Nicolas Maupas: «After Mare fuori, I hate Christmas: a year of happiness»

Nicolas Maupas he is experiencing that moment in his life when it seems that the planets align, generating what some call a “lucky wave”. Since when Sea Out – the fiction produced by Picomedia ready to return with a third season on Rai2 starting February 15 – has managed to conquer the audience of the very young, transforming it into an idol capable of moving the crowds, Nicolas has not missed a beat. From the introvert Simone di A professor which we will soon see on Rai1 with a second season to the dark Vittorio di nudes passing through the tormented Roberto di survivors, Maupas – 24 years old, Milanese, French graphic designer father and Italian journalist mother – has miraculously managed not to crystallize into a single character, giving life to a myriad of roles capable of demonstrating his talent and his passion for this profession. «I’m glad I was able to experiment and try new things. I am so taken by this great movement that it makes me feel very charged, even if I don’t know what awaits me tomorrow», explains Nicolas (who pronounces himself «Nicolà», under penalty of bitterness and the ruthless fury of the fans) adding that he is busy in Rome filming a new ensemble series of which he cannot say anything except that “it will come out a little bit from what I’ve done so far.”

Meanwhile, Maupas enjoys the success of his latest artistic effort: I hate Christmas, the delightful Netflix series produced by Lux Vide in which he plays David, an eighteen-year-old boy who attracts Gianna’s attention (Pilar Fogliati), a single woman desperately looking for a boyfriend to present to her mother on Christmas day who, when she discovers she is dealing with a man ten years younger than her, asks herself the question of whether or not to continue the relationship for fear of being judged by friends and family.

In I hate Christmas he indulged in a long sex scene. Embarrassed to turn it?
“Partially yes. Showing an intimacy and literally getting naked doesn’t happen to me often, but we had fun. Pilar was a super companion, we laughed a lot and respected each other a lot».

Have you ever been with a woman older than you in your life?
“Yes, but not many years.”

How many?
“Five”.

Is the age difference between a couple still a taboo?
«If the age difference is so great, perhaps yes, but I don’t think there are limits. If a person attracts us, we don’t have to ask ourselves whether she is our age or not: diversity is always beautiful ».

In the series, Gianna suffers parental pressure to be single: has she ever had it?
«For my part there has always been a lot of freedom and never pressure. My mom never asked me, and I never had a problem introducing her to the girls I was dating. There has always been a situation of great normality in this sense ».

The very first time he brought a girl home?
«Quite small, at 17 years old. My mom is one who puts you at ease.”

Have you brought any recently?
“I’m super discreet about this, but I can tell you that I’m very happy.”

Which is already an answer.
«As Gianna teaches us, happiness can be found both alone and in company».

What is happiness for you?
«A skin sensation, like when you put yourself in the sun at six in the summer and feel the warmth on you. That is happiness for me. My friends make me happy.”

It’s a romantic answer. Does it feel romantic?
“Saying yes might be pretentious, but yes: I like the romantic things in life.”

First crush of life?
“When I was ten there was a little girl in a mini-series about spies for children who drove me crazy. When I grew up, however, the greatest crush was Fellini’s Gradisca».

What childhood did he have?
«I grew up in the open, I saw friends in the garden. My parents, however, worked a lot and I missed them a bit».

Is he an only child?
“Unfortunately”.

Has loneliness ever scared you?
«In the past yes, I couldn’t fit in well. Now, however, I look for it a lot. I find it healthy to cut out moments for myself because I often feel the need to recap what is happening to you. There are so many positive aspects of mediated, controlled solitude».

For some, being alone with yourself is very scary.
“If it’s too much, it becomes a sounding board and the problems get bigger.”

Is he paranoid?
“A bang”.

A recurring paranoia?
«More than anything else, they are quirks: I have to double-check everything many times, I often postpone the things I have to do, and then I’m super precise and organised. When I think a lot, I start tidying up everything in the house: it’s something I do often».

Lives alone?
“Yes, for three years. In Rome».

The first moment you felt independent?
«When I started to work, to have my first commitments with the academy and the theatre. It was my choice, but my parents rightly told me not to take it lightly. At 18 I decided to walk on my own legs, trying to get away from home to create something of my own».

As a child, what did you dream of being when you grew up?
«In the beginning, many jobs that don’t exist, like the hero and the pirate. Growing up I often thought about being a cook, I wanted to enroll in a cooking school, since for me cooking has always been linked to travel. I’m a big fan of Anthony Bourdain and his philosophy: to be happy, go somewhere, discover something new, eat with someone you don’t know and sleep in a different bed than yours. That is my pursuit of happiness, even if I can’t travel now because I work so much».

He works hard, with great satisfaction. Are you happy with the last year?
“Very much, even if sometimes I feel a little off the ground. I’m very excited, running.”

In 2020, shortly after the release of sea ​​out, he told us that he wanted to continue on this path, and it is clear that he succeeded.
«If I stop to think, I realize that I have embarked on an important path: it is no longer just a dream, but something I am realizing. Like when you fly high and then look below you».

Let’s go back to the initial aspirations: do you cook now?
“Yes, I’m working hard. At one point I really ate cabbage, I went around the house with bags of ham. Now I control myself more ».

When he spoke to Vanity Fair Stories, the public seemed convinced that she was the vainest of the boys Sea Out. He’s not perfect, then?
“For nothing. But it would be appropriate to investigate since they often tell me this and I happen to have to deal with a certain type of character in my characters ».

He said that as a child he didn’t like himself physically. How does getting so much attention today make you feel?
“I’m super shy, I go red in three seconds and it’s something I just can’t disguise. Sure, I’m glad people take the time to grant me nice words, even if in these cases I never know what to say, I never know what to answer. I’m not good at receiving this kind of attention.”

Discovering yourself is an undertaking that can last a lifetime: what degree of self-awareness do you think you have reached today?
«I think low. When I get to the point where I think I know myself there’s always something that changes and I realize something I hadn’t noticed before. Today, however, I think I have decided that I want to live it well, not to preclude myself from anything, to remain open and not motionless».

She has said in the past that she has suffered from anxiety.
«When you solve it, anxiety often takes another form. An anxiety component is always there, but it is no longer an obstacle as before. It’s normal to have anxiety about work and about the future».

At what age did anxiety become an obstacle?
«In pre-adolescence, at 14 years old. I began to feel a sensation unknown to me which developed over time making me realize that I didn’t have a little. However, she has never been disabling, I’ve always fought against it a lot ».

Has your work helped you in this battle?
«Definitely yes because this job exposes you to many things, even if I always have the anxiety of saying bullshit in interviews».

What are you afraid of today?
«To lose what I have built and to make mistakes, despite the fact that I concede it more and more often. I’m afraid that all this will end, and that’s why I work so hard: I don’t want to lose him”.

Talking about your work: do you ever see yourself again?
«Yes, but with a lot of effort. If an episode comes out on TV in the evening, I watch it with one eye closed: I prefer to go and see it again the next day. With the airing I am always afraid ».

Because?
“I see the mistakes. For a project like Sea Out that has had such a success and such an important following I feel I don’t want to disappoint the audience that watches us. We have been carrying these characters with us for 3-4 years and bringing their truth back to the screen seems crucial to me».

Ever been afraid of being crystallized in a character?
«I was lucky enough to come across winning projects with beautiful scripts, even if the risk of the label is always there».

Knows that, along with waiting for Sea Outside 3, there is also that for A professor 2?
“I read the script for the first four episodes the other day and it’s hilarious. I have high expectations, we’ll see.”

An unattainable wish?
“To fly. I’d love to.”

Is it because she doesn’t like to take transportation?
“No, I like that. As a huge Harry Potter fan, I love trains, and I appreciate planes because I like the scenery.”

Returning to Christmas, you know that at the end of the year balances often snap: do they scare you?
«The world turns like a clock: if you understand that life is a great flow, the budgets are less scary. I live without boxes, you can also put up with the budget in a less heavy way. Thinking, for example, that Christmas is not the end, but it’s just a party”.

A very philosophical answer.
“He saw? In the end, I also pulled out an Osho-style pearl for her».

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Source: Vanity Fair

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