Niccolò Dallerba Talks New Movie ‘Dateline’

Italian actor, Niccolò Dallerba has been staying busy in Hollywood this summer. Since living in Los Angeles, he has starred in multiple hit movies and as a result, has securely cemented himself as one of Hollywood’s leading men. ‘Dateline’ is his latest offering. We caught up with Niccolò to chat about the movie and more!

Congratulations on all your successes! Tell us about the movie ‘Dateline’ – what’s it about?

Before digging into this conversation … I just want to say that I appreciate this opportunity to chat and tell you about my journey while making this movie.

‘Dateline’ is a parody of a Dateline episode that has been a staple of the newsmagazine genre since 1992 and the show has an extensive archive of depth news stories and investigative journalism. This show has been served up real-life mysteries and in-depth investigations from cases, involving murders and missing people.

‘Dateline’ is a weekly American television news magazine/reality legal show that is broadcast on NBC, and our movie is basically a parody of this amazing show that has been an inspiration as a cult, for all the people involved making this art piece.

The story follows a sinister event where the boyfriend (Damien) not an ordinary guy, murders his girlfriend (Ariel) and there were clear signs that this guy was insane. Despite it all those occurrences her friends didn’t notice and so begins the inspection of the case…

Who do you play in the film?

In this movie I play a character that is really far from my persona such as my personality and my behavior. In other words, he’s everything that I’m not and that I never want to be. He’s the one who is better not to meet or come across. My character is a police officer Latino/European with ethnic ambiguity that has been in the business for so long and maybe not for the goods. He has spent most of his life here in Los Angeles looking for a story. He knows how to deal with people finding the benefits and he’s a bit of “wacko” or mischievous individual that lives in dark places.

Are you anything like your character?

Luckily no. The character I played is so much different than myself. He’s not even a model to follow as a police officer or a human being. He doesn’t have many values in life, and he’s characterized by the ego.

Everyone in this world has a bit of ego, but you can control it and honestly in my personal life I try to avoid those feelings and stay humble or open.

How did you get into character?

Getting into character was a bit of a stretch, also a challenge but I really loved it, and it gave me the opportunity to dive in. When I first read the script there was so much going on in the story, then slowly small details and messages under text came out giving me a solid vision. I’d love to say more but it’ll spoil it for you.

Who else is involved in the project?

So many people as well as great artists are involved in this film. Our great Director (Andrew Judge) made another wonderful movie that has managed really well crating an art piece. We are all very proud of what we did and for what the experience itself was like. The movie was shot in Burbank, Los Angeles (CA), honestly for me every day on set was a blast. He’s ambitious and optimistic mind created a comfortable environment of work and ideas that is not really common. I also loved the cast and crew that was always there for any problem finding the way of helping without wasting time. Everyone was so connected to each other with the intention to collaborate, giving the truth and of course making a good film.

Any fun stories from set?

I don’t really recall any special fun stories from the set, but I must say that we created a great space of family/work that helped us through the long days, for me that’s the key. Everyone was enthusiastic and the support was impressive. In my opinion it is always much easier to work in a great environment or with lovely people that you can admire, than a space of stress or competition. For us actors there was a safe space of improvisation where we used to throw jokes and fun lines at each other. For me it is always really cool to have that permission because something creative can pop up.

What’s been the pros and cons of pursuing your acting career?

I believe in every career there are the pros and cons, also everyone’s life experience is different. Speaking of that in my acting career I discovered that with all the passion that you can have in this world… talent it’s not the biggest thing but what counts at the end is the patience and the persistence with faith. I start to focus more in those aspects, and realize that I didn’t have so much of the patience for this long ride. I have trained a lot as learned to focus less about myself or my ego, and instead look at things in a different perspective. Looking for the bigger picture and staying in the present or at least the future but never in the past. I think that is a process that you can’t really push it, means that you can push it to your limits and be prepared or stick with the work etc. but at the end of the day you can’t be anxious about it or be so drained. I believe that in show-business the biggest key is that you need to stay calm always with your goal in your mind and take cautiously what’s next…who knows where life takes you and what experience it makes you have.

Another of the great things about acting is that you’re allowed to travel around the world exploring new cultures and customs, that will make you tell the story that is being told. From my point of view, it is a great luxury that few can afford.

What’s up next?

More movies! Please stay tuned!

Are you active on social media?

Yes! People can follow me on Instagram or my IMDb! Thanks for your time!