Federico Basso is a comedian and television author. He studied at the Civic School of cinema and television in Milan, attended the Theatre School in Segrate, grew up with theatrical improvisation shows and landed at Zelig’s laboratories.
- . Hi Federico, comedian but also actor and TV author. Do you remember where and when the spark for the stage and the desire to tell stories started?
It all happened towards the end of the last century: I was attending a theatre improvisation course and I began to think it would be wonderful to be able to turn laughter into a source of income. There is an adage that goes “do the job you love, and you will still continue to work, but at least at the end of the day you will be happier and perhaps you won’t have to ask for holidays from a manager who can’t wait to deny them to you”. Or maybe it was a little different. - Since 2004 you have been one of the pillars of the comedy program “Zelig”, first as a monologist and then as a comedian and co-host. You’ve seen so many veterans and heard the first jokes of just as many young comedians. If you look at the past, is it easier or more difficult to make people laugh today?
Today, due to social media and new streaming platforms, there is much more competition: everyone is trying to get a laugh in some way. However, this also means having many more channels available to reach a large audience. When I started, television was the only sounding board available. Now it’s not like that anymore. - Your repertoire is influenced by the American humour tradition. You’re a big fan of stand-up comedy. Who are your points of reference and sources of inspiration?
In my acceptance speech for the Oscar that I will never win there are Woody Allen and Jerry Seinfeld, two comedians who defined what for me cinema and television should be. An honourable mention goes to Buster Keaton, the master of comedy who never laughed. - How much has your professional path been influenced by theatrical improvisation? Is it also useful to you in everyday life?
Yes, it’s a sort of mental filter that always accompanies you, transforming everything you see into possible ideas for comedy. The improviser doesn’t ask himself whether the glass is half full or half empty, but “how can I use it to do something interesting and fun”? - A quote or aphorism that represents you and that is perhaps inspiring you for some sketches?
Everything I write has always been under the banner of “blessed is he who can laugh at himself, because he will never stop having fun”. I believe that self-irony is the stone on which all the rest of my artistic production is based. Calling myself “Basso” (Short) and being 2 meters tall, I couldn’t do otherwise. - Future projects? Where will we see you in the next few months?
I’m working on the show to be brought to theatres soon. There will be monologues and ideas that can be found every day on my social profiles: parodies, sketches and characters that have grown in recent months. - Next holiday at the seaside or in the mountains?
I love the mountains and Sonia, who however loves the sea, and she loves me who loves the mountains. It sounds like the lyrics of an Annalisa song, but instead it is the eternal dilemma that torments us every time we must choose our holiday destination. Hamlet, in comparison, was an amateur.