Isabella Rossellini on Lynch, ‘Green Porno’ and Her Love for Animals

Isabella Rossellini has received the Excellence Award at Locarno.

“The prize I’m receiving tonight is for excellence, which is something I haven’t heard very often,” she said during the opening ceremony.

“I’m very proud of it and, above all, so moved because my father received this back in 1948 for his film ‘Germany, Year Zero.’ And then, four years ago, my brother Renzo [Rossellini], who was a great producer of Fellini and Scola. Being on par with my father and my brother fills me with so much emotion.”

During her masterclass at the fest, Rossellini – who holds a master’s degree in Animal Behavior and Conservation – also opened up about her popular web series “Green Porno” and “Seduce Me,” about animal mating rituals.  

“I know nothing about computers. I don’t speak that language, so I made these films the way I knew how: super low-tech. I watched a lot of [Georges] Méliès. It was a no-tech technique. Animals, to me, they fascinate me. I have a farm and when I decided to make films myself, they became my muses,” she said. In her new film, she will play all the roles. But she would like to concentrate on directing more in the future. 

“I am just fascinated by biology and diversity. When someone says: ‘It’s against nature to be gay or trans’ — it’s not! I don’t sit down to write something political or poetic, but I discover that some worms are hermaphrodites. I am just always so surprised. That’s my inspiration – not politics.”

She can’t ignore the ongoing political situation in the U.S., however. 

“We are thinking of going back, but I have sheep, I have land. Should I abandon everything? I just hope things will improve.”

“My first passion was animals. Even when I was a kid, I would take stray dogs and take them home.”

Still, she had to follow her second passion first – for a while, she worked on her father’s films as a costume designer. When her mother, Ingrid Bergman, was offered a film in Rome, “A Matter of Time,” she ended up playing a small role in it, too. 

“Just to spend some time with my mum! I didn’t think I would become an actress.” 

Discouraged by early critics, she pursued modeling and journalism, too. 

“When you are criticized publicly, as it happened with ‘The Meadow,’ it’s really hard. Being successful in the fashion world really reassured me. I worked with Avedon, and he told me: ‘Models are like silent movie stars. You have no lines, but I shoot the emotion.’ I was asked to be in films, maybe because I was Ingrid Bergman’s daughter, and I said: ‘Why not’?”

She recalled meeting David Lynch for the first time to discuss her role in “Blue Velvet,” released in 1986.

“I met David at a restaurant. We were both there with members of the De Laurentis family, and we joined the tables. He said: ‘You look like Ingrid Bergman.’ They said: ‘You idiot, she is her daughter!’ When I got the script, there was a note: ‘Why don’t you read it and tell me if you want to play this character. I loved it, but it was so controversial. I asked him if I could rehearse the scenes to see if my interpretation matches his [vision]. He said: ‘You got it right.’”

“David was not so famous back then, and he really showed his mysterious world there. The plot was not so important. Some hated it and some loved it.” 

Composer Angelo Badalamenti helped her as well.

“It sounds like I sing very well, but that’s movie magic.”

Later, she went on to work with Robert Zemeckis, David O. Russell, Taylor Hackford and James Gray on “Two Lovers.” Gray is also celebrated at Locarno this year. 

“He was very nice. Joaquin Phoenix was more difficult, because he followed method acting back then,” she joked. 

She also praised Alice Rohrwacher – she worked with her on “La Chimera” – and was nominated for an Academy Award as Best Supporting Actress for Edward Berger’s “Conclave.” 

“I never think about someone’s ‘style.’ I think about what I want to say.” 

She added: “The thing is, I did everything late. I became a director in my 50s. I would have liked to start everything earlier, because I am always 10 years too late!”