We only have one life, so they say do what makes you happy! Today I am speaking with Rico Simonini and he is a firm believer in living your life to the fullest with purpose and to never give up. Here is my Q&A with the handsome and talented Rico Simonini.
David:
Hello Rico, thank you for taking the time out to speak with me. You produced and acted in the film FRANK AND AVA. The love affair between Frank Sinatra and Ava Gardner. Tell me what inspired you to make this film?
Rico:
The screenplay was adapted from a stage play written by the late Willard Manus and developed at the Actors Studio in Los Angeles. The two character play, was a powerful drama that depicted a crucial point in Sinatra’s life, as he was faced with financial ruin, losing his voice, being ostracized by the press, investigated by the government and marginalized by the movie studios and record labels, while facing a failed marriage and being desperately in love with the young budding superstar Ava Gardner, who was being wooed by billionaire Howard Hughes and a handful of other Hollywood leading men. It was a compelling story of hope, dreams and the hopeless romance of a man trying to save himself.
David:
Why is Frank and Ava’s love affair so important?
Rico:
It’s the story of impossible love that transformed Frank forever and ultimately lead to his success and “comeback,” as the heartbreak he suffered from Ava was palpable in his performances in FROM HERE to ETERNITY and MAN with the GOLDEN ARM, as well as the songs of loneliness and despair arranged by the great Nelson Riddle that vaulted Frank back to the top.
David:
How did you prepare yourself to play Frank?
Rico:
My father was my inspiration for playing Frank. Michelle or “Mike the Waiter” as he was known, was a 5’9” baby blue-eyed Italian who lived his life “his way” and by “his code.” He came up in the streets, had high hopes, impossible dreams and sought impossible love. He spent every night until the wee small hours in New York’s swankiest restaurants, night clubs and gambling dens surrounded by celebrities, underworld characters and the women they attracted.
David:
What did you struggle with in making the movie?
Rico:
Just try making a movie with over 100 actors, in two countries with dozens of locations, set in 1950 for a six-figure budget. It was like trying to get stars to line up every time we planned to shoot 10-12 pages of the script. The movie was shot piecemeal, as we’d raise money and shoot, and pretty much edit and do post production the same way.
David:
You are a cardiologist as well as an actor. Two completely different careers. Which do you enjoy the most?
Rico:
Anton Chekhov said that medicine was his wife and theatre his mistress —I don’t think I can choose between the two. However, I can say that as a cardiologist I am able to practice at the highest level commensurate with my training, at one of the top medical centers in the country, surrounded by colleagues renown in their specialties—“A-list” if I may say. I would love for my work, training and abilities as an actor to be recognized and to achieve at that same level. I would like to be able to work with the best of the best as an artist, as I do as a physician.
David:
Do you plan on acting and producing another film?
Rico:
Of course. Producing has been compared to child birth—after prolonged gestation and the pain of parturition — one may swear never again, but then with time the memory of the unpleasantness fades and you are seduced with another project and to tell another story. I have several projects in development.
David:
What have you learned about yourself as an actor and as a doctor?
Rico:
Perseverance always pays off. Being a good listener is tantamount to success. Never acknowledge a ceiling. Sometimes what you don’t do is as or more important as what you do. This is true with acting and medicine. Allow and observe before acting, and never force.
David:
If you could have one wish come true what would it be?
Rico:
Free quality health care for ALL and to have a forum to reach those getting third world health care in America’s wealthiest cities. Also, to star in a film directed by Scorsese, Spielberg or David O. Russell.
David:
If you can go back in time, what would you tell your teenage self?
Rico:
Don’t sell Apple stock and buy Berkshire Hathaway stock. I would tell him the sky is the limit and that he belongs anywhere he chooses to be, doing anything he chooses. Only fly with eagles and beware of ravens who sometimes soar as high, but not with good intentions.
David:
What do you fear?
Rico:
Regret—wasted time, wasted talent, the red light flashing, closing time.
David:
Thank you for your time. Any words of wisdom to all the readers?
Rico:
Don’t let anyone define you. Respect yourself and respect your craft. Don’t waste time with those who don’t believe in you. Become formidable by reading and learning all you can about what you love. You cannot change the game without knowing what the rules are.
Be sure to see Rico Simonini in the new thriller MY LAST BEST FRIEND, starring Eric Roberts and Carol Alt, directed by Filippo M. Prandi. MY LAST BEST FRIEND is playing in theaters in New York, Los Angeles and major cities across the country. mylastbestfriendmovie.com