“I’m deeply vulnerable.”
Photographed in Milan by Nicolas Wagner
Styling by Gianluca Cococcia
Hair and Makeup by Maddalena Branda
Production by Bianca Lanzara and Syria Atzeni
above: total look DOLCE & GABBANA
CRUSHfanzine: Who was your first crush?
Emanuel Caserio: My very first crush was on TV: I was madly in love with Cristina D’Avena as Licia in Love Me Licia. In real life, it was a girl named Verdiana… I completely lost my head over her, but I have to say that at some point, the feeling was mutual.
CF: Do you remember your very first role?
EC: Inspector Rex, I played a featured guest character. When they told me I got the part, I thought I had made it. But soon after, I realized the road ahead was long and full of twists.
CF: What is the one thing you would change about your past, if you could?
EC: The loss of my brother. He was only 9 years old when he flew to heaven.
CF: What is the one question you dread being asked?
EC: “What do you expect from the future?” I honestly have no clue. But I will say this: the child I used to be would have never imagined all that I’ve done. I’m very proud of what I’ve accomplished, both professionally and personally.
CF: What is one thing you’d like to achieve by this time next year?
EC: Starting my own business, starring in a film, and landing a job abroad.
CF: What is the most valuable thing you’ve learned from a friend?
EC: That dialogue is the most important tool we have to grow and improve every single day.
CF: Is it easier to give or to receive compliments?
EC: It’s definitely easier for me to give them. Receiving them makes me pretty uncomfortable.
CF: Do you have any hidden talents?
EC: I can sing fairly well, paint with coffee, sculpt with clay, and I have a green thumb; I have over 15 plants at home that I truly care about.
CF: What is your favorite thing about yourself?
EC: I think I know how to sit at any table.
CF: How do you describe a good acting performance?
EC: When I don’t see the character, but the person. That’s when the actor did a good job. I don’t like seeing someone “acting,” I like seeing someone inhabiting a soul.
CF: What’s your favorite curse word?
EC: Vaffanculo (Fuck you). Simple and direct. I think it sounds great.
CF: Do you have any rituals before the first day of shooting?
EC: No personal rituals. Actually, there are common set rituals, like if the script falls to the ground, you’re supposed to slap it three times… I’ve never done that.
CF: How did the success of Deceitful Love change your career?
EC: It didn’t really change my career directly, but something definitely shifted inside me after Netflix. It created a sort of split between the old Emanuel and the one I want to become. Netflix gave me confidence in that sense.
CF: You played a lawyer, an entrepreneur… what’s next for you?
EC: I’d love to play a superhero, a killer… something very far from who I am. I wouldn’t mind doing the lead in a sharp comedy, either.
CF: Is Salvatore a distant memory or still part of your life?
EC: Salvatore is a part of my life, he always will be. I owe him a lot. Is vulnerability a strength?
Today, I’d say yes. Maybe yesterday I would have answered differently. I’m deeply vulnerable. I believe vulnerability carries an insatiable need to feel alive and to be constantly evolving.
suit and shirt BOGLIOLI, shoes HOGAN
total look MISSONI
total look MISSONI
total look VERSACE
