Asia Argento
Template:Short description Template:For Template:Use dmy dates Template:Infobox person
Asia Argento (Template:IPA;<ref>Template:DOP</ref><ref>Template:DOP</ref> born Aria Maria Vittoria Rossa Argento; 20 September 1975) is an Italian actress and filmmaker. The daughter of filmmaker Dario Argento, she has had roles in several of her father's features and achieved mainstream success with appearances in XXX (2002), Land of the Dead (2005), and Marie Antoinette (2006). Her other notable acting credits include Queen Margot (1994), Let's Not Keep in Touch (1994), Traveling Companion (1996), Last Days (2005), and Islands (2011). Argento is the recipient of several accolades, including two David di Donatello awards for Best Actress and three Italian Golden Globes.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Her directorial credits include The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things (2004) and Misunderstood (2014).
After the Weinstein scandal in 2017, Argento spoke publicly about her experiences and was widely discussed in connection with the "#MeToo" movement.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> The New York Times reported in August 2018 that actor Jimmy Bennett accused Argento of sexually assaulting him in 2013, when he was 17 and she was 37.<ref name="NYTimes_2018.08.19">Template:Cite news</ref> According to reporting, Argento first met Bennett when he appeared as a child actor in her film The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>
Early life
Asia Argento was born Aria Maria Vittoria Rossa Argento in Rome on 20 September 1975. Her father is Dario Argento, an Italian filmmaker known for his work in the Italian giallo genre and for his influence on modern horror and slasher movies.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Her mother was actress Daria Nicolodi<ref name="Kemp">Template:Cite web</ref> and her maternal great-grandfather was composer Alfredo Casella.<ref name="Castellaro">Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
When Argento was born, the city registry office in Rome refused to acknowledge "Asia" as an appropriate name, and instead officially inscribed her name as "Aria" (a name accepted by the city registry).<ref name=":0" /> She went by the name Asia, which she later used professionally.<ref name=":0">Template:Cite news</ref> She pronounces her name as "AH-she-ah", which friends sometimes abbreviate to sound like "Ozzie".Template:Citation needed Argento has said that as a child she was lonely and depressed, owing in part to her parents' work.<ref name="guardian">Template:Cite news</ref> Her father used to read her his horror scripts as bedtime stories.<ref name="swindle">Template:Cite magazine</ref> At age eight, Argento published a book of poems.<ref name="swindle"/> At the age of 14, she ran away from home.<ref name="guardian"/>
Argento has mentioned in interviews that she does not have a close relationship with her father.<ref name="index">Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref name="sgirls">Daniel Robert Epstein. Interview with Asia Argento. SuicideGirls.com. 7 March 2006.</ref> She has mentioned that he was absent when she was a child, and has also mentioned that, because of this, she did not have a happy childhood.<ref name="Filmmaker"/> Regarding her relationship with her father and her reason for acting, she has stated that:
In an interview with Filmmaker magazine, she stated that, at one time, "I was sick for a while; I was agoraphobic. I was afraid to go out of my apartment for a long time, I could only go out to work."<ref name="Filmmaker"/>
Career
Asia Argento began to act at the age of nine,<ref name=iht>Joan Dupont. "Asia Argento at Cannes: A modern heroine bares all – almost". International Herald Tribune. 21 May 2007.</ref> when she was cast in a small role in a film by Sergio Citti.<ref name=index/> When she was 16, she starred in her father's film Trauma (1993).<ref name="Filmmaker"/> She received the David di Donatello<ref name="hmovies">Horror-Movies.ca, Asia Argento, Horrific Filmography. Template:Webarchive Retrieved on 16 February 2008.</ref> (Italy's version of the Academy Award) for Best Actress in 1994 for her performance in Perdiamoci di vista, and again in 1996 for Compagna di viaggio, which also earned her a Grolla d'oro award. Argento subsequently began to appear in English-language movies, such as B. Monkey and New Rose Hotel (both 1998). Argento also performed in French-language roles, beginning with Charlotte de Sauve in La Reine Margot (1994).<ref name="Filmmaker"/>
Around the same time, she made her first foray into directing with the short films Prospettive and A ritroso (both 1994) and a documentary about her father (in 1996) and Abel Ferrara (in 1998).<ref name="Filmmaker"/> In 2000, Argento directed and wrote her first fiction feature film, Scarlet Diva (2000),<ref name="Filmmaker"/> which her father co-produced.<ref name="Filmmaker"/> In a review, Filmmaker magazine called the film "riotously funny" and dubbed Argento "a filmmaker with a great degree of promise".<ref name="Filmmaker"/>
She achieved wider recognition when she portrayed Russian undercover spy Yelena in the Hollywood action film XXX (2002),<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> alongside Vin Diesel.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The film grossed $277.4 million and launched Argento to international fame. She directed her second feature film, The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things (2004), based on a book by JT LeRoy.<ref name=sgirls/>
In addition to her cinematic accomplishments, Argento has written a number of stories for magazines such as Dynamo and L'Espresso, while her first novel, titled I Love You Kirk, was published in Italy in 1999. She has modeled for the denim jeans brand Miss Sixty.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> She became a fan of the band Hondo Maclean when they wrote a track named after her and liked the track so much that she sent them pictures which they used as the cover of their 2003 album Plans for a Better Day.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
She appeared in Placebo's music video for "This Picture", and appeared on Placebo frontman Brian Molko's cover version of "Je t'aime... moi non plus". Argento has also starred in Catherine Breillat's period drama The Last Mistress.<ref name="nytimes">Kristin Hohenade. "Therapy for Paralysis: Controversial Film". New York Times. 28 January 2007</ref><ref>" Peut-on jouer Barbey ? ", Anne-Elisabeth Blateau, in Carré d'art : Byron, Barbey d'Aurevilly, Dalí, Hallier, Jean-Pierre Thiollet, Anagramme Editions, 2008, p. 143–149. Template:ISBN</ref> She dubbed the Italian version of the video game Mirror's Edge in the role of the runner Faith Connors, from 2008 to 2009.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Argento has been part of the Legendary Tiger Man's project Femina, which was released on 14 September 2009. She is featured on the song "Life Ain't Enough for You", which was released as a single along with the B-side "My stomach is the most violent of all Italy", in which she also contributes vocals.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
In May 2013, Argento's debut album, entitled Total Entropy, was released by Nuun Music.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
In 2014, Argento played supporting role in the British film Shongram, a fictional romantic drama based around the factual and historical events of the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War.<ref name="fansshare">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="cinemahour">Template:Cite news</ref>
Also in 2014, she directed her third feature film, titled Misunderstood (2014), was selected to compete in the Un Certain Regard section at that year's Cannes Film Festival.<ref name="Cannes2014">Template:Cite web</ref> That year, while promoting the film, Argento stated that she was not going to act anymore and that she had decided to concentrate on writing and directing.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Personal life
Besides Italian, Argento speaks English and French, which she learned for her role in Les Morsures de L'Aube.<ref name="Filmmaker">"Dangerous Beauty". Filmmaker Magazine. Retrieved on 16 February 2008.</ref>
In 2009, Argento signed a petition in support of film director Roman Polanski, calling for his release after Polanski was arrested in Switzerland in relation to his 1977 charge for drugging and raping a 13-year-old girl.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In 2017, she expressed regret for signing the petition, calling it "a mistake"<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and stating later on that Polanski's continued career "speaks terribly of the industry".<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Argento moved to Germany in 2017, citing experiences of victim blaming received in Italy following her allegations against Harvey Weinstein.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Relationships
Her first child, Anna Lou Castoldi, was born in 2001.<ref name="ode">Alan Jones. "Biography". Template:Webarchive OdetoAzia.com. September 2002.</ref> Italian rock and roll musician Morgan (lead singer of Bluvertigo), is the father.<ref name=swindle/> She named her daughter after her half-sister Anna Ceroli, who died in a motorcycle accident.Template:Cn
Argento married film director Michele Civetta on 27 August 2008 in Arezzo. Her second child (a son) was born in 2008 in Rome. The couple divorced in 2013.<ref name="guardian"/> She and her children live in the Vigna Clara neighborhood of Rome.<ref name=iht/>
Argento worked and became romantically involved with Anthony Bourdain in 2016 during the production of the Rome episode of Parts Unknown.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Bourdain became outspoken alongside Argento during her allegations against Harvey Weinstein for a time after those events.Template:Opinion
Sexual assault allegations by Argento
Template:See also Argento alleged in an October 2017 New Yorker article by Ronan Farrow that she had been sexually assaulted by Harvey Weinstein in the 1990s. She would later have consensual albeit "one-sided" sexual relations with him. She confirmed that a scene in Scarlet Diva where her character is accosted by a movie executive was indeed a reference to Weinstein.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Later, Argento stated that the "article did a huge disservice to me and to my truth by simplifying all this", and accused Farrow of "misrepresenting" what happened to her.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Argento delivered a speech on 20 May 2018, following the 2018 Cannes Film Festival, calling the festival Weinstein's "hunting ground", alleging that she was raped by Weinstein in Cannes when she was 21. She added, "And even tonight, sitting among you, there are those who still have to be held accountable for their conduct against women".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
On 24 January 2021, Argento alleged that director Rob Cohen had drugged her with gamma-hydroxybutyric acid and raped her during the filming of xXx. A representative of Cohen denied Argento's assault accusation as "absolutely false".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Sexual assault allegation against Argento
On 19 August 2018, The New York Times published allegations that Argento sexually assaulted actor Jimmy Bennett.<ref name="NYTimes_2018.08.19"/> Argento had first met Bennett when he played her son in the 2004 film The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things when Bennett was 7 and she was 28.<ref name="NYTimes_2018.08.19" /> The alleged assault occurred in 2013 when he was two months past his 17th birthday in a hotel room in California, where the age of consent is 18; Argento was 37 at the time.<ref name="NYTimes_2018.08.19"/> According to Bennett, in their encounter Argento gave him alcohol, performed oral sex on him and had sexual intercourse with him.<ref name="NYTimes_2018.08.19" />
Argento quietly arranged a $380,000 nondisclosure settlement with Bennett in the months following her revelations regarding Weinstein.<ref name="NYTimes_2018.08.19" /> Bennett said when Argento came out against Weinstein, it stirred memories of his own experience in 2013. He imparted that he had sought to resolve the matter privately,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and had not spoken out sooner "because I was ashamed and afraid to be part of the public narrative".<ref name="Severson"/>
In a statement provided to the Times, he said: "I was underage when the event took place, and I tried to seek justice in a way that made sense to me at the time because I was not ready to deal with the ramifications of my story becoming public. At the time I believed there was still a stigma to being in the situation as a male in our society. I didn't think that people would understand the event that took place from the eyes of a teenage boy." Bennett said he would like to "move past this event in my life", adding, "today I choose to move forward, no longer in silence".<ref name="Severson">Template:Cite news</ref>
Argento initially denied the allegations, falsely claiming that she never had a sexual encounter with Bennett and that when he made a request for money to her, her partner Anthony Bourdain paid him to avoid negative publicity.<ref name="The Guardian 21 August 2018">Template:Cite news</ref>
On 22 August, she released a statement reading: "I strongly deny and oppose the contents of the New York Times article dated 20 August 2018, as circulated also in national and international news. I am deeply shocked and hurt by having read news that is absolutely false. I have never had any sexual relationship with Bennett."<ref name="France">Template:Cite web</ref> A spokeswoman for the Times responded, "We are confident in the accuracy of our reporting, which was based on verified documents and multiple sources".<ref name="Severson"/> Fellow #MeToo advocate Rose McGowan initially expressed support for Argento and implored others to show restraint, stating, "None of us know the truth of the situation and I'm sure more will be revealed. Be gentle."<ref name="France"/> McGowan faced criticism on social media for her comments, which contradicted the #MeToo movement's message of believing survivors.<ref name="France"/>
Following Argento's denials, a photograph of her topless in bed with Bennett was published, as well as her alleged admission of sex with him in text messages to model Rain Dove. In the screenshots, Argento reputedly stated: "I had sex with him it felt weird. I didn't know he was a minor until the shakedown letter."<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
In a letter published online in September 2018, Argento's attorney admitted there was a sexual encounter, but claimed the underage Bennett "sexually attacked" Argento.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Amid the allegations, Argento was dropped as a judge on X-Factor Italy.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | Demons 2 | Ingrid Haller | |
| 1988 | Zoo | Martina | |
| 1989 | Template:Sortname | Lotte | |
| Red Wood Pigeon | Valentina | ||
| 1992 | Close Friends | Simona | |
| 1993 | Trauma | Aura Petrescu | |
| Condannato a nozze | Olivia | Template:Aka Diary of a Man Condemned to Marriage | |
| 1994 | Let's Not Keep in Touch | Arianna | |
| Queen Margot | Charlotte de Sauve | ||
| DeGenerazione | Lorna | ||
| 1996 | Template:Sortname | Detective Anna Manni | |
| Traveling Companion | Cora | ||
| 1998 | Viola Kisses Everybody | Viola | |
| New Rose Hotel | Sandii | ||
| B. Monkey | Beatrice / B. Monkey | ||
| Template:Sortname | Christine Daaé | ||
| 2000 | Scarlet Diva | Anna Battista | Also writer and director |
| 2001 | Les Morsures de l'aube | Violaine Charlier | a.k.a. Love Bites |
| 2002 | Template:Sortname | Detective Anita Staro | |
| XXX | Yelena | ||
| 2004 | Template:Sortname | Sarah | Also co-writer and director |
| Template:Sortname | Gina Moore | ||
| 2005 | Last Days | Asia | |
| Cindy: The Doll Is Mine | Cindy Sherman / The Model | Short film | |
| Land of the Dead | Slack | ||
| 2006 | Live Freaky! Die Freaky! | Habagail Folger (voice) | |
| Marie Antoinette | Madame du Barry | ||
| Transylvania | Zingarina | ||
| Friendly Fire | Grand Dame | Video | |
| 2007 | Boarding Gate | Sandra | |
| Go Go Tales | Monroe | ||
| Template:Sortname | Vellini | ||
| Template:Sortname | Sarah Mandy | ||
| 2008 | On War | Uma | |
| 2009 | Diamond 13 | Calhoune | |
| 2011 | Horses | Madre | |
| Islands | Martina | ||
| Baciato dalla fortuna | Betty | ||
| Drifters | Beatrice Plana | ||
| 2012 | Dracula 3D | Lucy Kisslinger | |
| Do Not Disturb | Monica | ||
| Firmeza | Asia | Short film | |
| 2013 | Template:Sortname | Naya | |
| Obsessive Rhythms | Margo | ||
| 2014 | Shongram | Sarah | Bangladeshi film |
| Misunderstood | Director and writer | ||
| 2017 | Shadow | Short film | |
| 2018 | Alien Crystal Palace | Sybille Atlante | |
| 2020 | Agony | Isidora | |
| 2021 | Sans soleil | Léa | |
| 2022 | Dark Glasses | Rita | |
| Padre Pio | Tall Man | ||
| Vera | Asia | ||
| 2023 | Template:Ill | Anna | |
| Dario Argento Panico | Herself | Documentary film | |
| 2024 | Queens of Drama | Magalie Charmer | |
| Romeo Is Juliet | Herself | Cameo | |
| TBA | A Mother for an Hour | <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | Sogni e bisogni | Gloria | Episode: "Il ritorno di Guerriero" |
| 2000 | Les Misérables | Éponine Thénardier | TV miniseries |
| 2004 | Milady | Sally La Chèvre | TV film |
| 2011 | Sangue caldo | Anna Rosi | Episodes: "1.1", "1.2" |
| 2014 | Rodolfo Valentino – La leggenda | Natacha Rambova | Episode: "1.2" |
| 2016 | Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown | Herself | Season 10, Episode 8: "Southern Italy: The Heel of the Boot" |
| 2016 | Ballando con le stelle | Contestant | Series 11 |
| 2018 | The X Factor Italy | Judge | series 12; auditions / judges' houses |
| 2020 | Pechino Express | Contestant along with Vera Gemma | Season 8 |
| 2021 | Belve | Herself | Interview (season 5) |
Video games
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008–2009 | Mirror's Edge | Faith Connors | Dubbed in the Italian version; Xbox 360/PlayStation 3/Microsoft Windows version |
Writing
Argento's autobiography, Anatomy of a Wild Heart, was published in Italy on 26 January 2021.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Music videos
- "(s)AINT" – Marilyn Manson
- "This Picture" – Placebo
- "Live Fast! Die Old!" – with Munk
- "Someone" – with Archigram and Antipop
- "Sexodrome" – with Morgan
- "Life Ain't Enough for You" – with The Legendary Tigerman
- "My Stomach Is the Most Violent of All of Italy" – with The Legendary Tigerman
- "Ours" – with Tim Burgess
- "La vie est belle" – Indochine
- "Dead Meat" – Sean Lennon
Discography
| Album | Released |
|---|---|
| Asia Argento (1 Disco Sux / 2 U Just Can't Stop the Rock / 3 Sad Core) | 2008 |
| Archigram & Friends | |
| Total Entropy | 2013 |
| Music From My Bed | 2021 |
Awards and nominations
Recognition
In 2012, Argento was highlighted in the retrospective Argento: Il Cinema Nel Sangue at the Museum of Arts and Design in New York City.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The retrospective celebrated the influence of the Argento family on filmmaking in Italy and around the world. It highlighted Asia's contribution as well as that of her mother (Daria Nicolodi), father, grandfather (Salvatore), and uncle (Claudio).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
See also
References
External links
Template:Commons category Template:Wikiquote
Template:Asia Argento Template:David di Donatello Best Actress Template:X Factor (Italy)
- Pages with broken file links
- 1975 births
- Living people
- 20th-century Italian actresses
- 21st-century Italian actresses
- Actresses from Rome
- Child writers
- David di Donatello winners
- Women DJs
- Italian child actresses
- Italian female models
- Italian film actresses
- Italian film directors
- Italian people of Brazilian descent
- Italian women screenwriters
- Italian women film directors
- Italian television actresses
- Italian voice actresses
- People of Sicilian descent
- People of Tuscan descent
- People of Piedmontese descent
- 20th-century Italian screenwriters
- 21st-century Italian screenwriters
- Italian electronic dance music DJs
- 21st-century Italian singers
- 21st-century Italian women singers
- Italian women in electronic music
- Models from Rome
- Musicians from Rome
- Argento family