SEASON 20 / EPISODE 369
Hollywood, Juilliard, and Back: Moments with Matt Servitto
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IN THIS CONVERSATION
The story behind the story.
On the Hollywood Godfather podcast, Gianni and Jeanie welcome back Matt Savino, who is recovering after contracting type B flu and double pneumonia following a Colorado Springs fan event. The conversation ranges from faith and aging to Gianni’s background (polio, meeting Frank Costello, buying a boat, and his path into The Godfather through Joe Colombo’s Italian Anti-Defamation League meeting), including Gianni’s rehearsal experiences with Marlon Brando and Brando’s acting guidance. Savino discusses classical training (Oxford and Juilliard), the challenge of competing with “authentic” non-trained performers in film/TV, and how resilience from football helps in an industry defined by rejection. They also address technology and AI, green-screen production, union concerns about likeness and avatars, and hopes that human-made art becomes more valued. Savino plugs his film A Town Called Purgatory on Tubi and updates his project Batshit Crazy.
Go deeper into the conversation.
A reviewed transcript is not available for this release.
NEW YORK · 1972
The GodfatherThe role that changed everything.
In Francis Ford Coppola’s The Godfather, Gianni played Carlo Rizzi, Connie Corleone’s husband. Released in 1972, the film became the defining credit of his acting career. The podcast returns to the production, the cast, and Gianni’s memories of stepping into a film that would become part of cinema history.
Career history: Gianni’s official biography ↗
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