From working with directors like Quentin Tarantino, Sergio Corbucci and Luis Buñuel to prominent creative collaborations with his Oscar-winning partner, Vanessa Redgrave, Franco Nero’s career has taken him all around the world.
But his next achievement takes him to Hollywood, where Nero will receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Feb. 12. That same week, Nero will receive a top honor from the Filming Italy — Los Angeles festival, which runs Feb. 10-14, celebrating the veteran actor’s success with retrospective screenings.
“It means that I have planted many seeds over these more than 60 years of artistic career, even though a sower never has the certainty of harvesting the fruits of his labor,” Nero tells Variety. “I am deeply moved, proud and honored. That poor boy from the province of Parma managed to accomplish something in life.”
With over 200 credits to his name spanning six decades, Nero has shown no signs of slowing down at the age of 84, starring in both U.S. and Italian productions. But his major breakout was in the 1966 spaghetti Western “Django,” where he played the titular gunslinger.
“What is incredible is that the film almost never got completed due to lack of funding. It was long and exhausting to shoot, but in the end it became one of the biggest box office successes worldwide,” Nero says. “This was thanks to the genius of Sergio Corbucci, a great visionary who knew how to achieve so much with so little — someone from whom many of today’s directors could still learn a great deal.”
Nero has had plenty of experience working with Hollywood directors. He had roles in “Die Hard 2,” “John Wick: Chapter 2” and even the horror film “The Pope’s Exorcist.” Perhaps most memorably, he appeared in Tarantino’s 2012 film “Django Unchained” in an homage to the role that made Nero a household name.
“Working on a Hollywood blockbuster is like being inside a gigantic machine, where even the smallest gear must function perfectly — everything is rigidly planned and executed,” Nero says. “In our Westerns, on the other hand, there was little money, a great deal of imagination, some improvisation and tons of creativity.”
Nero tried his hand at directing with 2005’s “Forever Blues,” an Italian drama about a trumpet player bonding with a young boy. Most recently, he directed the 2022 film “The Man Who Drew God,” which notably starred Kevin Spacey in his first role after the Oscar-winning actor was accused of sexual harassment and misconduct.
“I consider Kevin one of the greatest actors of all time, and I believe that everyone deserves a second chance, whether they have made mistakes or not,” Nero says. “That is why I was very happy to give him my screenplay. There was a role suitable for him, even if it was a character role.”
Nero and Redgrave met and fell in love on the set of the 1967 musical film “Camelot.” They later separated, but the two remarried in 2006 and have starred in a handful of films since, including 2010’s “Letters to Juliet” and “The Estate,” which premiered at Italy’s Torino Film Festival last November.
“I am absolutely convinced that the longevity of my career is also due to a profound lesson I learned from Vanessa: determination. She used to repeat it to me often,” Nero says. “Beyond being the woman of my life, she is the most prestigious living actress — Vanessa is determination personified. For this reason, my artistic longevity and my relationship with Vanessa, dating back to the time of ‘Camelot,’ are deeply connected.”
Tip Sheet
What Franco Nero receives star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
When 11:30 a.m., Feb. 12
Where 1611 Vine St., Hollywood
Web walkoffame.com
Source: variety.com
