What makes you decide whether to make a movie or not? And - in the case of 'The Man Who Dreamt With Eagles', what made you accept the role of Rocco Ventura?
The story of a movie has to be 'larger than life' for me to decide to make it. My friend Alessandro Jacchia proposed the idea of making 'The Man Who Dreamt With Eagles' to me. He showed me a newspaper clipping of an article about the misfortune of a shepherd in Ireland. Since I had wanted to film a contemporary story for some time, I agreed to do it. I rarely agree to a movie on the first meeting, but I liked the idea to interpret a story that deals with the loss of identity, the traditions of a town, it seemed to be a contemporary burning topic to me.

Have you consulted a professional to look convincing in the role of a cheese manufacturer?
I made a short course in Catanzaro with an expert in the art of cheese manufacturing. It was supposed to last only an hour but I stayed there the whole day.

The character Rocco Ventura says: "Enthusiasm is the best medicine". Do you agree?
Yes, certainly. I have always been enthusiastic, which has always helped me to have an optimistic outlook. I have tried to express this enthusiasm also through my movies, maintaining a line of giving positive messages.

Have you expected the success of 'Don Matteo'? Why do you think that the viewers like him so much?
To be honest, I didn't expect such a great success. The reasons? I don't know what to say, maybe the viewers have appreciated the mix of thriller, drama and comedy.

Would you like to play a 'bad guy'?
No. I have done it in the past, but today I have no interest, I don't have the wish to demonstrate that I can play a bad guy. I would like to return to westerns but that genre is out of date and it's difficult to find good stories.

Is it true that you wanted to have an Andalusian horse for the film 'The Man Who Dreamt With Eagles'?
Yes, I wanted to portray the character as good as possible and to do that, the horse was also important. I have learnt from experience that when an actor has to act on horseback, his performance doesn't depend on him, but on how he looks on his horse: An elegant and strong horse makes the rider look better.