Advertise on podcast: Alain Elkann Interviews

THE ART OF BOOKSELLING. Johnny de Falbe runs John Sandoe Books, the independent bookshop near London's Sloane Square, together with his wife Arabella von Friesen and their staff. He has worked there since 1989. The small Chelsea shop stocks around 30,000 books and is one of London's best-loved independent booksellers. "It matters to me that we have clients in America, Italy and all over the world. I want us to feel international." "Above all, one wants human-to-human contact. The relationship with an independent shop goes beyond the simply transactional." "Bookselling is very physical, and sometimes absolutely exhausting, particularly as one gets older, but I go on thinking it is a valuable and enjoyable thing to do." https://www.alainelkanninterviews.com/johnny-de-falbe-2

MASTER OF THE CRAFT OF ACTING. Marco Antonio Servillo was born in Afragola, Italy, in 1959. He built a rich theatrical foundation by founding the Teatro Studio in 1977 and co-founding the influential company Teatri Uniti in 1987. He achieved international film renown through his frequent collaborations with director Paolo Sorrentino, delivering unforgettable lead performances as real-life political figures in Il Divo and Loro, as well as starring in the Academy Award-winning The Great Beauty (La grande bellezza). Widely celebrated for his commanding voice, expressive range, and striking physical transformation on screen and stage, he has won multiple European Film Awards and David di Donatello awards, and was ranked seventh on The New York Times list of the 25 greatest actors of the 21st century. "The theatre offers you the opportunity to engage with personalities that are the result of profound reflection and great poetic achievements." "When I first started out in this profession, I never would have imagined that films with a distinctly Italian flavour would go on to have such an international impact." "Whether I'm a brilliant artist, a chess player or a terrible criminal, cinema is an illusion. That's the beauty of cinema." https://www.alainelkanninterviews.com/toni-servillo/

Amos Gitai, the acclaimed 75-year-old Israeli architect-turned-filmmaker known for his politically charged and deeply reflective documentaries, premiered his latest work, The Road to Jericho, out of competition at the 2026 International Venice Film Festival. The 75-minute film chronicles the struggle of a Bedouin community in the occupied West Bank village of Khan al-Ahmar, weaving together 40 years of archival footage with contemporary reflections. True to his signature style, Gitai presents the documentary as a "civic gesture" aimed at preserving collective memory and challenging established narratives, rather than offering easy answers to a deeply entrenched conflict. "I find myself in a delicate position, holding contradictory thoughts in a dramatic and tragic moment." "Symbolic power matters, because reality does not change only through money and machine guns. It also changes through ideas, and we have to speak about ideas." "Sometimes human beings understand, after a great conflict, that perhaps they have something better to do with their lives. Let's hope." https://www.alainelkanninterviews.com/amos-gitai-7/

THE REGENERATION OF THE FRICK. Axel Rüger is a German art historian, curator and museum director. Director of the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam from 2006 to 2019, he previously worked as a curator of Dutch art at the National Gallery in London. He led the Royal Academy of Arts in London from 2019 through 2024, and in March 2025 assumed the directorship of The Frick Collection in New York City. "You get a sense of how the Fricks lived at the time, even though we do not really talk much about their daily life." "For the first time, the Frick now also has a café and a dedicated space for education activities." "The library has always been a vital part of the museum." https://www.alainelkanninterviews.com/axel-ruger/

REINVENTING LONDON'S LEGENDARY LUXURY HOSPITALITY. International entrepreneur Paddy McKillen has a passion for the hospitality business and property development. In 2004 he was part of a group that bought four of London's 5-star hotels: Claridge's, The Berkeley, The Connaught and The Savoy.

SEAMLESSLY BLENDING ART DECO AND CONTEMPORARY DESIGN. Benoist F. Drut is managing partner of Maison Gerard, a leading source for French Art Deco furniture, lighting and objects, and — more recently — postwar and contemporary design. Founded in 1974 by Gerardus Widdershoven, Maison Gerard maintains two premises on East 10th Street in Manhattan and is an elegant presence at both The Winter Show and at Salon Art + Design. "I always have my eyes open. I have to stay curious, aware, and inquisitive, that's my job." "Being based in New York, your main competitors are in London and Paris, but we sell everywhere. Shipping is not difficult these days." "I am known to spend more time with people that may not be able to afford some of our goods but are passionate about our material than with people who have the means!" https://www.alainelkanninterviews.com/benoist-drut/

MILANESE MASTER OF CONTEMPORARY DESIGN. Piero Lissoni is a multi-award-winning-architect, designer and art director. One of the masters of contemporary design, he has an almost forty-year history in the development of projects the world over in the fields of architecture, landscape, interior, product and graphic design. He is art director for Alpi, Boffi, Living Divani, Lualdi, Porro and Sanlorenzo as well as being the founder and director of the interdisciplinary studio Lissoni & Partners. "When you're born in Milano and grow up in the polytechnic of Milano it becomes quite natural to control 360 degrees of everything." "I think it was a disease, and I became an architect." "We need to live in our own times, even if sometimes they are imperfect." https://www.alainelkanninterviews.com/piero-lissoni/

PATTI SMITH – WORKER. Patti Smith was born in Chicago in 1946. In the 1970s the American poet, songwriter, singer, and visual artist blazed a trail for punk rock artists, especially women. Patti Smith earned herself such titles as "godmother of punk" and "punk's poet laureate" with her androgynous appearance, intense live performances, and penchant for writing lyrics that often blend poetry with subversive themes, She retreated from public view in the 1980s but made a successful return to performing in the 1990s. Following her comeback, she has published several acclaimed memoirs about her life and career as one of rock's most avant-garde artists. "I don't want to be rich and famous. I want to be great." "I'm for children. That is my number one concern." "Have I earned all this adulation?" https://www.alainelkanninterviews.com/patti-smith

COVID REFLECTIONS. Jay McInerney is a well-known American writer, one of the most gifted of his generation. Novelist, screenwriter and wine connoisseur, McInerney recently published See You on the Other Side, the eagerly anticipated final volume of his stunningly accomplished and profoundly affecting fictional tetralogy: Brightness Falls, The Good Life, and Bright Precious Days. "The stories that I'm interested in ultimately are the personal ones." "The people who come here are ambitious and energetic and they come here because it's the biggest stage in America that there is." "There is something special about the voices of people in their 20s, which we need." https://www.alainelkanninterviews.com/jay-mcinerney/

COMBINING ARCHITECTURE AND INTERIOR DESIGN. Nathalie Droulers and her twin sister Virginie were born in Milan in 1973. Nathalie graduated in Architecture from the Polytechnic University in Milan in 1997. She worked in New York as a Creative Director in product design development and in 2000 returned to Italy, where she collaborated with the Milan-based Dstudio as a Project Manager. In 2005 she founded Nathalie Droulers Studio, developing residential and commercial projects internationally. Her sister Virginie graduated in Graphic Design from Parsons School of Design in New York in 1999. She worked in New York from 1997 to 2000, and when she returned to Italy she founded Kv Design, a graphic and packaging firm. In 2007, Nathalie and Virginie founded Droulers Architecture together, with the aim of creating an international studio developing residential, commercial and leisure projects, now also specialised in architecture and interior design for luxury yachts. Droulers collaborates with a team of specialised and skilled professionals in a concerted effort to achieve these ambitious goals. "Naturally and luckily, we gradually moved into our respective roles." "One of our most important qualities is our ability to listen to what our clients want." "Getting the new generation on board is probably the biggest success we could achieve." https://www.alainelkanninterviews.com/nathalie-droulers/

IN LOVE WITH LITERATURE. Caroline Michel is since 2007 both the CEO of literary agency Peters Fraser and Dunlop (PFD) and has served as Chair and previously Trustee of Hay Literary Festival. She is a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE), a high-ranking official award that is the female equivalent of a knighthood and given by the British monarch to women for major national service. Among Dame Caroline's many appointments, she is also a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, a Vice President of the London Library and a Trustee of Historic Royal Palaces, as well as having been a member of the Booker Prize Advisory Committee. "People see truth and authenticity in a book and they love the object." "The cultural power of language and books from anywhere in the world is very exciting" "Now, as an agent, you work alongside the publisher the whole way to make sure that the process doesn't slip off everybody's attention." www.alainelkanninterviews.com/caroline-michel/

PIONEER OF VIDEO ART AND CULTURE. Marco Brambilla is a leading figure in contemporary video art, internationally recognised for his pioneering use of digital imaging technologies and immersive moving image installations. The Italian-born Canadian artist and film director is best known for work that re-contextualizes archival imagery into visually elaborate, often satirical spectacles that explore the excesses of contemporary culture. His work has been exhibited at major global institutions. "In the 1980s Francis Coppola famously said that at some point he would be able to dictate his films and out will come Lawrence of Arabia." "I thought it was appropriate to imagine a world which is not chronological, not geographic, but could only exist in the mind of a machine." "If you make things that can be broadcast, that can be projected, that can be re-performed, people are very well versed, and there's a thirst for this right now." https://www.alainelkanninterviews.com/marco-brambilla/

FEARLESS, ALWAYS EVOLVING. Michelle Yeoh, the Malaysian actress born in 1962, is considered to be one of the greatest female action movie stars. In a career spanning over four decades, she has acted in film and television productions covering a wide range of genres and received various accolades. Yeoh gained global recognition in the James Bond film Tomorrow Never Dies (1997) and starred in Ang Lee's Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000). Her versatility continued in Memoirs of a Geisha (2005) and The Lady (2011), a biopic about Aung San Suu Kyi. In 2023 she became the first Asian performer to win the Academy Award for Best Actress for Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022) and she received the Honorary Golden Bear for lifetime achievement at the 76th Berlin International Film Festival in February, 2026. "When I set out to do a movie, the main intention is to do a good movie, to be very satisfied that it's something that you will be proud of." "The movies and the characters that I have done are not the same, and I tried my very best to do that so that I am constantly evolving and learning." "I do believe that the harder you work, the luckier you become, so that when the opportunity does arise you are prepared for it." https://www.alainelkanninterviews.com/michelle-yeoh

A CREATIVE ENTREPRENEUR. Marcantonio Brandolini d'Adda, born in 1991, is a Venetian entrepreneur and artist with diverse creative pursuits. The family business, Laguna~B, specialises in contemporary Murano glassware, and from this base Brandolini d'Adda is now expanding his activities into a universe of complementary ventures, including a design studio, a restaurant, and a magazine called EVERYTHING that serves as a communication platform for the various projects of his group of companies. "EVERYTHING reflects the creative and cultural environment where it was born." "EVERYTHING is a collaborative endeavour: even though I've initiated it." "I'm an artist, and the relationship between artist and entrepreneur is always complicated." https://www.alainelkanninterviews.com/marcantonio-brandolini

A LIFE OF HONOR. Aimone di Savoia Aosta, 6th Duke of Aosta, was born in Florence in 1967. After studying at the Naval College in Venice and beginning his professional life in London, he moved to Russia in the early 1990s. He later joined the Pirelli Group and more recently returned to Italy after many years abroad. He has also served as Ambassador of the Order of Malta to Russia. "Italian History does not begin in 1946, but March the 17th 1861, in Turin! " "The title of Duke of Puglia was given to me by Umberto II and this grant was part of the tradition of the House of Savoy" "I believe Europeans should make a greater effort to stop the war" https://www.alainelkanninterviews.com/aimone-di-savoia-aosta