Becca Bleznak – Dec 3, 2018
At the center of Elena Ferrante’s acclaimed Neapolitan Novels is the friendship between the narrator, Elena Greco, and her childhood companion, Lila Cerullo. The two are opposites in many ways, though both intelligent, thus the name of the first book, which has been adapted into an HBO miniseries. In order to do this faithfully, an intense casting process was required to find the girls at the center of the story. So who plays Lila in My Brilliant Friend?
There isn’t a straightforward answer here, as there are actually two Lilas. For the first couple of episodes, Elena and Lila are children attending primary school together, when Lila essentially chooses Elena to be her friend. The fearless protagonist faces challenges as she grows up, forced to abandon her studies in favor of the family’s cobbling business. Though this wasn’t uncommon at the time, Lena’s decision to continue with her education pulls the two girls apart at times and helps them find their way back to each other, in a story very different yet altogether relatable for most.
When the first Lila, Lila as child, appears onscreen, she is tiny — but conveys strength through her movements and sometimes prickly character. Ludovica Nasti, who, prior to this, had never acted before, is a natural Lila — My Brilliant Friend writer and director Serverio Costanzo called her “an unbelievable gem.”
Not only does she resemble Ferrante’s physical description for the character, which Constanzo remained faithful to, but she shares Lila’s outspoken nature. In an interview with The Guardian, Nasti shows off her similarities to the character. She tells the reporter that she enjoyed the more intense scenes of the shoot, and she draws a comparison to her self and Sophia Loren, who are both from Pozzuoli.