90‑year-old Tuscan tailor lands unexpected movie role during a coffee break

What amounts to a few moments of film usually translates to months of grueling work on set. Repeating scenes and finding the right location and actors can be pretty challenging. Auditions are conducted in various cities, and contenders invest considerable time for their moment under the spotlight. This was not the case for an elderly tailor whom others wanted to act in Peter Greenaway's new film.

Despite his age, Vittoriano Bertozzi, a 90-year-old man, and an accomplished tailor, continues to attract satisfied customers. He operates his workshop in Lucca, a city in Tuscany, where he takes daily coffee breaks between work.

On one such day, a casting session for a new Peter Greenaway film was underway in the town. The hunt for extras had been underway since October, engaging over two thousand applicants. After many contenders and hours of auditions, the casting crew took a break and visited a nearby bar. There, they stumbled upon the elderly tailor. A particular lady took notice of him and decided to seize the opportunity.

You have a beautiful face, were the exact words that the 90-year-old man, who was sipping his routine coffee at the bar, heard. Following a brief dialogue, a film crew member offered him a role in the movie, which was currently cast in their town. The old man was taken aback but invited everyone to his workshop to discuss the proposal further.

After thinking it over, the tailor agreed to the role. He had never contemplated acting, but he thought he might as well seize the opportunity. The only concern that bothered him was how easily he bagged the role, unlike others who waited for hours at the audition. The filming for Peter Greenaway's next film will commence soon, and the elderly man will be one of the actors.