«In a very short space of time, the great master Gigi Proietti and then the man who gave me my licence, the actor’s licence, passed away. With the Costanzo Show he made me known to the whole nation.’ Enrico Brignano is one of those for whom the meeting with Maurizio Costanzo represented a crossroads. From here success, from there (if he didn’t invite you) you had to make do.
The first crossing?
«Catastrofico».
Or?
“They were looking for someone who was easy-going, with a quick witticism. And I was among the eligible candidates. They gave my name, then unknown, to Maurizio and asked me to go to his show but seated in the stalls. I didn’t like this. I had my truth. I said: do I do large numbers in Rome and start from the stalls? I felt belittled… I told my agency: I’m not going, let’s find an excuse».
And he?
“He understood right away. He was a man of a thousand insights and he didn’t believe this excuse; we stayed apart for a long time. If she was taken, I had betrayed her expectations of her  ».
Then the opportunity came…
“Thanks to his intelligence, he gave me a second chance. 30 years have passed but I still remember his call: why didn’t you want to come last time? At that moment I made no excuses. Doctor Costanzo forgive me. But he immediately put me at ease: oh well, don’t worry».
What happened since then?
«We sealed a pact of friendship and he always wanted me on every radio and television show. Sometimes I couldn’t because I wasn’t in Rome. And he: I’ll let you come and get it with the helicopter».
Did it happen?
‘By private plane. From Riccione to Rome to go to Maria De Filippi».
The quality that struck you?
“Memory. She remembered everything. He was a marvel, unbeatable, anecdotes, words, phrases spoken or read».
He gave memorable interviews…
“I remember the one in Gorbachev. She asked him what was the music of the heart of his wife who died after 46 years of marriage and he replied that it was a Neapolitan song, I want to say it: he made him play it on the piano and made him wet his eyes. Unbelievable: she made a Russian cry! I believe that no other man on Earth would have been able to do it. Our idea of the former Soviets was still tied to Rocky’s Russian, the frozen one, the emotionless one from I’ll split you in two. In this he was unrivaled.’
What was it like in private?
‘His private life coincided with his work. He had a large queue of people who wanted to talk to him, a very busy schedule, you had to queue but you knew you were in the presence of someone who would do it if he could do you a favor. Once I called him at the beach, he was so quick to answer that it was he who took me by surprise».
