Christian Antidormi on Mafia: The Old Country and Ethan Coen’s Honey Don’t!
From gritty motion-capture stages to freezing New Mexico nights, Christian Antidormi is having a breakthrough moment. Known for his versatility and magnetic screen presence, Antidormi steps into the lead role of Cesare in Mafia: The Old Country, a dream come true for the actor whose love for cinema was first sparked by iconic mob films. At the same time, he’s bringing his talents to the big screen in Ethan Coen’s new film Honey Don’t! as the sharp and enigmatic Colligan.
In this exclusive Bello Mag interview, Antidormi opens up about the creative journey of embodying Cesare, the thrill of performing on a motion-capture stage, and what it was like working alongside Ethan and Tricia Coen on a set buzzing with energy. He also shares how hip hop dance first ignited his love for performing and why he still carries that same passion into every project.
Bello Mag: What was the creative journey like embodying Cesare in Mafia The Old Country and giving life to that character?
CA: Collaborating on Mafia: The Old Country and stepping into the role of Cesare was so fulfilling and surprising in many ways. It’s the genre and era that literally sparked my desire to act, so I feel very fortunate to be able to fulfill a childhood dream. Cesare has such a wonderful arc and depth to his journey, and I love playing roles that allow the audience to constantly question whether they love or hate the character. Without trying to emulate in any way, I think I took the most inspiration from Joe Pesci in Goodfellas for this role. It’s what stood out most to me when reading the script. There’s also a real likeness to being on stage that I didn’t expect would be the case. On a film set, the performances are oriented toward a camera, on stage it’s the audience in front of you. But MoCap stages have 100+ Cameras positioned around the set, so there’s complete freedom to play and live within the scenes without the normal limitations of other mediums. So that was a surprisingly fun exercise that allowed the cast to really use our imagination and play freely.
Bello Mag: Have you had a chance to play the game, and what was that like?
CA: I have, and I’ve just finished it actually! It was a lot of fun. The team behind the Mafia franchise have such a deep passion for developing authentic cinematic gaming experiences, and the game had a real sense of fusion between gaming and cinema that was really immersive. The soundtrack has stuck with me for days post game, which I’ve always appreciated with the games I’ve loved to play. It’s also wonderful to watch the performances of my fellow cast mates who were all fantastic, and seeing how the developers allows for subtlety in the performances, which help with authenticity in storytelling.
Photography by David Higgs
Bello Mag: What originally sparked your passion for acting, and what continues to fuel it today?
CA: I’ve always had a love for performing as a child, but I never really considered it as something to pursue until I reached my mid teens. I think placing the thermometer on my bedroom lamp to fake being sick so I could take a day of school was a pretty good telltale sign that I had a flare for being creative. As a teen I was pursuing soccer in Australia, and my sister at the time was a Dancer of the highest calibre. She would travel the world for championships, and so I was pretty immersed in that world as her supporter. One day I was coerced by her friends into taking a Hip Hop class, and I honestly never looked back. Dancing led to musical theatre and the thrill of performing on stage was the ultimate flow state for me. I guess the progression into TV was a logical next step from there, and here we are!
Bello Mag: What was it like collaborating with the remarkable cast and team on Honey Don’t?
CA: Working on Honey Don’t was so much fun. Ethan and Tricia are brilliant, and a lot of the crew had worked together on many previous projects. So I got to witness a lot of the greats at work, and the synergy they had on set was really impressive. The nights were freezing cold in New Mexico, but once I wrapped at 1am, I would pull a chair up, and just take it all in for a few hours. The scenes were hilarious and cast was great to work with. I reunited with a lot of them at the NY Premiere last week and it was great to celebrate everyone’s work and check out the film.
Bello Mag: We know you’re a talented dancer, what’s your favorite style to perform and why?
CA: Hip Hop all the way. My dancing journey was initially inspired by films such as ‘You Got Served’ and ’Stomp The Yard’, so the style at the time was iconic and nostalgic looking back on it now. To think we would have crew battles in night clubs in Sydney as 18 year olds is something that makes me laugh thinking about now, but it was so much fun. Seeing how the dance scene has evolved, the level of talent is absolutely absurd now, I’m more than happy to be an audience member vs try to keep up with these guys.
