Olga from 'The Incredible Adventures of Italians in Russia': Where did Antonia Santilli disappear
'10.11.2020'
Source: "Culturology"
During the Soviet era, Soviet viewers rarely saw foreign stars on screens, especially in domestic films, reminds "Culturology"... The participation of Italian actors in the filming guaranteed success in advance.
And although the popularity of the heroes of the comedy "The Incredible Adventures of Italians in Russia" could hardly be compared with the glory of Adriano Celentano and Ornella Muti, this Italian actress will certainly be remembered by many. Known in her homeland as a star of adult cinema, Antonia Santilli appeared on Soviet screens only once and disappeared forever after that ...
After Sergei Bondarchuk, together with the Italians, shot the film "Waterloo", they owed Mosfilm a large sum, and in order to return the debt, they offered to shoot another joint project. At first, the script by Eldar Ryazanov and Emil Braginsky called "Spaghetti in Russian" did not delight the leadership of the State Film Agency - the Italians were shown there too cunning and cheating. But when the work nevertheless began, it turned out that in some ways the authors were right: the Italian producers tried to save money on everything, and instead of the initially planned popular actors, they invited the artists of the "second echelon".
Antonia Santilli was not a star at home. She graduated from the Faculty of Humanities at the University of Rome with a degree in contemporary literature and performed in amateur theater, where photographers drew attention to her and was offered to work as a model. In Italy, Antonia was known as a participant in candid photo shoots for men's magazines and those film projects that fell into the category of "adult films" - mostly frivolous comedies, where she starred under the pseudonym Irina Ross. In the movie, she got only cameo roles, several times she had to be a stunt double for Ornella Muti and other actresses in bed scenes. Anthony gained popularity mainly due to her relaxedness and willingness to undress in front of the lens.
In the early 1970s. her finest hour came: they say that simultaneously with the invitation to act in the USSR, she received an offer from Hollywood producers to play in the film "Serpico" with Al Pacino. It is difficult to say what the actress was guided by in her decision, but her choice fell on the comedy of Eldar Ryazanov. And then Antonia Santilli did not regret it - she was not offered leading roles in Hollywood, and the episode could go unnoticed. But in the USSR, the 24-year-old Italian became a real star.
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Of course, in those days in the Soviet press, there was no mention of Olga's “dark past”, the granddaughter of the Russian ballerina from “The Incredible Adventures of Italians in Russia”. Later, many wondered how an actress with such a reputation could even end up in a Soviet film. It was rumored that she got the role through the patronage of her influential Italian patron, a businessman involved in filmmaking. The actress herself never commented on these rumors.
The partners of the Italian actress were the stars of Soviet cinema - Andrei Mironov, Evgeny Evstigneev, Olga Aroseva. On the set, she was taught how to drive, because the film featured a lot of stunts and chases in Zhiguli and Moskvich. Of course, during dangerous maneuvers, a stuntman was at the wheel, and in close-ups Antonia herself was at the wheel. But she never learned the Russian language, and her heroine was voiced by the Soviet actress, dubbing master Natalya Gurzo. This comedy was included in the list of 40 most popular Soviet films - more than 49 million viewers watched it in cinemas.
It was difficult to guess the star of Italian adult cinema in this cute girl from Ryazanov's comedy, although this film also had one piquant moment - for a few seconds, Antonia Santilli appeared in the frame without clothes. The director took the risk of including an explicit scene in the Soviet film, but the censors, surprisingly, abandoned the episode.
However, this role became for Antonia Santilli not only the pinnacle of her film career, but also her final point. The film "The Incredible Adventures of Italians in Russia" became for her not only a landmark moment professionally, but also a turning point in her personal life. During the filming, Antonia Santilli met a compatriot, a wealthy businessman, who, shortly after completing the film, proposed to her.
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After a trip to the USSR, Antonia returned to Italy, got married and gave birth to a son. Since then, she no longer acted in films, and even more so she did not participate in explicit photo shoots. Whether it was her husband's condition or her own decision - as they say, history is silent. The actress not only left the profession, but also stopped appearing in public - she no longer attends social events, does not give interviews and generally avoids meeting with fans and journalists.
All that is known about Antonia Santilli's life today is that she still lives with her family in a villa in Rome, and that she turned 70 last summer. On this occasion, she did not arrange public celebrations and still did not give interviews to the press - even local secular chroniclers never attended family celebrations in Antonia's house. She has no social media accounts, Antonia refuses to appear for the press, and her photographs have not appeared anywhere for over 40 years.
