Joe Tanti’s brush with the after-world has been hugely successful as excited public acclaim for the highly popular TV comedy ‘Deceduti’ screened on TVM has tangibly shown. I knew that the TV series was a sure-fire hit when I boarded a bus and heard three girls giggling behind me – one of them was reproducing Gladys’s voice to perfection. Then again, somebody I know actually complained that she had been invited to a do on a Thursday and had to cancel it because she simply could not miss a single episode of ‘Deceduti’. The ultimate scenario was when somebody had to cancel a birthday party because nobody wanted to be disturbed off the couch that evening…. You guessed right – it was a Thursday night!
Whilst all ‘Deceduti’s faithful fans are hoping the series will return to entertain us all come autumn, I get the opportunity of meeting the deejay cum TV presenter cum actor who provides an eye-opening insider’s view on the scenes behind it all. And this time, he’s not wearing Baron Ludovigo’s suit and cravat but rather sporting his typically casual gear.
What is your first word of reaction to describe your experience with Take Two Entertainment’s TV production ‘Deceduti’?
Finally!
How did all this acting experience come about? Who hooked you on to become an actor?
As a radio presenter I used to have various production houses on my shows talking about their latest productions. I never missed a chance to ask for auditions, always wanting to try my hand at this form of art. I must have bugged Abi Mallia, Alan Montanaro, Evelyn Saliba La Rosa , Ray Mangion, Hermann Bonaci, Salvu Mallia, Malcolm Galea, and Joe Quattromani senseless . In the end Ray Mangion of Act React called me for a part in The Secret Garden. I played the part of the gardener and haven’t regretted any of it since then.
Was acting something you had ever entertained?
Well…. as a student at Savio College, I had taken part in our school’s adaptation of Thomas Moore. Didn’t think much of it until my mum came fussing in the dressing room to make sure my costume was in place. I guess I figured this theatre thing was bigger than I thought.
The experience of ‘Deceduti’ - what was the easiest part of it?... and the most difficult part of it?
I think the easiest was learning my lines – I think once you accept who you’ve become, you simply adapt to the plot. The delivering is the most difficult part. Getting to play the part of a Baron who lost everything to an irresponsible son, had a wife who slept with everyone but the parish priest (at least I think), and to find out she had a son fathered by your gardener, is not the most aspiring of parts.
What was the most unexpected thing that happened to you during the filming of ‘Deceduti’?
I found out how impatient I am with filming. Filming is a very tedious experience unless you train yourself technically on what is expected of you and what directing is all about. It took me all of season one to understand the filming language. Season two found me better prepared.
So how long did the actual filming take and how many hours do you reckon you put into the effort?
Well we started late September and finished mid March. Hours vary according to the requirements of each scene. Filming was practically held daily. 12 to 16 hours a day. It’s not really about the hours everyone puts in, it’s about Abi eventually saying “Excellent, Lets go home”.
How hard was it to play-act the part of a dead baron?
It’s not the death that I found hard, it’s what happened to him in life that’s hard for a Joe Tanti to accept. If all that had happened to him actually happened to me, I would have gone insane long before the car accident.
What is it like seeing yourself on the TV screen?
Seeing myself is no big enterprise. I mean Animal Planet has a whole channel in that direction... It’s seeing me act that fascinates me. I learn by watching myself act. You don’t learn by saying “Oh I’m good” you learn by saying “Oh that could be better”.
Who is most critical of your acting - yourself, your partner, your elder son or your younger son?!?
ME!!!! Myself. I am my worst critic in my work. Those closest to me know me. They wait for me to forgive myself before they even dare pass a comment.
‘Deceduti’ has been a huge success - how did you realise as much yourself?
To be quite honest we weren’t all too sure in the beginning. ‘Evangelisti’ was a very hard act to follow. Such a feat! You have to have faith in Carlos and Abi. They are masters at their trade. By Christmas we realised through Facebook just how popular ‘Deceduti’ had become. Come Carnival, mothers and daughters were imitating Gladys, Ramons were popping up everywhere and Leli and his candle were roaming the streets of Nadur.
Has the experience of acting affected your public as a deejay?
I’d like to think people said, ‘That DJ can act!’
You’ve been a radio voice, a TV presenter and an actor – which of the three do you prefer?
Radio has been my maiden voyage, my teacher, my mentor. It has been with me since day one and it’s because of radio that I merged into TV and recently acting. But the older I grow, the more I learn about myself and the thirst that I’ve yet to quench. Acting is an art form unlike no other. It allows me to live another life completely alien to myself, in another world. However, radio will always be my backbone.
Would you consider acting in other serials or dramas perhaps.... and would you say you would only do comedy?
I would love to do more, and experiment with stage acting. Try drama, maybe play the villain, evil, cruel. Could be quite a challenge.
Will there be a second edition of ‘Deceduti’?
Who knows?!