‘Parthenope’ Star Shares How Gary Oldman Comforted Her

February 9, 2025

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Oscar-winning filmmaker Paolo Sorrentino’s new film throws a lot at you in its 137 minutes, not just in terms of themes and story developments, but new characters along the way as well. Parthenope stars the wondrous Italian actress Celeste Dalla Porta in the eponymous role, with the sprawling narrative chronicling her free-spirited life virtually from start to finish. Throughout her various endeavors across native Naples and more, she stumbles upon a vast array of characters who simply cannot look away from Parthenope’s intoxicating beauty. That includes the well-dressed, wealthy poor soul of a man, John Cheever, portrayed by none other than Academy Award winner Gary Oldman.

MovieWeb recently spoke with Dalla Porta, alongside interpreter Lilia Pino Blouin, to learn more about pulling off Parthenope’s standout scenes with Cheever against a picturesque Italian backdrop — under Sorrentino’s masterful direction. “Naturally, working with Gary Oldman for me was one of the most emotional moments of my life,” Dalla Porta told us. “I was familiar with his work and I loved him as an actor, but I also felt before this that he was very far from me because, for me, it was impossible to even fathom that one day I could be in the same scene as Gary Oldman. So it was unexpected and so marvelous and so outside of anything that I could ever think of.”

“I perceived, on his part, that he was determined to make me feel at ease and free — just like Paulo Sorrentino’s attitude, which was very similar,” continued Dalla Porta adding:

“I believe that this is something that great professionals have in common. When they work together as a team, they tend to include everybody, and they have this attitude of listening to other people and sort of paying attention to how they feel, especially in a job which is like the job we do on a film set, where empathy and empathy with the characters is so vital. So, behind the character of John Cheever, as portrayed by Gary Oldman, I saw a wonderful person, a humble person, a special person. And I’m very, very grateful that I had the chance to get to know him.”

“Guided” by Voices: Paolo Sorrentino as an Actor’s Director

The vibe of Parthenope in its entirety certainly feels consistent with Sorrentino’s other work (The Great Beauty, This Must Be the Place, The Young Pope), with long sequences that lack any sort of verbal exchanges and thus allow us to immerse ourselves into the heroine’s world on a more intimate level. “I was always sort of guided by Paulo, even in the parts where we didn’t really have any dialogue in the script,” Dalla Porta told us. She continued:

“But being guided doesn’t mean that there was any rigidity to it or any sort of severe or stern attitude. He, on the other hand, gives me a lot of freedom, and he allowed me to work the way I saw fit as an actress, especially in this desire to explore and to feel free in every scene. On the other hand, I always felt that there was a connection there, in terms of his guide or his guidance and his gaze. Therefore, there was a camaraderie even behind the scenes with less dialogue, which truly allowed me to feel guided.”

Now you can let Sorrentino guide you through Naples, too. From A24, Parthenope is now playing in U.S. theaters.