ROME – “A traumatic experience” but one that he hopes to repeat. Salmo makes his acting debut in ‘Block 181‘, the new Sky Originals series and the first all-Italian in-house series from Sky Studios of which he is also a creative and musical producer. The rapper plays Snake, a man torn between latent schizophrenia and meticulous precision in the service of an established coke delivery business on the outskirts of Milan. Today on the eve of the release of the series – from 20 May on Sky and Now TV – Salmo recounts an adaptation to the role that was not so immediate: “It was traumatic to see me on the screen, making video clips is different than acting. I always give this example: it’s like when you record your voice for the first time and you don’t like it. It was the same when I reviewed the episodes ”.
PSALM: I’M WRITING MY FIRST FILM
Born Maurizio Pisciottu, the artist was followed by an acting coach for a year, sometimes stepping into Snake’s shoes even in real life. “I immediately understood that cinema was a very difficult world but that is precisely why it fascinates me”, he reveals Psalm who said yes to Sky immediately after rejecting the proposal that wanted him as a judge on X Factor. The parenthesis of the cinema, therefore, does not end with ‘Block 181’: “It was still a good experience. I want to try it again right away. I’m writing my first film in which I don’t know if I will act. It’s not that I want to be an actor but this experience helped me to distance myself a bit from the character of Salmo. On the set, I tried to be treated like Maurizio and I think I succeeded”.
THE PLOT
Salmo is the protagonist of ‘Block 181’, an ideal and multi-ethnic periphery, in a black fairy tale that intertwines with the love story of three boys: Bea (Laura Osma), Ludo (Alessandro Piavani) and Mahdi (Andrea Dodero). A triangle that arises in a full-blown neighborhood war between the boys of the block who protect the cocaine trade and the Misa gang, a Latin American community that doesn’t hear any reason. In search of independence from their realities, Bea, Ludo and Mahdi carry on a relationship that is also intimate and passionate but which will lead them to real sentimental and professional emancipation. Complicating matters is the fact that Bea is part of Misa. On the contrary, Mahdi is a boy from the block, Ludo is a party animal in civilian clothes who takes advantage of his clean face to be an unsuspecting drug courier.
THE ALBUM WITH THE SOUNDTRACK OF THE SERIES IS COMING SOON
Sky has already announced a second season. Whether Salmo will still be there is not known, it will depend on his musical commitments. The rapper, however, in the meantime, also publishes the soundtrack album of the series. ‘Blocco 181 – Original Soundtrack’ will be released on May 27th: eleven songs inspired by the episodes involving artists such as Guè Pequeno, Noyz Narcos, Ernia, Lazza, Jake La Furia and Rose Villain. Then again: Nerone and El Dicy Boy and Isaias LM. “In the record – says Salmo – there are many bass lines and little rhythm, it is a music spread underneath. There is a lot of music on the screen when there are South Americans to underline that they listen to it, they are happier. In terms of color it is more gray with the Italians. We also followed this thing in the project which is a sort of ‘Machete Mixtape’ but without featuring. We mixed Latin influences with electronics”.
THE CAST
If you are looking for Psalm’s music in the series, however, you will be wrong. Salmo enjoyed being a ‘conductor’, drawing inspiration from the work of producer Rick Rubin: “I tried to make music but not put my music. There is something that recalls it but it is not mine. I discovered that I also like being behind the scenes for a bit”. The cast of ‘Block 181’ is completed by Alessandro Tedeschi, Alessio Praticò, Juan Celi, Sergio Andrade, Anna Manuelli, Gina Rivera and Sergio Palau. Directed by: Giuseppe Capotondi, Ciro Visco and Matteo Bonifazio. The screenplay is, instead, by Paolo Vari, Francesca De Lisi, Dario Bonamin, Mirko Cetrangolo and Marco Borromei. The series will also be distributed abroad.
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Salmo makes his acting debut in ‘Block 181’: “A traumatic experience”