Asia Argento (; born Aria Maria Vittoria Rossa Argento; 20 September 1975) is an Italian actress and filmmaker. The daughter of filmmaker Dario Argento, she has had roles in several of her father's features and achieved mainstream success with appearances in XXX (2002), Land of the Dead (2005), and Marie Antoinette (2006). Her other notable acting credits include Queen Margot (1994), Let's Not Keep in Touch (1994), Traveling Companion (1996), Last Days (2005), and Islands (2011). Argento is the recipient of several accolades, including two David di Donatello awards for Best Actress and three Italian Golden Globes. Her directorial credits include The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things (2004) and Misunderstood (2014).
After the Weinstein scandal in 2017, Argento spoke publicly about her experiences and was widely discussed in connection with the "#MeToo" movement. The New York Times reported in August 2018 that actor Jimmy Bennett accused Argento of sexually assaulting him in 2013, when he was 17 and she was 37. According to reporting, Argento first met Bennett when he appeared as a child actor in her film The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things.
Early life
thumb|left|upright|Asia Argento and her father [[Dario Argento|Dario at the 1993 Cannes Film Festival]]
Asia Argento was born Aria Maria Vittoria Rossa Argento in Rome on 20 September 1975. Her father is Dario Argento, an Italian filmmaker known for his work in the Italian giallo genre and for his influence on modern horror and slasher movies. Her mother was actress Daria Nicolodi and her maternal great-grandfather was composer Alfredo Casella.
When Argento was born, the city registry office in Rome refused to acknowledge "Asia" as an appropriate name, and instead officially inscribed her name as "Aria" (a name accepted by the city registry). She pronounces her name as "AH-she-ah", which friends sometimes abbreviate to sound like "Ozzie". Argento has said that as a child she was lonely and depressed, owing in part to her parents' work. Her father used to read her his horror scripts as bedtime stories. At age eight, Argento published a book of poems. She has mentioned that he was absent when she was a child, and has also mentioned that, because of this, she did not have a happy childhood. when she was cast in a small role in a film by Sergio Citti. for Best Actress in 1994 for her performance in Perdiamoci di vista, and again in 1996 for Compagna di viaggio, which also earned her a Grolla d'oro award. Argento subsequently began to appear in English-language movies, such as B. Monkey and New Rose Hotel (both 1998). Argento also performed in French-language roles, beginning with Charlotte de Sauve in La Reine Margot (1994). alongside Vin Diesel. The film grossed $277.4 million and launched Argento to international fame. She directed her second feature film, The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things (2004), based on a book by JT LeRoy. She became a fan of the band Hondo Maclean when they wrote a track named after her and liked the track so much that she sent them pictures which they used as the cover of their 2003 album Plans for a Better Day.
She appeared in Placebo's music video for "This Picture", and appeared on Placebo frontman Brian Molko's cover version of "Je t'aime... moi non plus". Argento has also starred in Catherine Breillat's period drama The Last Mistress. She dubbed the Italian version of the video game Mirror's Edge in the role of the runner Faith Connors, from 2008 to 2009.
Argento has been part of the Legendary Tiger Man's project Femina, which was released on 14 September 2009. She is featured on the song "Life Ain't Enough for You", which was released as a single along with the B-side "My stomach is the most violent of all Italy", in which she also contributes vocals.
In May 2013, Argento's debut album, entitled Total Entropy, was released by Nuun Music.
In 2014, Argento played supporting role in the British film Shongram, a fictional romantic drama based around the factual and historical events of the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War.
Also in 2014, she directed her third feature film, titled Misunderstood (2014), was selected to compete in the Un Certain Regard section at that year's Cannes Film Festival. That year, while promoting the film, Argento stated that she was not going to act anymore and that she had decided to concentrate on writing and directing.
Personal life
thumb|upright|Argento at the [[2009 Cannes Film Festival]]
Besides Italian, Argento speaks English and French, which she learned for her role in Les Morsures de L'Aube.
In 2009, Argento signed a petition in support of film director Roman Polanski, calling for his release after Polanski was arrested in Switzerland in relation to his 1977 charge for drugging and raping a 13-year-old girl. In 2017, she expressed regret for signing the petition, calling it "a mistake" and stating later on that Polanski's continued career "speaks terribly of the industry".
Argento moved to Germany in 2017, citing experiences of victim blaming received in Italy following her allegations against Harvey Weinstein.
Relationships
Her first child, Anna Lou Castoldi, was born in 2001. Italian rock and roll musician Morgan (lead singer of Bluvertigo), is the father. Bourdain became an outspoken supporter of Argento after she made public allegations against Harvey Weinstein. Text records show that Argento and Bourdain argued heavily in the days leading to his death, and that Argento ended their relationship shortly before and during his suicide.
Sexual assault allegations by Argento
Argento alleged in an October 2017 New Yorker article by Ronan Farrow that she had been sexually assaulted by Harvey Weinstein in the 1990s. She would later have consensual albeit "one-sided" sexual relations with him. She confirmed that a scene in Scarlet Diva where her character is accosted by a movie executive was indeed a reference to Weinstein. Later, Argento stated that the "article did a huge disservice to me and to my truth by simplifying all this", and accused Farrow of "misrepresenting" what happened to her.
Argento delivered a speech on 20 May 2018, following the 2018 Cannes Film Festival, calling the festival Weinstein's "hunting ground", alleging that she was raped by Weinstein in Cannes when she was 21. She added, "And even tonight, sitting among you, there are those who still have to be held accountable for their conduct against women".
On 24 January 2021, Argento alleged that director Rob Cohen had drugged her with gamma-hydroxybutyric acid and raped her during the filming of XXX. A representative of Cohen denied Argento's assault accusation as "absolutely false".
Sexual assault allegation against Argento
On 19 August 2018, The New York Times published allegations that Argento sexually assaulted actor Jimmy Bennett.
Argento initially denied the allegations, falsely claiming that she never had a sexual encounter with Bennett and that when he made a request for money to her, her partner Anthony Bourdain paid him to avoid negative publicity.
On 22 August, she released a statement reading: "I strongly deny and oppose the contents of the New York Times article dated 20 August 2018, as circulated also in national and international news. I am deeply shocked and hurt by having read news that is absolutely false. I have never had any sexual relationship with Bennett." A spokeswoman for the Times responded, "We are confident in the accuracy of our reporting, which was based on verified documents and multiple sources".
In a letter published online in September 2018, Argento's attorney admitted there was a sexual encounter, but claimed the underage Bennett "sexually attacked" Argento. Amid the allegations, Argento was dropped as a judge on X-Factor Italy.
Filmography
Film
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Role
! class="unsortable" | Notes
|-
|1986
|Demons 2
|Ingrid Haller
|
|-
|1988
|Zoo
|Martina
|
|-
| rowspan="2" |1989
|'
|Lotte
|
|-
|Red Wood Pigeon
|Valentina
|
|-
|1992
|Close Friends
|Simona
|
|-
| rowspan="2" |1993
|Trauma
|Aura Petrescu
|
|-
|Condannato a nozze
|Olivia
| Diary of a Man Condemned to Marriage
|-
| rowspan="3" |1994
|Let's Not Keep in Touch
|Arianna
|
|-
|Queen Margot
|Charlotte de Sauve
|
|-
|DeGenerazione
|Lorna
|
|-
| rowspan="2" |1996
|'
|Detective Anna Manni
|
|-
|Traveling Companion
|Cora
|
|-
| rowspan="4" |1998
|Viola Kisses Everybody
|Viola
|
|-
|New Rose Hotel
|Sandii
|
|-
|B. Monkey
|Beatrice / B. Monkey
|
|-
|'
|Christine Daaé
|
|-
|2000
|Scarlet Diva
|Anna Battista
|Also writer and director
|-
|2001
|Les Morsures de l'aube
|Violaine Charlier
|a.k.a. Love Bites
|-
| rowspan="2" |2002
|'
|Detective Anita Staro
|
|-
|XXX
|Yelena
|
|-
| rowspan="2" |2004
|'
|Sarah
|Also co-writer and director
|-
|'
|Gina Moore
|
|-
| rowspan="3" |2005
|Last Days
|Asia
|
|-
|Cindy: The Doll Is Mine
|Cindy Sherman / The Model
|Short film
|-
|Land of the Dead
|Slack
|
|-
| rowspan="4" |2006
|Live Freaky! Die Freaky!
|Habagail Folger (voice)
|
|-
|Marie Antoinette
|Madame du Barry
|
|-
|Transylvania
|Zingarina
|
|-
|Friendly Fire
|Grand Dame
|Video
|-
| rowspan="4" |2007
|Boarding Gate
|Sandra
|
|-
|Go Go Tales
|Monroe
|
|-
|'
|Vellini
|
|-
|'
|Sarah Mandy
|
|-
|2008
|On War
|Uma
|
|-
|2009
|Diamond 13
|Calhoune
|
|-
| rowspan="4" |2011
|Horses
|Madre
|
|-
|Islands
|Martina
|
|-
|Baciato dalla fortuna
|Betty
|
|-
|Drifters
|Beatrice Plana
|
|-
| rowspan="3" |2012
|Dracula 3D
|Lucy Kisslinger
|
|-
|Do Not Disturb
|Monica
|
|-
|Firmeza
|Asia
| rowspan="2" |Short film
|-
| rowspan="2" |2013
|'
|Naya
|-
|Obsessive Rhythms
|Margo
|
|-
| rowspan="2" |2014
|Shongram
|Sarah
|Bangladeshi film
|-
|Misunderstood
|
|Director and writer
|-
|2017
|Shadow
|
|Short film
|-
|2018
|Alien Crystal Palace
|Sybille Atlante
|
|-
|2020
|Agony
|Isidora
|
|-
|2021
|Sans soleil
|Léa
|
|-
| rowspan="3" |2022
|Dark Glasses
|Rita
|
|-
|Padre Pio
|Tall Man
|
|-
|Vera
|Asia
|
|-
| rowspan="2" |2023
|'
|Anna
|
|-
|Dario Argento Panico
|Herself
|Documentary film
|-
| rowspan="2" |2024
|Queens of Drama
|Magalie Charmer
|
|-
|Romeo Is Juliet
|Herself
|Cameo
|-
| 2026
| Death Has No Master
| Caro
| Post-production
|-
| TBA
| A Mother for an Hour
|
|
|-
|}
Television
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Role
! class="unsortable" | Notes
|-
|1985
|Sogni e bisogni
|Gloria
|Episode: "Il ritorno di Guerriero"
|-
|2000
|Les Misérables
|Éponine Thénardier
|TV miniseries
|-
|2004
|Milady
|Sally La Chèvre
|TV film
|-
|2011
|Sangue caldo
|Anna Rosi
|Episodes: "1.1", "1.2"
|-
|2014
|Rodolfo Valentino – La leggenda
|Natacha Rambova
|Episode: "1.2"
|-
|2016
|Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown
|Herself
|Season 10, Episode 8: "Southern Italy: The Heel of the Boot"
|-
|2016
|Ballando con le stelle
|Contestant
|Series 11
|-
|2018
|The X Factor Italy
|Judge
|series 12; auditions / judges' houses
|-
|2020
|Pechino Express
|Contestant along with Vera Gemma
|Season 8
|-
|2021
|Belve
|Herself
|Interview (season 5)
|}
Video games
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Role
! Notes
|-
|2008–2009
|Mirror's Edge
|Faith Connors
|Dubbed in the Italian version; Xbox 360/PlayStation 3/Microsoft Windows version
|}
Writing
Argento's autobiography, Anatomy of a Wild Heart, was published in Italy on 26 January 2021.
Music videos
- "(s)AINT" – Marilyn Manson
- "This Picture" – Placebo
- "Live Fast! Die Old!" – with Munk
- "Someone" – with Archigram and Antipop
- "Sexodrome" – with Morgan
- "Life Ain't Enough for You" – with The Legendary Tigerman
- "My Stomach Is the Most Violent of All of Italy" – with The Legendary Tigerman
- "Ours" – with Tim Burgess
- "La vie est belle" – Indochine
- "Dead Meat" – Sean Lennon
Discography
{| class="wikitable" style="padding: 10px;"
|-
! Album
! Released
|-
|Asia Argento (1 Disco Sux / 2 U Just Can't Stop the Rock / 3 Sad Core) || rowspan="2"|2008
|-
|Archigram & Friends
|-
| Total Entropy || 2013
|-
|Music From My Bed || 2021
|}
Awards and nominations
{|class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders"
|-
!scope="col"|Award
!scope="col"|Year
!scope="col"|Category
!scope="col"|Nominated work
!scope="col"|Result
!scope="col"|
|-
!scope=row|Brooklyn Film Festival
|2000
|Best New Director
|Scarlet Diva
|
|
|-
!scope=row rowspan=2|Ciak d'Oro
|1994
|rowspan=2|Best Actress
|Let's Not Keep in Touch
|
|
|-
|1996
|The Stendhal Syndrome
|
|
|-
!scope=row rowspan=2|David di Donatello
|1994
|rowspan=2|Best Actress
|Let's Not Keep in Touch
|
|
|-
|1997
|Traveling Companion
|
|
|-
!scope=row rowspan=4|Globo d'Oro
|1989
|rowspan=2|Best Actress
|Zoo
|
|
|-
|1996
|Travelling Companion
|
|
|-
|2010
|European Award
|Herself
|
|
|-
|2012
|Best Actress
|Islands
|
|
|-
!scope=row|Grolla d'oro
|1996
|Best Actress
|Travelling Companion
|
|
|-
!scope=row|MystFest
|1995
|Audience Award
|De Generazione
|
|
|-
!scope=row rowspan=7|Nastro d'Argento
|1993
|Best Actress
|Close Friends
|
|
|-
|1994
|Best Supporting Actress
|Condannato a nozze
|
|
|-
|1995
|rowspan=3|Best Actress
|Let's Not Keep in Touch
|
|
|-
|1997
|Travelling Companion
|
|
|-
|2006
|The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things
|
|
|-
|rowspan=2|2014
|Best Screenplay
|Misunderstood
|
|
|-
|Bulgari Award
|Herself
|
|
|-
!scope=row|Premi Flaiano
|1994
|Best Actress
|Let's Not Keep in Touch
|
|
|}
Recognition
In 2012, Argento was highlighted in the retrospective Argento: Il Cinema Nel Sangue at the Museum of Arts and Design in New York City. The retrospective celebrated the influence of the Argento family on filmmaking in Italy and around the world. It highlighted Asia's contribution as well as that of her mother (Daria Nicolodi), father, grandfather (Salvatore), and uncle (Claudio).
See also
- Cinema of Italy