GIANNI Capaldi has done enough living for several lifetimes. Up until the age of 19, he’d set his sights on becoming a professional football player, even getting as far as being in Motherwell’s youth team.
“They both just have such great range and can play so many different sort of characters in a variety of genres,” Capaldi, 48, said. “Whoever they play, they’re able to change into any character, any shape, or form. They’re just chameleons.”Rather than honing his craft in Scotland, Capaldi set sail for the US, learning his skills at the renowned Stella Adler Academy of Acting & Theater in Los Angeles.
“It’s strange, because I’ve had a long career,” he said. “But I’ve done a lot of independent movies. I’ve always just really loved the job and the last few films have been finding bigger and bigger audiences, especially because they’re now easier to find on streaming and VOD platforms.” While Capaldi had always had good ideas, he had never found the time to write a script before Damaged. “With this, I told myself I was going to take the time to write it down and work it out,” he said.
Damaged also gave Capaldi a rare chance to shoot in Scotland, something he was particularly excited about since most of the filming he’s done has been in either America or Eastern. “Shooting in Scotland was really appealing to me,” he said. “It was amazing to film in Edinburgh and then near the docks in Greenock. I was so thankful for it.
But while Capaldi clearly loved returning to Scotland for the film, he has continued to work stateside since filming wrapped on Damaged in May, 2023. In October and November, he teamed up again with Jackson on Unholy Trinity, which was shot in Montana, and also features Pierce Brosnan.