Tour guide by day, centurion by night

By Tyler Pryor

“I lost almost 6 kilos with the armor, in the middle of the summer.” That's how 28-year-old Alistair Madronii describes his experience shooting the HBO mini-series “Rome.” By day, Madronii is a tour guide still looking for his big acting break.

The half-Scottish, half-Italian has long had an interest in acting. He has a background in medieval weapon training, which he describes as a great advantage over rival actors with all the epic films that come to Rome.

Madronii came to Rome four-and-a-half years ago after hearing of the renewed interest in big-budget film productions returning to Italy. “The Passion of the Christ” and “Gangs of New York” were two recent Hollywood films shot here.

Even though his break did not quite happen, Madronii has continued to try to make it as an actor in Rome. Madronii believes the real problem is there are only two types of production in Rome. Small-budget projects that won’t amount to anything, or big budget movie productions like “Gladiator” that only come around once a year. There is no middle ground for actors to have steady work, he says.

Most of Alistair’s jobs consist of epic productions like “Rome.” He has already received a call-back to the Cinecitta Studios set for added scenes. “I feel really good with this "Rome" gig. It has good opportunities for the future,” he says.

Madronii hopes he will be able to break out of the soldier parts and possibly do something more contemporary. But at the moment he has no complaints, and has high hopes for the future.

Madronii hopes the RomeFilmFest will bring renewed interest to Roman film production, and the promise of more roles. He still is cautious. In Italy, private funding for film production is comparatively meager. There are few medium-sized productions to help an actor work his way up.

Madronii is holding out for the next big movie to come to Rome. Vin Diesel is rumored to be mulling a new film this fall about the fall of Carthage. If true, to Madronii hopes to land a part. He believes his reputation as a solid actor is growing in Rome, and his ability as soldier doesn't hurt.

For now, Madronii continues to give his tours of the Vatican with hopes of one day making a big break. “I will continue to give never ending tours, as long as it helps me get closer to my dream," he says.