MY MOVIE
MASTERMIND
Is Django off the chain?
FRANCO NERO
WORDS DAMON WISEFRANCO NERO SCORES 9
“Almost the same as Quentin? That is good.”THE TIME OF THEIR LIVES IS IN CINEMAS FROM
10 AUGUST5
In 1978, you appeared in Force 10 From
Navarone. Who played the part of Colonel
Mike Barnsby?
It was Harrison Ford. You know, if you read the
original book, the leading man was Greek, and
I was supposed to play the leading man. But then
they changed it, because Harrison Ford made,
a year before, Star Wars, and it was an incredible
success all over the world. And so they said,
“Franco, let’s change your part.” But I accepted
that — because they gave me more money.
Correct.6
In 1982 you worked with the notorious Rainer
Werner Fassbinder on Querelle. Who wrote
the novel that it was based on?
Jean Genet. You know, Fassbinder was very
shy. One day, I went to his house, and there were
all my movies. He had VHS cassettes of all my
movies. But it was a nice set. Andy Warhol came
many times [to his house].
Correct.7
You played Esperanza in Die Hard 2. What
happens to him?
One second, I’m thinking. Esperanza... Well,
I was on the plane, and the plane got, how you
say, exploded. So I died. What I remember about
that movie is that we flew all over the States,
because that year, there was no snow. And they
couldn’t find the snow. So finally, they found
some snow in Denver, Colorado. And then, most
of the snow was in the studio. Fake snow!
Correct.8
In the dubbed Italian version of Cars 2 you
voiced a character called Topolino. What
kind of car is Topolino based on?
Well, Topolino is a typical Italian car. Very
popular at that time. And my wife Vanessa, she
played Topolina. His wife. It was very funny.
Incorrect. The precise answer is Fiat 500.9
You returned as Django for a cameo in
Quentin Tarantino’s Django Unchained.
Jamie Foxx’s Django spells out his name for you.
What do you reply?
“I know.” Quentin insisted that I had to play this
cameo, and he kept me in New Orleans almost
a month. Originally, my cameo was much, much
longer. But then he cut it, because the movie was
very long anyway. It was five hours long.
Correct.10
This year you were seen in John Wick:
Chapter 2. You play a character called
Julius. What is his job?
He’s the director of the hotel in Rome. The
Continental. That was another cameo. You do
a cameo, which means a few scenes, and then
they cut a little bit. But it’s alright. I love Keanu.
Correct.1
Who composed the soundtrack to your 1966
hit Django?
It’s Luis Bacalov. He’s a great composer. He’s from
Argentina, but has been living in Rome for years.
Correct.2
In 1968 you were nominated for a Golden
Globe for Camelot. In which category?
At that time, it was called Newcomer Of The
Year. But then also, in Camelot, the song that
I was singing won the Golden Globe — If Ever
I Should Leave You. I was hoping they would be
giving me the award, but it goes to the song.
Correct.3
On Camelot, you met your future wife,
Vanessa Redgrave. What was the name of
the next film you made with her?
Okay, with her, I made many movies. After that,
we made a movie with a great Italian director
— Elio Petri. The movie was called A Quiet Place
In The Country [in 1968]. For me, Elio Petri is the
best Italian director. I call him the Italian Kubrick.
Correct.4
In 1970 you worked with the legendary Luis
Buñuel, on Tristana. Do you remember where
it was filmed?
Oh, the movie was shot in Toledo. It was great
working with him. Buñuel was a genius. You
know, he never called me Franco, because he was
against General Franco, the dictator of Spain. So
he called me “Nero!” Always — “Nero! Nero!”
Correct.LEADER
BOARD
Ben Kingsley 9.5
Christopher Lee 9.5
David O. Russell 9.5
Quentin Tarantino 9.5
Paul W.S. Anderson 9
Guillermo del Toro 9
Werner Herzog 9
Franco Nero 9
Robert Rodriguez 9
Bryan Singer 8.5ALAMY