I had the opportunity of being able to take part in a virtual press conference for the upcoming Disney and Pixar film, Luca. Moderated by Giuliana Rancic, the panel includes stars of the film, Jacob Tremblay (Luca), Jack Dylan Grazer (Alberto), Emma Berman (Giulia), Maya Rudolph (Daniela), and Jim Gaffigan (Lorenzo), as well as director Enrico Casarosa, and producer Andrea Warren. Luca is set in a beautiful seaside town on the Italian Riviera and is a coming-of-age story about one young boy experiencing an unforgettable summer filled with gelato, pasta and endless scooter rides. Luca shares these adventures with his newfound best friend, Alberto, but all the fun is threatened by a deeply-held secret: they are sea monsters from another world just below the water’s surface.
Available June 18 on Disney+, Luca is a story of friendship, family, discovery, and acceptance, among other things. Is it another Pixar hit? You’ll have to wait until my review becomes available to find out. Now, for the topic at hand. Below you will find what inspired the film, the unusual way it was made, and how the actors relate to their characters.
Beginning with Giuliana Rancic relating to the film’s location, she then goes on to ask about the film’s inspiration. He then goes on to speak about his childhood.
ENRICO: Yeah. I was born in Genoa, which is this poor town right on the Riviera. And I was a shy kid, a little bit sheltered by my family. And when I met my best friend at 11, kind of my world opened up. He was a bit of a troublemaker; he didn’t have a whole lot of supervision. [LAUGH]
He continues,
And so, in those special kind of summers when you’re growing up and kind of finding yourself, I was kind of following him and getting dragged into, uh, troubles. And-and it really made me really think about how-how much we, um, find ourselves with our friendships, or how much friendships help us find a bit who we wanna be. And those days of summer on this wonderful, uh, coastline-it’s a very specific coastline. It’s rocky, there’s, like, mountains and sea. So, it’s just kind of a-most towns are really hanging on for dear life on-on rocks, um, and then there’s a lot of cliffs. So, I kept on thinking about the-the-the literal and the metaphor of someone who pushes you [LAUGH] off a cliff. And-and, you know, a lot of, um, there was a lot of diving into these beautiful waters when I was a-a kid.
Next, Andrea Warren is asked what she wanted to convey in this film
ANDREA: Yeah. I think, you know, um, it’s amazing to have such a wide audience around the world, and we do think a lot about the messages that are in the film. And, you know, for me, that notion of the meaning of friendship, you know, really resonated. And I-I think they are a few really beautiful themes in the film. One being sort of Silencio Bruno, and-and how we all have these inner critics. And how you sort of overcome that sense of doubt. And, you know, we always-Enrico and I keep saying, you know, you surround yourself in life with some Albertos. Um, but, you know, I think that-I hope that some of those messages, you know, really reach the audiences, and especially reach kids.
Jacob Tremblay and Jack Dylan Grazer then describe their characters. Jacob also goes into why Luca is fascinated with the human world. While Jack goes into the similarities and differences of their characters. And the meaning of Silenzio, Bruno!
JACOB: So, um, when you get to meet him at the beginning of the movie, Luca, um, he’s a bit more of a-a timid kid. But, um, I mean, uh, he wants to-he really wants to, like, be able to explore the-the human world, but his parents have a lot or restrictions for him. But he mits-he meets his, uh, great friend Alberto, who-who helps him kind of step out of his comfort zone.
About his fascination:
JACOB: I-I think it’s-I think it’s something to do with, like, his-his curiosity and, you know, he wants to explore what’s off-limits, um, you know, even-even if, uh, you know, the humans, you know, they’re-they’re fine and they’re, like, sea monsters and humans are cool with each other. But, uh, yeah, I think that his parents are-are very, very strict and they wanna-they wanna protect him.
Jack on playing Alberto:
JACK: Um, well, I think the-the-the aspect of curiosity, um, is, uh, across both of them. Um, but-but Alberto definitely has, like-he’s got no restrictions. And-and he’s so eager, and he’s so yearning to explore and fulfill all these-these fantasies and-and curiosities that he has. Um, and-and I think that he’s a-he’s a huge part in-in inspiring, uh, Luca to go to Portorosso to get the Vespa.
On the meaning of Silenzio, Bruno!
JACK: …it’s one of the most crucial things you could ever learn in your life. It’s just, like, the e-the elimination of doubt. I-I’ve-I-I got rid of my Bruno eons ago. I haven’t had a Bruno for years.
Next, Emma Berman excitedly explains her experience and how she relates to her character, Giulia.
EMMA: Well, this is my first movie, and it’s literally a Pixar movie, so that’s the most exciting thing ever. Um, I have done, uh, voice over work before. I have voiced toys for Leap Frog. Uh, that’s how I started in voice over. And how I started in acting was I really liked doing school plays and I signed up for a theater summer camp, and from there I got an agent and that’s how my voice over work started. And this has just been the most incredible, most exciting experience ever. And it’s been such an awesome time working with Enrico and Andrea. And I’m just, as you said and I said, luckiest person in the whole entire world ever to exist in this planet.
She continues on about playing Giulia:
Like you said, she’s a very strong character. She’s determined, and she’s hardworking, and genuine, and intense. But she’s also awkward, and quirky, and goofy. And I had a really fun time playing her because I relate to her in a lot of ways. That we’re both passionate about what we do, and we’re also very, like, excited and joyful people
Moving along, we have Maya Rudolph and Jim Gaffigan who play Luca’s parents, Daniela and Lorenzo. They discuss their characters and how they relate as parents themselves.
MAYA: She’s a very serious mom. She’s not messing around, and that, to me, instantly in-in this movie’s case, just equals love. That protection, that strong-that-that strong discipline is love, um, and wanting to raise-raise her family right. And there’s a certain way that Luca’s family is meant to do things, and she wants to raise her son the correct way. But she also-what you come to learn about her, is that she also is really protecting him from what she already knows to be dangerous in the world. And, you know, just like any parent, she’s a fierce, fierce protector… It’s just a matter of “You listen to your mama, and you do what you’re supposed to do.”… But she’s just trying to protect him because, I mean, it’s the scariest thing in the world to let your babies run out in the world and explore. And even though you know they need to, it’s terrifying, you know? And, um, I think all parents go through that at some point.
Jim Gaffigan discusses how he brought Lorenzo to life:
JIM: Well, uh, you know, I’m, uh, a father. I think Lorenzo is, uh, well-intended, but definitely distracted. And I think that, um, most parenting partnerships, it’s a-a negotiation on how to raise a child. So, I-I kinda played Lorenzo-I mean, I’m kind of overwhelmed, hopefully well-intended as a parent… the fun of Lorenzo is the-the navigating the partnership with, um, with his wife, uh, in-in raising Luca and-and him finding the right path.
And lastly, the young stars describe what it was like making this film during quarantine.
ANDREA: I mean I think when the pandemic hit and we were all sort of realizing that we had to work from home, one of my biggest concerns was how are we gonna record, you know, everybody. Um, so I really have to, um, uh, thank this group and-and everybody at Pixar who sorted it out. Because it involved sending iPads and microphones, and everybody testing out spaces in their houses where the sound would be baffled. And you know, um, I’ll never forget you Jack, especially in your-I think your mom’s closet. You know, and your arms hitting the hangers, and-and you know, we’re all trying to, uh, you know, press the right buttons at the right time. I mean it’s tricky, you know, to be acting and be your own tech, um, and-and all of us trying to sort it out. And even Zoom, you know, is tricky ’cause sometimes it cuts out and somebody’s just performed something, and you’re like, well I bet it’s good. I don’t know. You know? So you’re trying to respond and… So it was definitely tricky.
JACK: Um, well, being in my mom’s closet for a year, uh, yeah, totally, it was definitely a stretch for me, a challenge for me as an actor, um, and as just a human being. It got hot in there. And I bet my-my-my neighbors were really freaked out about the-the amount of screaming that was going on from my house. [LAUGH]
JACOB: I was very, very lucky because I actually started recording before, you know, COVID hit. So I was able to go into the San Francisco studio, and you know, they gave me the tour… But then, you know, COVID happened and I was actually originally gonna record at my house, but, um, the plans kinda changed and then I got lucky and then I was able to record at the studio in Vancouver.
Oh, and one last thing. One of the most memorable parts of the film is the saying, Silenzio, Bruno!. Jack expressed his love for it earlier and Jacob feels the same way.
JACOB: …I think we all can learn a lot from-from this movie, but for me, that-that Silencio Bruno part, I really like how it’s… I guess it’s a-it’s a good way of, like, using your words to kind of, you know, silence your-your, um, I guess your-your anxiety about-about certain things…
Disney and Pixar’s Luca begins streaming on Disney+ on June 18, 2021. Full review soon.
Senior Critic. Observing the human race since 1988.
