Don Johnson Hearts Italy

Ciao a tutti! I most certainly haven’t forgotten my blogging duties. It’s just that my crazy life has taken an unexpected twist, which has had me literally hanging around lately with none other than the formerly-known-as Sonny Crockett, or Nash somebody, or whoever you might think of him as. You’ll no doubt remember Hooray for Romeywood? Well, turns out Mr. Depardieu couldn’t make the film due to “health reasons,” so Mr. Johnson stepped in and saved the day. But, with no native English speakers on the set except said visiting fiancée, I kind of ended up getting thrown into the welcome wagon.

Not that I’m really complaining. Turns out that “DJ” is this super nice, normal and friendly guy. Who would’ve thought? I mean, Hollywood actors don’t really have the best reputations in the world for manners. I always have images of flying cell phones hitting people in the head, and lots of screaming. I have no other famous actors to compare him with based on personal experience, but I can assure you that he is very professional, considerate and totally easy to work with (at least so far). And best of all, he really loves Italy and seems right at home, and even speaks a few words of Italian. What a relief!

This all means, despite the fact that they did finally manage to find a fantastic American named Spencer to be an interpreter (turns out he's lived in the small town where they're shooting for around 15 years or so), I am now back in Rome for one day and am going back with Ale to the set for the rest of the week for the home stretch (supposed to wrap at the end of this week). I will miss my posting on Rome this week but maybe, just maybe, will have something interesting to bring you back upon my return. And of course, Finny is arriving next week! Yay! An international blogfest!

No, I don’t have any pictures of me "chillin' with Don" to post. The main reason being, I prefer not to make a professional actor feel like an animal in a zoo, so thus far I have politely refrained. However, yesterday I was on the set for a photo shoot they were doing for the Italian Vanity Fair. Don dressed up as a mafia boss, draped with scantily bikini-clad women. Priceless. The photographer took one picture just for fun with me, Ale, and the mafioso (sans aforementioned women, thank you very much), that maybe one day I’ll manage to get a copy of.

For now, all I can offer you are the following two photos of my cousin Dario, still on the set waiting for his 15 minutes of fame, which I think actually already arrived. Recently there was a bit of a scandal on the set for a rumored affair, leading to one actress demanding that another actress not be permitted to film a scene, and that left a two-bit part unfilled. Dario was hanging around on the set, stepped up to the plate, and the next thing he knew, he was dressed up in a waiter’s outfit and they were yelling “Ciak!” (Apparently that’s what they say here when that little click-board thing happens. Don’t ask me.)

Until next week folks, I leave you with visions of the set. And no, just in case your devious mind was wondering, I am not going to be selling anything on eBay. (I only bring this up because at Madonna's recent Rome concert, she even asked for new toilet seats to be installed and then removed in her dressing room to avoid just this type of shenaningans. Ooh, fun word.) Although now that I think about it, the other night at dinner I was sitting next to our guest of honor and he accidentally broke a wine glass, and the restaurant owner when picking up the pieces said he wanted to enshrine it in a display case as a sort of memorabilia. So, maybe I can manage to get a hold of a shard. Kidding!! I’m telling you, it’s definitely an “universo parallelo.”

So, without further ado, here’s my little cousin. Maybe we will all look back one day and say that “we knew him when…”

A presto!