Passion, elegance and talent

Roman actress Maria Rosaria Omaggio. A career worthy of a film

A deep voice and a catlike charm. She is Maria Rosaria Omaggio, a very popular Roman  cinema, stage and television actress, well-known in Spain where she starred in blockbuster movies as well as on stage. She has just come back from the Canary Islands, where she performed in Leonardo Psychedelic Genius at the CAE Festival. Among the recognitions she was awarded, the Pasinetti Prize at the 70th  Venice Festival for her role as Oriana Fallaci in Walesa – Man of Hope. We met with her on the eve of the broadcasting of Sabato, domenica e lunedì on Rai 1, a film by  Edoardo De Angelis based on a play by De Filippo, where she plays Aunt Memè “A free, independent woman, bossy but also very sweet”, a role which, in our opinion, fits her like a glove. 

How did you get into acting? 

It is a world that has intrigued me ever since I was a little girl, when I used to watch TV serials with my father, always complaining about having to go to bed after Carosello. Then came Canzonissima and movies, but I have always made time for performing on stage. My passion for live performances is endless. 

You began your film career by starring in two movies which are now cult films: Roma a mano armata by Lenzi and Squadra antiscippo by Corbucci.

I shot the two movies nearly at the same time. Tomas Milian starred in both of them: thanks to him, I was cast for a role in La lozana andalusa, still a box office hit in Spain. It is amazing that a restored copy of Roma a mano armata, described by Quentin Tarantino as the “ format” of all detective fiction movies, was released in the United States a few months ago. 

And what about the experience with Woody Allen in To Rome with Love?

We had the most pleasant encounter and even quite funny when Woody, who is known for being hypochondriac, shook my hand as I asked him for a dedication on his book Side Effects and I gave him the programme and CD of Chiamalavita, the show based on books by Calvino - a writer he too is very fond of - dedicated to child soldiers for the United Nations in New York. 

What are you favorite places in Rome?

I’ve had the privilege of having a special guide: Luigi Magni. He taught me everything about Rome! I’ve been practicing Tai Chi Chuan for many years and I have recently discovered the beautiful park of the eucalypti in the EUR area. A place where I’ve been going since I was a young girl is the Tiber Island. And also the Basilica of Sant’Agostino with the Pilgrim’s Madonna by Caravaggio, simply wonderful.