Luca Riemma: An Artist’s Odyssey from Naples to the Big Screen

There’s an invisible thread connecting Naples to Los Angeles, the volcano to the Hollywood Hills, the memory of home to the need to reinvent oneself, and Luca Riemma has never broken that thread. Actor, artist, and producer, he has made the United States his professional home for fifteen years, moving through different worlds, sets, and languages, working with some of the greatest names in international cinema. Yet, as he says, his gaze has always been “toward the Vesuvio.”

His story is one of artistic migration, of identities that evolve without being lost, of roots that are never nostalgia but a compass. From independent films to major American productions, from Italian sets to international ones, Luca has built a career balancing discipline, risk, and a deep understanding of the craft of acting. Today, with ambitious new projects and a meaningful return to Italian productions, his journey continues to close circles and open new ones, fueled by the same hunger and respect for the craft, knowing that every role carries responsibility.

1. It’s been fifteen years since you moved to the United States, a journey not just geographical but deeply human and artistic. Who were you as a man and as an actor when you left, and who do you feel you are today? How has that “always toward the Vesuvio” perspective helped keep your identity alive?

I believe that “a tree that doesn’t recognize its roots is destined to wither.” When I left Italy, I had big dreams, a lot of curiosity, and many insecurities. I was very sensitive, but never afraid of adventure or the big questions. I arrived in Los Angeles to study acting, even though I had already worked extensively in Italy, including lead roles on Rai.

No one in Los Angeles knew me except my first mentor, Paul Aaron, the “godfather of Keanu Reeves,” whom I had met a few years earlier at Ischia Global. He invited me to refine my craft in Hollywood. I arrived full of excitement, accompanied by my dear friend, director Antonio Manco. Honestly, the real story was our adventure together, until I met the woman who would become my wife and the mother of our daughter, Benedetta. But that’s another story.

I could write a saga about the intensity of these experiences. They shaped my life and made me who I am today. When I first arrived in California, I was less technical as an actor but freer to take risks, less precise but full of immense enthusiasm, feeding the lifeblood of creativity. I fully lived each day, enjoying the process between studying at the Edgmar School with Michelle Danner in Santa Monica for three years, and living as an eternal curious soul.

Today, I am a better man. I often say the United States forged me like an ancient Roman sword, ready to face life’s challenges and enjoy its rewards. I love calling the U.S. “Dad” and Italy “Mom,” because, like a strong family, the parents are always united. I could not do without either of them.

2. You’ve worked in two very different film worlds, in Italy and the U.S. Beyond the big names, how did your approach to acting, preparing a character, and working with crews and directors change? Was there a moment you realized it was not just another cinema, but a whole new way of working with people? Did you also discover unexpected similarities between the two worlds?

Every experience teaches you your strengths and weaknesses if you are open, meaning humble enough to keep learning. There is always something to learn. True growth comes from knowing what has come before and having the desire to improve while staying rooted in your principles and values.

I love metaphors. I compare Italy and the U.S. to proteins: Italy is meat, pastures of thought and fields of passion. The U.S. is fish, an ocean of unknown creatures, endless opportunities, with unexplored depths.

In Italy, the journey was often difficult, partly because of the “rejection” of my Neapolitan accent. People often told me, “Your accent is so strong.” That pushed me to embrace English and the U.S., to gain tools that expanded my personal and professional horizons.

I learned a lot in Italy through rigorous training. Working on soap operas, especially Un posto al sole for Rai, was a real acting boot camp. The pace was intense, sometimes requiring me to memorize six scenes at once. That constant practice sharpened my timing and adaptability.

In the U.S., I arrived with an advanced acting background, but adapting to a new language took time before I could feel confident. As artists, we work with emotions, and words are essential to express them. Only through daily practice, discipline, and passion, values the U.S. instilled in me, did I understand that curiosity and the desire to learn must never stop.

3. You’ve worked with icons like Francis Ford Coppola, George Lucas, and Martin Scorsese. Can you share a memorable moment with each, something that taught you lessons on or off set?

In 2016, my NYC manager Kathy Olsen of Encompass Arts called me to audition directly with Francis Ford Coppola in Los Angeles, where I was already living. I was nervous, facing both expectations and uncertainty.

After dinner, I realized that a toothpick I was using helped me relax. I went to the audition with a pack of toothpicks, snapping them by the dozen as I rehearsed. Facing Coppola, he said, “SMART!” I asked what he meant. He replied, “You’re using the toothpick to channel your stress, but you don’t need to.”

His tone reminded me of my father. I showed him the pack, and he added, “You had the courage to use this tool to channel it, but be careful not to hurt yourself.” That opened an emotional window that confirmed me for the role of “Zio Antonio” in Distant Vision, and I was the only one on set who could call him Francis. Our shared love of food even led him to promise to make me the famous Casatiello, a Neapolitan savory bread, American-sized. He was a teacher of humility and camaraderie.

With George Lucas, it was more technical. I shot my self tape in a hotel room during summer vacation. My calmness and connection to nature helped me deliver a strong audition. After being cast, we had many Zoom meetings with multiple directors because motion capture projects require multiple key figures working together: a Lead Director, a Performance/Mocap Director, a Virtual Cinematography Director, and technical specialists to translate real movements to a digital character, capturing facial expressions and subtle details.

George taught me the importance of discipline with focus and kindness. Meeting Martin Scorsese this year was equally remarkable and felt surprisingly familiar, as if we had known each other forever. Perhaps it was his Sicilian roots or my love for the role and awareness of my artistic growth, but everything felt natural. He reminded me that the secret is to enjoy the process.

I believe it’s all about chemistry and listening. Martin has vibrant energy, quick in thought and execution, never overlooking the details. With all three directors, I have lasting memories, both professional and personal, and I consider these encounters a form of training because each experience shapes us, like the wind shaping rocks.

4. You’re about to appear in two very different projects: a symbolic, historical role as Gasparre in Zero A.D. and a more contemporary, familiar character in The Italians. What drew you to these roles and what can audiences expect?

They are very different roles. “King Gasparre” was a leap into antiquity, on a set in Morocco, a country I love, with major stars like Jim Caviezel, Sam Worthington, Ben Mendelsohn, and David Harewood. I was curious, and this openness to listening led me to create a role that director Alejandro Monteverde later called “THE SCHOLAR.” My character was introspective, based on listening and intensity in the eyes.

“Father Joe” in The Italians, a dramedy, required introspection but was lighter, guided by the rhythm and timing of comedy with well-defined dialectic beats.

In both roles, the emotional journey was rewarding and fun. At the core of every character I play, I try to enjoy myself professionally, making emotions flow in ways that reach the hearts and minds of the audience.

5. You appeared in The Saints, the docudrama produced and narrated by Martin Scorsese, exploring historical figures like St. Francis and Joan of Arc. Each character carries strong symbolic weight. What was that experience like?

Being Catholic and devoted to Jesus and Mary, I felt at home. Playing “Annas,” the head of the Sadducees in the St. Peter episode, I witnessed Jesus already risen, observing St. Peter and the disciples.

This role was intense because my faith helped me open emotional filters that bring performance to what I call “emotional truth.” You can lie to people, but not to the camera, which observes every movement, breath, word, and expression without judgment. 

I see the camera as a mirror of the soul, reflecting what is presented without alteration.

6. Returning to Italy, you will appear in Michele Placido’s miniseries Il giudice e i suoi assassini and in Mare Fuori 6, playing two very different characters connected to justice. What fascinates you about this theme?

Working with Michele Placido and Beniamino Catena was incredible. I feel blessed to play two opposite roles in the same year. Working for Rai feels like family, especially now as they produce high-quality projects, which is a joy, given my deep connection to Italy.

My love for “transformism” inspired my role in Mare Fuori 6, as Simone’s lawyer, pragmatic, calculated, responsible for protecting Simone like a son.

“Randazzo,” the underboss, is passionate, linked to his Sicilian roots, ambitious, and capable of surprising moves that will captivate viewers.

Both characters, though very different, share the need to survive in systems with real and imagined enemies. Their goal is to achieve their objectives while staying firmly grounded. They exist in parallel worlds, shaped by twists, betrayals, illusions, and power struggles, where justice eventually arrives to claim its due.

7. Before acting or performing, when did you discover painting, and how has it shaped your artistic and personal growth?

Painting was my first love. At six, I would wake at night to paint. My parents, worried about this unusual habit, took me to a psychologist, who discovered it was driven by my desire to share dreams through paintings created in the quiet of night, while daytime noise and the bustle of a large family dominated, yet fueled inspiration.

My art education at Istituto d’Arte Filippo Palizzi in Naples was decisive, leading to my first acting role in Antonio Capuano’s Luna Rossa with Tony Servillo. Acting grew from the fertile soil of painting. Both are part of the garden of creativity, the desire to express oneself through ancient forms of art.

Today, painting remains my refuge, evolving with my emotional growth, seeking stability while adapting to an ever-changing artistic and technological world, always driven by the thought of the “next step.”