Omar Benson Miller on Working With Italy’s Gabriele Salvatores on ‘Naples to New York’ Based on a Fellini Story and on Ryan Coogler’s ‘Sinners’
variety.comNick Vivarelli International Correspondent U.S. actor Omar Benson Miller who is known for roles in “8 Mile,” HBO’s Ballers, and Apple’s “The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey,” stars in Italian immigration-themed drama “Naples to York” by Oscar-winning director Gabriele Salvatores that is having its festival premiere at Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea Film Festival.
Interestingly, Federico Fellini co-wrote this tale of two Neapolitan kids who embark on a ship to New York to escape Italy’s early postwar poverty with his frequent collaborator Tullio Pinelli, a writer on the Italian maestro’s “La Dolce Vita” and “8 1/2,” as well as other titles.
In the film Benson Miller plays the ship’s cook who, during their travels, takes the kids under his wing. He spoke to Variety about being back in Italy more than a decade after working in Tuscany with Spike Lee on “Miracle at St.
Anna”; why this movie, conceived by Fellini, is “the antithesis of disposable content,” and how exited he is about his next film Ryan Coogler‘s “Sinners.” What drew you to the role? My character, George, is a flawed person.
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