She is the “girlfriend” of Checco Zalone in Good Waythe cinematic success that hit the box office in just a few days. Mariana Rodriguez, in the film, she plays «a smart girl who tolerates his exuberance. Each of us takes advantage of the situation and wants something, he’s the pussy, I’m the wealth”, he explains to Courier. Today he enjoys the success: «I didn’t really expect it, but I live it without conditioning: it’s nice to see Italy united by laughter. At least in this. Checco Zalone suggested one direction, the director another, and I looked for a balance between the two visions. Then the solution was found. I am full of gratitude».
But, if in the Apulian comedian’s film she lives in luxury, in reality Mariana Rodriguez, 34, has known very dark moments: «At 18 I escaped the poverty of Venezuela, arriving in Italy with 50 euros». The actress was born and raised in Caracas, Venezuela, in a complex family: «My father had 4 other children with 4 different women, I don’t know whether to laugh or cry. In the film Checco says to his daughter: “You never called me dad”, I burst into tears.” Her mother, who raised her alone, «did many jobsthe maid, sold products house to house…”. Mariana remembers having “counted the cents to go by bus to school”, while her father, a former policeman, “wounded him by shooting him in the face”.
The years in Caracas were tough. «Drugs, violence. My cousin was killed in a showdown. Nothing bad has ever happened to me but you know the neighbors. Every now and then I slept with a friend who was worse off than us, my mother told me: now you see the real poverty.”
At 18, Mariana decided to leave Venezuela. «In Caracas I had saved up the money for the plane ticket by working as a sales assistant. I learned Italian thanks to Tiziano Ferroeveryone said I had to be a model, I relied on Venezuelan friends who lived in Milan.”
Not even the first times in Italy were simple: «At Madrid airport they stopped me, my fault was that I only had 50 euros in my pocket» says Mariana. «They put me in cell for three days. They made me feel like Pablo Escobar’s daughter. I was desperate.”
Step by step, Mariana has built a career between fashion and entertainment. He has participated in films, reality shows and television programs, also facing difficult experiences: «Al Big Brother Valeria Marini nominated me every week. He insulted me about everything, I preferred to be bullied than to speak…”. AND, after a service for The Hyenas in which he spoke about Maduro, «they took away my Venezuelan passport for four years. The accusation was: traitor to the homeland. We have become the new Cuba.”
Today she defines herself as a “chameleon”, restless and curious. She also searched for herself through a spiritual journey to India, and cultivates grandiose aspirations: «I dream of acting for Tim BurtonI feel a volcano inside, I reject the word ambition.” She is also the mother of a child: «When I am with him I feel protected. I have a complicated relationship with my father, Gianmaria, the important thing is that we are good parents.”
