February 9, 2026
Athens, GR 14 C
Expand search form
Blog

I used to be a stuntman, says Covent Garden’s lead tenor

I used to be a stuntman, says Covent Garden’s lead tenor

The Italian singing Manrico in The Royal Opera’s Trovatore used to muscle in as an extra in movies with Hollywood stars.

Riccardo Massi tells the Express he had funded his music studies as a stuntman at Rome’s Cinecittà studios. If there was not enough work there, he filled in as a bouncer at Rome nightclubs.

“I joined a dojo that was teaching medieval fighting with the sword and shield, spear, knife, double sword,” he says. “It was very well-connected with the stuntman community.”

For almost a decade, he worked on local and international projects, learning from all the stars: “We were not allowed to speak to the actors,” he says, “but I was doing what Italians call ‘steal with your eyes.’ Especially Daniel Day Lewis in Gangs of New York (pictured, 2nd row). That guy is amazing, always in character, even off camera.”

Continues here.

The post I used to be a stuntman, says Covent Garden’s lead tenor appeared first on Slippedisc.

Previous Article

La Scala bans entry to tank-tops and shorts

Next Article

US deports Czech soloist

You might be interested in …

Sing along with Simon

Sing along with Simon

The NDR Vokalensemble and many hundreds of guest singers under the baton of Simon Halsey at the Sing-along Concert 2025. On the program: works by John Rutter, Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy, Gabriel Fauré, Anton Bruckner and others. […]