by Ibrahim Shehata

Question: After decades on the world stage, your fame is now reaching the pinnacle of cinema. Why?
W: It is a tragedy. You see, Wardal—the persona—has usurped the life of the actual person, Federico.
Question: But who is Wardal, the figure who inspired Billy Wilder, Hitchcock, and Fellini?
W: Wardal? A creation of mine—born, or rather reborn, at the age of fourteen, because I was not satisfied with having been born to my parents, whom I subsequently abandoned. I choose whether to be born or to die; no one else does.
Question: You belong to an ancient dynasty. Did that not matter to you either?
W: I have often stated on television—even in Egypt—that being a descendant of Cleopatra VII “obscures” my identity.
Question: Wardal’s identity, or Federico’s?
W: It limits my freedom. I am consistent: I do not accept being born of someone else; I am free to be born of myself.
Question: But you are not free, considering that Wardal—your creation—has killed you, his author.
W: That is only a partial truth, for I, the author, continue to update the script that Wardal performs.
Question: But Federico is not merely Wardal’s author; he is a person with a life of his own.

W: My three loves loved Wardal; therefore, Federico—being in love with the very same loves as Wardal—had to give up on love. I spoke to her about tragedy from the very beginning. And now that my fame is on an unstoppable rise, I am forced to live with that fame, while my loves move in the opposite direction.
Question: Does this cause you suffering?
W: Yes, I suffer greatly, for I see no solution to this tearing apart of my own self.
Question: And if your fame were to come to a halt one day, what would change in your life?
W: The curtain would fall forever; the darkness would be absolute.
Question: But you would remain a legend, an icon; darkness would never descend upon you.
W : All three of my loves lived off my icon; they had no interest in seeing me in the flesh. When I met Billy Wilder and Gloria Swanson, we discussed this. It was 1974, and both Billy Wilder and Gloria Swanson foresaw my destiny.
Q: Yes—in Wilder’s Sunset Boulevard, Norma Desmond, a silent film star, deludes herself into thinking she can dominate the sound era as well. W: And she is forced to kill the young, attractive screenwriter played by William Holden, because that crime would bring her back to the center of attention. Q: And you, Wardal—how did you treat your loves? W: I tried in vain to wake them from the dreams in which they loved Wardal, so that they might love Federico—that is, themselves.
Question: Did it fail?
W: My three loves never woke from their dreams; I had to leave them, and they didn’t even notice—they simply went on living in the world of Wardal.
Question: Tell me, which films are propelling your fame toward the “Boulevard of Dawn”?
Wardal: There are two films in which I play the lead role. Both are based entirely on poetry: the first, Anita, is based on a poem by Garibaldi, and the second is based on a poem by José Rizal, a hero of the Philippines.
The first film is overseen by Francesco Garibaldi Hibbert, with music by Andrea Ceccomori; the second, Kamusta kayo Dr. Rizal, features the masterful direction of young Hollywood filmmaker Jason Zavaleta. This film could be a winner at one of the world’s most important festivals, the LA Tribune International Film Festival (August 13–16). The other film, Anita, appears to be the most anticipated cinematic event at the Gramado International Film Festival in Brazil—the largest film festival in Latin America. It will be presented on August 19.
Question: Are you working on other films?
W: Yes. I will be starring alongside a young Hollywood star in a film written for me by Jason Zavaleta: Start on Market.
Question: What is it about?
W: Valentin—my character—frees an attractive young man from the masks that stifle his true identity; these masks crumble under the impact of painful events.
Question: Are there any other films you are working on?
W: Yes. Narcisse Fluid by Jennifer Glee.
I am writing it, and I will play the lead role alongside a cast of international film stars.
The film—a thriller—focuses on a character who, unlike the one in Zavaleta’s film, never frees himself from the masks of a fabricated self; this false persona has prevented him from truly being born and assuming an authentic identity.
The film marks the cinematic debut of the famous young fashion designer Antonio Zaru.
Question: Any other news?
W: Yes, some big news: Fellini and Federico… a film of no return by Jennifer Glee will soon be back in theaters, fully remastered.
In its original release, the film won 150 awards, ranking as one of the most acclaimed films of the 2000s.
Question: Why is the film being re-released in a fully remastered version?
W: Innovative concepts that were already present in the original version are now highlighted more prominently.
Question: Which ones?
W: It is the story of a young mute actor who, on the centenary of Federico Fellini’s birth, is summoned by a magician—a friend of the famous maestro—to act in a film. Unbeknownst to the actor, his audition turns into his actual participation in the movie, but the magician explains that he is now a prisoner within the film itself.
Terrified, the actor tries to escape, but the magician makes him realize that doing so would not allow him to break through the barriers trapping him inside the film.
However, there is a major plot twist that enables the actor to regain his voice.
The film is rich in themes concerning creativity, fame, and death.
Question: Wardal, your popularity extends to television as well. W: Yes, for a few years now I’ve been hosting the “Count Wardal TV Show” on the American channel SF CH 29—a weekly cultural and arts program featuring famous guests. The show also has an audience in Europe, Latin America, Asia, and the Arab world.
Question: Do you bring your major events to Italy as well?
W: Yes. I staged “Nemo”—a previously unperformed work by Pirandello—at the Teatro Planet in Rome, following my success at the Italian Cultural Institute in San Francisco. And this year, I achieved great success in Rome at Via Margutta 90 with my performance “Dante, Pasolini, Dario Bellezza, Wardal: All Infernal” at the Area Contesa Arte gallery (run by Tina and Teresa Zurlo); the production featured costumes by Antonio Zaru, with Adriana Russo as godmother, and Adriano Aragozzini and Francesco Garibaldi Hibbert as godfathers.
Question: Thank you.
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