Sometimes the wrong place is right where you need to be.
HALLE BAILEY (The Little Mermaid, The Color Purple) stars as Anna, a young woman who has abandoned her dreams of becoming a chef and is now drifting through her twenties with a series of bad choices. When Anna loses her house-sitting job (and housing) in one fell swoop, a chance encounter with Matteo—a handsome Italian who happens to have a villa sitting empty in Tuscany—will inspire her to jet off for Italy, against the advice of her always-honest bestie, Claire (Home Before Dark’s AZIZA SCOTT).
But Anna’s plan to crash at Matteo’s villa, without permission, just for one night, falls apart when Matteo’s mother, Gabriella (Italian film icon ISABELLA FERRARI) shows up at the house unexpectedly. In a panic, Anna allows Gabriella to believe that she is Matteo’s fiancée. That little lie becomes a big problem, though, when Matteo’s cousin, Michael (REGÉ-JEAN PAGE; Bridgerton, Black Bag) shows up, and Anna discovers that the heat between them may ignite a fire that will transform her life.
As YOU, ME AND TUSCANY prepares to release in Australian cinemas on April 9, star Rege-Jean Page talks about his time shooting the film in Italy, and opens up on his character and chemistry with Halle Bailey.
How did you become involved with this project?
I read the script, had a couple of meetings with producers Will Packer and Johanna Byer, and finally met Kat Coiro. We all talked about how much we loved the story and the adventure that we could take people on with it, admitting that we hadn’t seen anything like this for so long and how much we wanted to not just live it ourselves but with other people too. So, that all led to realizing we should make You, Me & Tuscany.
So, what was your initial reaction to reading the script?
My initial reaction was relief at reading a romantic comedy that cared about the romance. I had been craving movies that allow themselves to actually believe in love, letting the audience go on a journey to a place where you really want to be. The privilege of coming all the way out to Italy and living the dream that you’re not quite sure you’re allowed to live, while giving yourself permission to do that, I believe, is something very special about this.
And that’s what Anna, our main character, does.
Yes, Anna is a house sitter who is blagging her way through New York, when she meets a mysterious Italian man at a bar, convinced it’s fate. She then travels to Italy with no plan or place to stay. So, without him knowing, she breaks into his unoccupied house which he told her about while he’s still away, waking up to be discovered by his mother and grandmother. This does not go well, and the police turn up, but Anna blags her way out of it by making them believe she is marrying him, against the advice of her new best friend, who is her taxi driver. Naturally, this goes about as badly as you’d expect, but on the way, she meets my character, Michael, the mysterious man’s brother. Initially, we don’t get along, but then we start hanging out and realize, “Hey, you are not so bad after all.” Still, she’s meant to be marrying my brother Matteo, and things are getting very complicated…
And what would you say is Michael’s role in the family?
I think “Who is Michael?” is the million-dollar question of the movie, other than “Who is Anna?” Figuring out who they are is what brings them together, because they both need that answer and find it in each other. If this were the story of the prodigal son, Michael is the responsible one who stays at home to look after the family when his irresponsible brother goes off to gallivant around and live his dreams without caring about anyone other than himself. It’s Michael looking after the restaurant, running the vineyard, and making sure everyone’s okay at the expense of himself. Anna sees this in him, and they kind of take a journey together to discover what you need to do to be true to both yourself and your responsibilities and each other. And it turns out that the answer is: love.
Their relationship and journey to each other’s hearts is the core of the story.
What’s special about Michael and Anna’s relationship is that they perceive each other in ways that no one else does. Michael sees the strength Anna has that she is unaware of at the beginning of the movie, when she’s not allowing herself to step into her own power, and he tries to encourage that. Likewise, she sees how put upon he is, not stepping into his own power. I believe the fact that they can spot this in each other but not in themselves is why we root for them to find that missing piece in them that we can all see but they can’t.
But what happens when he finds out that she is engaged to his brother Matteo?
He is not happy about it, mostly because he kind of wishes she were engaged to him, but also because he’s not a huge fan of Matteo, who seems to get everything so easily in life, while Michael has to work hard for everything. It never seems fair, including getting this perfect woman. So, he’s not too pleased…
And that complicates their feelings for each other too…
Yes, because Anna and Michael are both fundamentally good people. But what if being good means they can’t be together? I think one of the rare joys of this movie is that it allows you to follow your heart and your dreams in the most perfect, idealized environment. It shows you what’s possible when you are brave enough to step into the whole of yourself. We use cooking and travel as a metaphor for that, but at its heart, it’s really all about allowing yourself to be as much of yourself as you can be.
Why do you think Halle Bailey is perfect for the role of Anna?
There’s a whole bunch of stuff that makes Halle Bailey perfect for the role of Anna. Halle is one of the most open and sweet human beings I’ve ever met in my life. There’s not a moment you do not want to hug her and protect her; so, you root for her immediately. There is something intrinsically sympathetic and disarming about the way Halle approaches her character, and I believe that’s a superpower. As an audience, it kind of really takes you by the hand and makes you think, “I want good things to happen to this person the same way I want them to happen to me.”
There is a moment you perform a love song together. How was that experience?
Incredibly intimidating! Having to sing directly to Halle at a close distance has been one of the most terrifying experiences of my life, but also one of the most rewarding, as she was so supportive and encouraging. It’s something we bonded over. You know, Halle is a human jukebox. There’s always a song going on in her head, and she’s constantly humming a tune. I would ask her, “What’s on the jukebox today?” And then we would sing a little something together. We found a rhythm and our way into the scenes each day through that. So, singing that song together was both intimidating and rewarding, and a lot of fun.
And what do you believe an actor like Lorenzo De Moor brought to the role of Matteo?
Lorenzo’s great, and it was a joy to work with him, too. There’s a lot of us going at each other’s throats on screen, but none of that in real life. The truth is that he is inventive, hilarious, stupidly handsome, very charming, and a wonderful collaborator on set.
The incredible Italian actress Isabella Ferrari plays your mother Gabriella in a beautiful role.
Isabella embraced me as a son almost immediately, the moment we came on set, and she’s a wonderful leader of this family. There’s a real emotional and empathetic quality to the way she leads, which is very generous. I think it comes through in the way her character embraces Anna into the family the second Gabriella realizes that she doesn’t have a support network. There’s no hesitation to say, “You now have a family with us,” and that’s very similar to how Isabella approached me in the ensemble.
Paolo Sassanelli also has gravitas in the story as the family patriarch, Vincenzo.
Paolo’s an absolute legend! He walks onto set with such a presence, as well as a twinkle in his eye and a certain mischief, but with the ability to change the temperature in a second while he inhabits this patriarch. So, the same way every time Vincenzo appears on screen there is a kind of a stillness suddenly, as if waves parted, Paolo also commands that attention for real because he knows exactly what he is doing. So, there was this reassurance whenever he was on set that made us feel, “He’s got this.”
Speaking of legends, Stefania Casini, who has worked with masters like Bertolucci or Greenaway, plays Nonna, the silent but strong grandmother.
Stefania playing Nonna is the beating comedic heart of this movie. And I think that the levity and joy we got the second she stepped on set was unique. With a look or a twitch of her eye, Stefania tells stories pages long, and I just kind of stood in awe whenever she was on set. It was a real gift to have her there.
One of the most fun and exciting scenes in You, Me & Tuscany is the traditional barrel race Michael and Matteo participate in as a team. How was that to shoot?
It was one of the hottest days on Earth that has ever existed, and we decided to run around and roll barrels up and down hills and through the countryside. It was also one of the most fun days we had on set. Logistically, it was a challenge, as there were hundreds of people involved, and we did not take any half measures. It’s a mildly unusual concept, but it’s taken incredibly seriously, and we took it pretty seriously, too. Actually, we had to spend a little bit of time training to learn how to move these things around because they’re heavy and dangerous, and it requires a lot of teamwork. In the story, apart from having the brothers push each other’s buttons, we also managed to find moments of connection, to then flip it quickly into the dark side of competition, as only siblings can.
And how was it to shoot at the family restaurant?
That was hot, too! I believe we shot there on our first day of filming, when everyone was so excited to meet each other. We were cooking real food in that restaurant, so it was kind of an amped-up environment. Also, it’s Italy, and everybody cares about food in a very real way. There is an integrity to making food there.
Tell us about shooting at real vineyards in Tuscany. You have a great sequence with Halle at the family estate.
Again, it was an inspiring place to shoot, and so beautiful for real, with the rows of vines and acres of greenery over those roiling hills that almost don’t look real. So, it helps the imagination in ways you can’t even begin to describe, which allows you to really lean into the romance, as it doesn’t just happen between us but also with the landscape. It was hugely inspiring.
What would you say Kat Coiro brings to it all as a director?
Kat is a creative free spirit, and she brings every ounce of that energy to the screen, the movie, and the camera. She is open to ideas, bringing every piece of herself into the process, and the second you engage with that, you are playing a fun game all day, which is a joy.
And how is Will Packer as a producer?
Will is a wonderful producer on a number of levels. He is a creative being who is very reassuring, and he has an incredible sense of humor.
In your opinion, what are the key ingredients for a great romantic comedy?
A great rom-com needs to make you believe in love and people, having you leave cynicism at the door. This way it allows you to think, “What if I was brave enough to go out and fly to the other side of the world, live my dreams and find the perfect partner to do that with? The second you achieve that on screen and share it with other people who want to live through it too, you have a winner. You, Me & Tuscany just has this perfect combination of comedy and enjoyment, while being aspirational enough to let you live the best version of yourself.
