November 25th, 2020: the New York Times draws up a list of the greatest actors of the 21st century. The only Italian, ranking seventh, is Toni Servillo. According to their reasoning, the actor had been “the central avatar in Sorrentino’s excavation of the corruption and hypocrisy, but also of the improbable glory and absurd resilience of modern Italy.”

Above all, what was praised was his ability to embody two extremely different political leaders–Giulio Andreotti in the scabrous and satirical Il Divo, and Silvio Berlusconi in the epic and weirdly tender Loro. Like a Shakespearean actor, Servillo has been perfectly able to capture all the facets of real and imaginary characters, drawing on his long experience as a theater director and actor.