Peppino Mazzullo, the Sicilian actor responsible for the voice of Topo Gigio since 1961, turns 100 this Saturday (6). The celebration takes place in a public square in Santo Stefano di Briga, province of Messina, the artist's hometown.
The official partnership between Mazzullo and the little mouse began on the Italian broadcaster RAI, when the puppet created by Maria Perego and Federico Caldura gained the voice that would endure for decades. The actor says, however, that the connection goes back much further.
“One morning, when I was about two years old, I saw a little mouse at the foot of my bed. I was scared, I tried to call my mother, but my voice disappeared. After a while, perhaps out of pity, the little mouse disappeared. I told my mother everything, and she comforted me: 'It's a gnome, it will bring you luck',” Mazzullo recounted.
The actor also left a lasting impression of the puppet's first encounter at RAI. "When I saw it, I got goosebumps. I already knew it, but I couldn't tell anyone," he said. "It was a poorly made puppet, the glue didn't hold it, and it had an ugly face, but I liked it."
Among the most memorable moments of his career is his participation in the American program. The Ed Sullivan Show"It was a powerful emotion. When Ginger Rogers told me 'I love you,' I almost fainted. I was in love with her," he recalled.
Mazzullo also claims authorship of one of the character's most iconic phrases. "What are you telling me?" was an invention of the actor, as was the entire personality of the little mouse. "I was an improviser, and everything Topo Gigio said came to mind in the moment. Nobody ever told me what to do," he stated. (With information from ANSA Brazil)
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