The Italian actress brings Elena Ferrantes ambitious heroine home.
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I was on her side every day.
I understood her and empathized with her.
But I was so happy that she slowly freed herself.
The friends each give birth to a daughter, and their girls in turn become inseparable.
But the episode, titled Restitution, finds its center of gravity in a cutting farewell between the friends.
My success had been responsible for her daughters kidnapping?
Rohrwacher narrates over a distraught-looking Elena.
Why did she tell me about it only now?
Youve been working on this show for seven years.
Finally having the voice and the face together in season four was like arriving on dry land.
But I also had the responsibility of embodying someone who did such an incredible job before me.
I wasnt aware at the time that I would become the adult Elena.
It was beautiful working with Saverio Costanzo, the creator and director of the first two seasons.
We had already done three films together includingHungry Heartswith Adam Driver and we share a deep artistic relationship.
We are also a couple.
I love to work with people I know intimately.
I have always loved working with him.
In the darkness of an editing suite, I worked on modifying my voice to match Margheritas.
I observed everything about the younger Elena.
I knew the novels well and had always been a huge fan of Ferrantes work.
Ive been asked to do readings of her books in Italy.
What conversations did you have with Margherita when it was your turn to bring the character to life?
What in her performance inspired yours?Margherita taught me how to be Elena.
The Elena she made with Saverio in the first two seasons becametheElena.
The goal was for me to arrive at this sort of distance she has as a character.
Margherita was very good at being present but always an enigma.
Lila is the mysterious one, but I think Elena is the real unknown.
We started to build the image of Elena to find a similarity with Margheritas portrayal.
I worked obsessively with two dialect coaches to study the Neapolitan accent.
I never could be Lila because she speaks real Neapolitan.
Playing Elena was something that I could allow myself to do.
What about Margheritas interpretation did you keep in your mind for your own performance?How she stares.
Its a balance between the old and the younger character.
I tried to keep the first, distant Elena with me, which was the base, the ground.
And then slowly, she changes with age.
In season four, we see Elenas desires and actions align more than ever.
She stands up for herself, talks back to her mother-in-law, talks back to her own mom.
Where did you find those new aspects?They came from the book because the book was the Bible.
It was always there with me, every day, every night.
Elena Ferrante and the show were my world, the only world I had.
I woke up, prepared, arrived on set.
Reading Ferrantes pages always put me on the right path.
In the last book especially, Elena becomes more active.
She was able to face her weaknesses.
She lies to herself a lot.And shes able to tell the truth about everybody else.
She became an incredible writer because she has this ability.
Whereas in the adaptation, you have at least the sensation of objectivity.
You see her lie to herself, you see her faults.
Because she outsources her strength to Lila.Lila is the driving force, the mystery shes following.
Theres a scene from season one that helped me understand the characters.
Lila wants to go to the sea, and Elena is afraid to skip school.
They hide their book bags and start walking under the bridge.
After they pass the tunnel, the horizon appears and Lila freezes.
Its Elena who says, Lets go.
Elena goes horizontally, shes epic.
The epic is something large.
She moves, she discovers.
And Lila she digs.
Shes vertical, like a Greek tragedy.
She goes into herself.
There was a strange, strong energy between us that made every moment very charged.
I think its the same thing that happened between Margarita and Gaia, something magic related to the book.
The energy of this character had never happened to me.
How was Ferrante herself involved with the TV show?
Did you ever correspond with her?She was like a presence.
Through her writing, I found the solution of my character.
They exchanged so many emails.
He had a very special relationship with her.
[Whispers] It was incredible.
I went through something very intimate, like a treasure.
Ive never been so involved in a project I knew every angle.
During the whole process, I kept dreaming of the past.
This season deals with some of the heaviest material in the story.
What was the feeling on set as you inhabited those moments?Director Laura Bispuri is someone I trust.
Wed done three movies together.
Filming was hard but beautiful.
Were there any scenes that were particularly challenging to film?Tell me which one youre thinking about.
When Elenafinds Nino with the housekeeper.Exactly.
I remember when I read it in the book.
We see how long it takes.
That was just devastating.Laura pushed me a lot.
I remember that corridor my heart was likethump thump thump thumpbecause its shocking.
It was totally true.
I was also thinking ofafter the earthquake.
She hasnt heard from Nino yet, so she and Lila go to his house and hes gone.
The worst is when Lilas family come back to therioneand Elenas just there alone.Life really always slaps her.
This season takes place over many years.
What is your favorite Lenu outfit or garment from the season?The glasses.
Through the glasses we see her age.
We have a very strong relationship, but all of that love can lead to a lot of conflict.
Did you draw from that relationship in embodying the Lila-Lenu dynamic?Maybe.
My sister is my universe.
Its complicated because we share everything and we tell each other the truth.
Its so rare to have people that tell you the truth because sometimes it is painful.
But for me its a blessing.
I would never put my sister in danger, and she would never put me in danger.
Well always protect each other.
Conflict might arise when we are doing a scene and I say, Alice, I dont believe it.
And she says, Why dont you believe it?
Then she speaks about my fragilities because she knows me.
I think Elena and Lila are more complex, more dangerous.
It makes me think of the line in the finale when they say good-bye.
But this is friendship, which is different from sisterhood.
Because they could put the other in danger.
For example, if my sister knows something about my boyfriend, shed immediately call me and tell me.
Lila holds onto it.That is not fair.
And inepisode nine, how strange it is when she flirts with Nino.
Its like all of her nightmares come true.I did this [covers ears].
This reaction is from me.
I think its a strange form of addiction they have to each other.
But I also think Elena stimulated Lila and Lila stimulated Elena.
And Elena starts to own it.
Elena says, If you are writing something, you would show me, right?
Lila is destroyed shes a ghost, shes nothing but you are still in competition.
How does it feel to say good-bye to Elena?
Seven years is a long time.Im still with her.
Its difficult to let her go.
But Elena was sort of my secret power.
She became your Lila.Yes.
In my acting life, she became my Lila.
