INT: Asia Argento

Last Updated on July 28, 2021

The Arrow
interviews Asia Argento

Arrow
recently had the chance to
take part in a round-table session with the lovely Asia Argento. Our little girl
now has a little girl of her own and is co-starring in her first big
US $$$ flick called XXX with Vin “biceps” Diesel. Here’s what went
down.


What do you make
of the whole publicity blitz?

ASIA: It’s fun. It’s the
only reason that I’m here. I hope that you all go see the movie. In Italy,
when we do that sort of thing, I feel like I’m selling my candy to
each person. When you initially have a movie coming out, you
go to the main cities and it feels like your selling your candies to
the kids and you hope that the
kids like your candy and come back to the shop and buy more. It’s the whole purpose.



ARROW: What was it
about XXX that made you go the blockbuster way? You’ve been avoiding the blockbusters
for like 10 years.


ASIA: I haven’t been
avoiding the blockbusters, maybe they’ve been avoiding me.



ARROW: Maybe. What
was it about this one that made you say “yes”?

ASIA: I thought it was really
fun. It came at a different time in my life, I felt stronger after my
daughter and
felt like I could go out and try to do something like this and
challenge myself further, since I’ve never done anything like this
before. I thought that
with my job in Europe I had done
everything I could have but this was starting another dream for me.



ARROW: Are you
signed on to the possible sequel?


ASIA: Yeah, I hope so…I hope I’m in
it!

You
see yourself transitioning to more Hollywood films now?


ASIA: I don’t really have plans for
my career.



Would you ever
consider directing in Hollywood?


ASIA: I don’t think
the stories that come into my mind would be acceptable in Hollywood.
Kind of crooked, kind of not linear, the narrative is a little too
broken up, but the next movie I’m going to direct…I’m going to do
in America. I’m already signed for that but postponing it because I
think I’d like to do another movie as an actress before. I have to
wait a little bit and see what happens with this movie, but I would
do it with American money. The movie that I’m going to do is a really small
one.

You have a script
for it?


ASIA: Yeah I’m writing it, I have
the rights for a book.



You can’t say what
book?


ASIA: It’s bad luck. In Italy, first
you do something and then you talk about it. I don’t like these
people that just sit at parties with champagne in their hands
saying “Oh, I’m going to do this movie…” and then they never do it
because
it’s bad luck and they don’t know the trick: never talk about your
projects.



ARROW: How about
the films you’ve already directed in Italy, “L’Assazion”,
“Scarlet Diva”…will
they ever get wide distribution in America, maybe on video?


ASIA: Not wide, but Scarlet Diva is
coming out in New York on the 9th of August, I guess they
want to ride the wave and I think it’s opening in LA on the 20th
of September, which is my birthday. A pretty good gift.

ARROW: That’s very
kool…and L’Assenzion?


ASIA: Most of the other ones are short movies and they went to festivals and places but they
won’t get
distributed.

When you signed
on to do XXX, did you expect it to be as big as it seems it will be?

ASIA:
No, I didn’t think about that, that would’ve scared me, but it
wouldn’t have prevented me from doing it since I wanted to do it no
matter what, small, big, I don’t do movies for what they will
“do”, but
because I love them and when you put too many expectations onto
something like I did in the past, it never works. So this time I said
to myself, just do it and enjoy doing it which is the best possible
thing you can do for the movie– to live what your doping, to respect
the movie that you’re doing.

ARROW: Did you get
a couple of kicks out of the “ra-ta-ta-ta-tat” in the
movie– you know,
kicking that ass?


ASIA: Oh yeah! I really
enjoyed it!



ARROW: Do you
think one day we’ll see Asia Argento lead action hero kicking all kinds
of bootie?

ASIA: It should happen because there aren’t many
movies like that which made with women.



ARROW: Charlie’s
Angels.


ASIA: But they are not like that
exactly,
there are 3 of them. One super hero female would be good.



ARROW: I think it
would work.


ASIA: “La Femme Nikita” is like that, but
it’s
French. Lots of cheese and cigarettes.



ARROW: You can’t go
wrong with that. Did you do all of your own stunts in XXX?

ASIA: Not all of them, the ones
that they
asked me to do I did, but I wasn’t scared of anything. I was enjoying
the experience and you get a real adrenaline rush when you do these
things. I did as much as they asked me to do.

I saw you
with the crowd out there…have you always been that natural with
groups socially?


ASIA: No, I’m very shy and that’s my
nature which is why I had to build this fortress, or maybe it’s not a
fortress. I’ve been doing this for a while now, talking to people
so I basically just say to myself “this is good, you have nothing to worry
about” and I just have a conversation with
people.

Is it empowering to
be on a stage and be commanding in front of people?

ASIA: In the past, maybe
a little, but now it’s
just a conversation. In the past, I used to be very aggressive
to see what it would lead to and what I could bring out of people by saying outrageous, controversial things
just to see their reaction. I was testing my limits and
the
audiences’ limits and now I don’t have that fantasy anymore, I don’t
have that urge anymore, it doesn’t give me anything to do that. In
the past, I was more rebellious– been there, done that.

What was your
working relationship like with Vin Diesel?


ASIA: Very good. I think it shows in
the movie that we were very connected. I loved working with him…I’m sorry
I’ve been saying this so many times these days and I really believe
it. I was thinking about this the other day, and how it might
diminish my
true feelings when I put it into words.
But deep in my heart, I have very strong feelings for him as a person
and I think he’s incredible. There’s nothing more that really
needs to be said.



ARROW: Is there an
American director who you’d love to work with…you’re dying to work
with?


ASIA: No. I’m not an ambitious
actress, there are a lot of directors that I admire but my ego
doesn’t come between my admiration “Oh, I love him, so I want to work
with him”. I basically say, “No, I love him and I hope he keeps doing great movies for
the rest of his life”. I can name hundreds of directors that
I admire in America, but I don’t want to work with them. Whenever you
work with your heroes, they will not be your heroes after the movie
is done. I’d rather have them as my heroes.

ARROW: Fair enough. Thanks Asia.

ASIA: Thank you.

Chit-chatting with Asia was a
blast. She’s even more charming and
vivacious in person. This job really has its perks…DAMN!

Source: Arrow in the Head

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