protect myself from possible attacks. I think if you are aggressive enough people back off and don’t wanna take you on. That has always been my philosophy.

In a straight world, no one teaches you how to be gay or how to face the pitfalls you may possibly find outside.  How was that process for you as you were growing up? It is very difficult to find role models and that’s pretty hard. This is still a big problem for young generations because you don’t have role models in sports and entertainment, which is where straight people positive role models are. being gay is hard because of that (and because of many other reasons of course) but at the same time is quite good cause it is a chance to reinvent yourself in different terms, to challenge yourself questioning what’s your real self, instead of buying a pre-manufactured way of being from the outside (like most straight people do). It is a great chance, some people take it some people don’t…that’s why eventually, despite diversity, stereotypes are pretty much in the gay scene too.

What do you feel when see The Vatican and the Pope speak out against the decriminalization of homosexuality? The problem with the Vatican is totally internal. Their problem with homosexuality is a phobia they have because they know a large number of priests and clergy is homosexual. They fear that if homosexuality is accepted a lot of people in the clergy will come out as it happened in other churches. In fact divorce is way a bigger sin that homosexual acts, but they don’t rant so much about it and that is because it doesn’t affect them internally…

On top when they attack gay people they know they attack a minority and is not harmful to them if they attack pre marriage sex or divorce they would be against a too large number of people so they don’t do it.

You are very honest and clear with your ideas.  Are you activist? Do you like politics? I don’t take part in any group action, because I don’t believe it is necessary to be in a group at all. I think people should just say and be active at a personal level and there should not be the need of any group. But I feel political meaning that I know whenever I take a position about something (and I usually take it) that is pretty much political

Most people don’t do it because they think they loose a part of their friends, clients, audience and what not…people are ruled by money

Do you see yourself as a gay role model to follow knowing that your movie and future projects can help other gay people? I don’t think in those terms. Is nothing like…I wanna be a role model? I am just trying to be the kind of man I though I would wanna see when I was a kid. I am just trying to be my own ideal, and mostly trying to be myself. Hen if it can be of any help for anybody, well that’s good, I’m happy with it

You are a very creative and artistic person, web designer, photographer, and model in your own photos.  You are also creating your own persona as a famous celebrity.  When did you decided to start your own business, and how did you discover you wanted to be a graphic designer? The graphic design work is something that comes from the very beginning. I used to draw by hand since I did Architecture at University, and then switched to CAD design later in the mid 90s’ finally web and graphic design. I’ve been working with visuals forever.

The concept of the photos on your website reveal a very masculine, strong and sexy man. When I see them I feel a very deep sexual charge.  What did you want to express when you created them? Thanks, well it really depends of the series. I think in general I use references from cinema and photography and try to mix them with my own ideas. This is the basic approach.

There is a lot of controversial photography today, stating at the end of the 70s’, people trying to be transgressor or shocking to attract the viewer. I am doing the opposite. I don’t use any device. I just believe in putting the persona at the centre of photography and sometimes in relationship with the context, the dialogue is then in the viewer mind, what people think is happening. I don’t tell them, I don’t wanna slap their face with shock or terror or trash.

In some ways, seeing you I can feel the macho Italiano.  Is that really you? Of course I am Italian and probably there is some boldness that comes out from my work. But I am very little influenced by Italian cinema, music and art. I’m much more middle-European and North American oriented.

You mentioned you need to be ready for the possibility of homophobic attacks.  Can you elaborate? Yes I was especially interest in using some elements that are very popular in video games and cinema today, like swat gear, guns, but at the same time again, I wanted to make something that was still sort of not clear. People can watch it and draw their own conclusions. Ultimately, whatever I do, I think is about beauty and beauty is everywhere, and you just need to know where to look.

Your music choices for your web site are great!  Madonna would envy you. Music is essential; it is my start point always. Whenever I am working on a project I listen to one song as long as I’m working on the thing. I can listen to the same song hundreds times, with different headphones just to pick up different level of the sound at the end I think that’s the biggest influence. On Bauer I used one of my tracks from my album Tales in Silhouette which I released under the name Mannkenne let me give you the link.  Check it out by clicking here.

Self esteem and ego are very important, and I feel you have a great deal of both.  If you stand up naked in front of the mirror what dimension of Alessandro would your explore that you still don’t know? Well I think it is very important and also very modern to deal with your self image. For ages men have been thought that just women had to focus on their looks while men had to focus on their power and work. When I look at myself I’m never satisfied, no matter how much feedback I get from others.

What do you like most of your body and what do you like least? I think when you work out and have an ideal u always se yourself as not enough ‘perfect’ and ‘deal’ as you thought you should be, more in general I think I’m lucky that I have a pleasant overall. But of course that is never enough.

I know you feel comfortable in front of the cam like in the photo session Hail the new electro.  How was it to work in this project?  Would you pose naked again? That was a very random thing, I took the pictures very late at night and with bad lighting, that’s why they turned Black and White, because black and white fix everything!

I do know how to look best but I am not so perfectly comfortable in front of the camera. Nudity, I don’t think about it specifically, if a project requires it yes, no problem, but I never plan it in the first place, it just happens.

What is your concept of male beauty? I think I can find much different type of men attractive. Sometimes is something very unusual, sometimes is something quite common, it depends. Acting is just one of the things for me but photography is essential because I can manage the whole process myself and I love to be independent. I do find some men, like wrestlers or football players quite attractive.

You stated you like all types of men, but what attract you to athletes and wrestlers? Masculine is a necessary condition and while colour is secondary. I think sportsmen are extremely attractive because a trained body, whatever sport you do, is always more attractive.

People who visit your web sites may think you are a very sexual person.  How do you feel about that? Sexuality has always been a big theme in my life but more at an intellectual level than at a practical level, I am for sure usually too busy with my projects to go out and hook up every other night. I’m not as sexually busy as it might seem. Also getting older I’m more into…well just not sex along but more expressing yourself at different levels together with sex.

Sometimes gay couples break up because they lose communication, and/or a loss of sexual desires for each other.  Sometimes they get into a rut.  What do you think is healthy gay relationship and would you like to get married one day and settle down? I think I do wanna get married at some point like at around 45, something like that. And I wanna have a crazy overnight wedding in Las Vegas! I do believe is possible to have a good relationship, I did have some good relationships in my life so I’m not the jaded type who thinks is impossible. There are a lot of fantastic men around.

All you need to do is to find Mr. Right? As I am saying there is a lot of Mr. Rights Apart from the aesthetic point of view, there are a lot of good men out there. I really like simple and laid back guys. I am not very much into artists or guys who do a creative work. I’m much more for blue collars than artists

What is your major ambition? I think my biggest ambition is to do everything I can in my own terms as much as I can without having to change what I am. Practically I would wanna work more into cinema also, but I’m not gonna do whatever project just for the sake of it. After Ciao I can stop doing movies or starting does more? I will decide based on if I like what I’m offered or not. Actually we are writing a new movie with Yen Tan right now so, for sure I’m gonna act some more.

How much time will take to finish and make the production, and what other projects do you have in mind other than movies or acting? We are thinking of shooting within 2009 but of course it could be delayed because a movie is a very complex thing to make happen. Other than that I do have some more imminent photographic projects for magazines and my website and I will also release another album during 2009. I’m just working on it right now. New photography will also include costume design, so I will work on costume design as well. I did it in the past and I’m gonna pick that up again.

What else would you like to tell our readers? I wish people can come and see CIAO while is out in the theaters in the US in major cities right now, and then will be available on DVD in the spring. I think it can tell something to people and they can easily identify with it though their personal experience.

EXTRA TEST:

If you are the only survivor in an island and have the chance to carry only three things, what would be your choice?

A lighter, an ipod and a solar charger.

What is your ultimate sex fantasy?

It is too disturbing to talk about it J

With what famous artist would you like to have a night of love?

I’m not very attracted by artists…they usually don’t do much sports.

What are your favorite books, food and movies?

Would be a very long list, I’ll just name three.. Diary of a Thief by Jean Genet, Salmon and Tuna Sashimi, Solaris by Steven Sodernbergh

What would you consider to be the perfect romantic meeting?

There are many settings but it always have to be at night.

What are you afraid of?

Myself.

What are the best and the worst compliments you’ve heard?

I heard a lot of stuff of any kind, I take all in consideration but not too seriously.

What is the best and the worst of your personality?

Persistent but impatient.

What can you put in a bad mood? What makes you smile?

Having too many things to do in a short period of time. People getting scared on candid cameras, that really make me smile.

Is there something that make you scream?

At the wrong time, many things.

What is the greatest lesson that you’ve learned about life?

People live mostly of projections.

Do you live thinking about the future or do you like to live the present?

I have an imaginative mind so I do live in the future a lot, but I would like to live in the present more.

If you die and come back reincarnated, would you  want to be the same person or who or what would you like to be?

I would be very happy to be myself again another time.

What is your idea of earthly happiness?

Awareness instead of knowledge and religion would make things quite better.

Who are your favorite heroes of fiction?

Marvel superheroes..

The quality you most like in a man?

Being easy going and laid back.

The quality you most like in a woman?

Being independent and not marriage oriented.

What you don’t like to see in the world?

People turning faith into rules for everybody else.

What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery?

Ego issues projected on other people around you.

Where would you like to live?

Arizona.

Who are your favorite characters in history?

Osho.

Who are your favorite heroines in real life?

Can’t think of any..

What would you like to hear from GOD when you arrive in heaven?

I was waiting for you.

Find out more about Alessandro by clicking here!

capurroantonio@gmail.com