"Marco Polo" Star Lorenzo Richelmy on Yin & Yang, Romance, and Kung Fu

Whatever you're gonna do, I'm gonna kill you. Whatever. Welcome.

Thank you very much. This is where the interview starts. It's nice to be here.

It's a wonderful place to be. Do you like it? I have the Marco Polo background on my name. Do you want to take that home with you?

Can I?

Sure.

No, you're lying.

Do I look like I'm lying? It's too heavy. We'll give it to you. If you really want it.

I can do a picture of it now. Sure. Okay. Got it. What if a girl selfies though? Hey. Hey. Hi, hi guys. Can I filter that? Hey Studio. Hi Hollywood. Young Love.

Wait, you're now my favorite guest ever. These are the kind of interviews that I love. Yes. When people are just relaxed. They're whatever. We're shooting around.

Exactly. And I love it when people swear during an interview. It's good. It means you're you're getting comfortable. You're pretending this this so-called it's code food. It's really not, is it? So soft and smooth. It's like slippery. It's like a deep dark hole. You get in it, you don't get out.

Welcome.

Thank you.

Um you are in the most expensive TV show, not even TV show, show ever made. Marco Marco. A moment, please. The story is incredible and I know you've talked about it a lot, but for people who don't know, you didn't speak English or much English six months before you got this role. You got put into doing archery. I mean, kung fu, I mean horseback riding, I mean, you they threw you in it. Actually when they sent me, Netflix sent me like all the press notes and the screeners and all that. And they actually sent me your workout regimen. And it says three minutes of crunches, followed by like three minutes of pull-ups followed by

No, no. It's like, it's like was intense. It was it was the the biggest effort I've ever made in my life. And I was at the beginning, you know, I was I love to drink.

Really? Well, I know. Because usually with her and she told me that the first time you guys met, Yeah. You took her out for tequila.

Yeah. We just like, let's do some tequila shots.

Oh. So it was your idea.

No, it was.

Wow. And so this was like right before you started shooting together.

Yeah.

Wow. But, but I, I guess he was just being himself and being Italian. Get her drunk. You did.

That's the best way to be confident with an actress. You know, we have to be so close. What is the best way? Maybe some ten hours of Stanislavski, or no, no, no, get drunk with tequila. That's the best way to get close with somebody. You get them acting, just use the use the alcohol is the way to do it. It was actually, yes.

So it works? Does it create chemistry? Does it does it

Yeah. It's a good chemistry. I mean, to be an Italian and a Chinese It's, it's, I mean, it's it's a good match. And this is beautiful because this is the reality in the show, you know? So that's a good thing. Yeah. But yes, you know, so the fact that I love to drink tequila doesn't match so much with this diet and the Yeah. The regimen.

So what did you do?

I basically had to train for like ten hours a day. And then after ten hours, including two hours of English, of course. I had to deep my body in in the bathtub full of salt. Otherwise I wouldn't be able to move a finger the day after. I mean, in three weeks, in three weeks they changed my body. Unbelievable. I changed with them my body.

Well, speaking of which, one of the first scenes in the pilot, we see your body. I mean, we see quite a bit of your body.

Which one?

You looked great. I want to. I want to. No. You were in the shower. I remember that scene. I don't know why you don't remember it, but I I remember.

In the shower, yeah. With the the water from the elephant. Yeah. That's it. That's it. That was a scene. It was We had a lot of animals in this show, guys. A lot of animals that make you shower. And we love being showered by animals. Weird animals. Have you ever been showered by an ostrich? It's an experience, guys. That you haven't? It's an experience. But yes, we have an ostrich on the show. That's true.

You do. Yeah, we do. What were you the best at? The horseback riding, the kung fu? What do you think you met?

Oh, horseback riding. Yeah. Right. Running with a horse, with an animal that trust you, and you understand after five, six months that you're riding the same horse, it trusts you. And you know him. And then I had this great shot at the end of the of the season. You will see there is the this war, and I have this this huge battlefield, two square kilometers, you know, that was all set up with 300 extras fighting each other. Smoke, fire. My action was pretty difficult. You have to ride as fast as you can. And I was like, really? I have to go there? Okay. I mean, that was. It's like you are there and coming from the top of the hill down the valley through an army of real people, stunt guys that are fighting. That was like my best memory in all the shooting. And the reason why I'm saying that horseback riding is like the best thing I've learned.

You also shoot in your home country. Yes. In Venice. Was it strange? Did you show people around? Did you say, okay, I got this. I'm gonna take you to the best restaurant. I'm gonna take you to the best

I did that. Yes. After the fifth cappuccino eating a steak. Yeah. I just want to tell you something, guys. You cannot eat meat and drink cappuccino together.

You did do that?

Yeah.

Why?

It's something really bad for like the meaning of food. Of like the taste. A chef. To to anyone that has a minimum knowledge of food. You can do whatever you want, but like a big burger, it's like, it's like marshmallow in the burger. You would do it? You would put marshmallow in the burger? Not a bad idea. You've given me an idea actually. I'm gonna be going. This is the American way. We put everything.

I know. I know. I know. Um, no. So you mean like during the burger experience, you don't have a cappuccino. What about after when you want to have your coffee after?

You can do whatever. I mean, you can do whatever you want. Just not at the same time. Just just if you're I have a friend in Italy that actually uh, moved out from a restaurant because he was beside a guy that was like eating meatball and having a cappuccino at the same time. So you're eating meat and you're drinking milk and coffee at the same time. That makes, for an Italian guy, it's like can be horrifying.

Okay. So I have a question for you. On, um, I think it's one of the it's in the pilot. I think it was somebody who's talking to you and says there's, I think it's one of your, um, instructors and they say there's like Yin and Yang. Obviously there's we're talking about Chinese culture and they say in the character, Marco Polo has too much Yang and not enough Yin. Which I looked it up and Yin means your sort of shady side, your dark side, and Yang is your sunny side.

Not really. I mean, it can there is no, no, no. I mean, I don't know it. Yeah. First of all. Yeah. So I'm not gonna stay you about Yin and Yang and the philosophy of Chinese people. No, of Taoism. But it's like Yin and Yang for 100 eyes, that is my teacher. Yeah. Is like the presence. So I can remember which is Yin and which is Yang, but when he does

He said you were too much Yang.

Too much Yang. So too much Yang is too much like uh, presence, energy. You're much energy, but you have to control it. So, you know, it's like the power and the head.

I was gonna ask you what you have more of Yin or Yang, but I already know the answer. You got a lot of Yang. It's a compliment.

It's not true. I'm shy.

I can tell. I might, this could make you shy this question. So Marco Polo, so it was Kokachin, is it Kokachin?

Yeah.

The love life. His the love of his life basically.

Yeah.

Um, and I read this that the actual Marco Polo took a piece of her dress. Her dress at the end of

Yeah.

Back to Italy. Back to Italy after being in China for how many years? Like 25 or 30 years?

20 years.

Which I thought was so romantic and girls are gonna love that story. What's the most romantic thing you've ever done for someone? Have you ever taken a piece of someone's dress? Have you ever done anything like that?

Yes, I've robbed a girl and then Well, in my room and then make a painting on my wall, like with his dress, And that was romantic. I guess it doesn't translate. 20th century doesn't translate. It was romantic at the time. But what's the most romantic thing you've ever done?

Well, I like, I was How do you say courting a girl?

Courting, yeah. Courting.

I was courting my my actually girlfriend. Oh yeah. She was outside. And uh, bringing in his mail mailbox, and I was leaving a flower there. But not not not signing myself. I was not like saying that I was it was me. It was me. Just like to, you know, you're a beauty. You're the most beautiful girl I've ever seen. So just I would I never uh, wrote my name on it. So it was like totally pure.

But did you, did she know?

Now she knows.

Now she knows. Is it now your girlfriend? It's the girl that

Yeah. Yeah.

And when did you reveal it?

I know. I mean, American men take note. And uh, This is the way to do it. You don't go for the dozen roses and put your name on it. You get a little subtle, you know? Okay. So when did you reveal it? When did you reveal that it was you? How did that happen?

So she broke up with the guy. She married him. We're moving together. Oh. That's pretty much like That's the way it's done. I know. I know. I know. I mean, it's a common place. But yes, we we did a movie together. We had to be together in while she was shooting. She left that guy. She was in

Because of you?

No. No. Because I was

Sure.

No, cuz I was totally in that movie. I was like no romantic at all. I was like super bad guy coming out for prison. So eventually she fell in love with that guy. And she laughed at me now. You said, you're no you're not the vegan mastering guy you pretend to be in that movie. You're no Yang. No. You're more Yin. And you are more Yin. It's Yin. Oh my gosh. You're the most, I think you're about the most fun guest we've ever had. Pooh, yeah. Can you teach me a little Kung Fu? Is there anything you can teach me?

Well, differences between now all the like Kung Fu community gonna hate me cuz I'm doing this. Okay. Yeah. Kung Fu community. But you can you can do, you know, the mantis stands, that is pretty present in in the show. Yeah. It's just this. It's incredible. It's this. And you see, you know, a boxer will stand with the guard is like this, you know? And you cover your face. So it's pretty much logic. But when when you see this, you're like, this guy's messed up. He's gonna mess with me. Yeah. Exactly. He got no stuff. Yeah. And it creates this beautiful stance that uh, Chinh Han does in the in the in the show that is this one, and that is like this, that is like the praying mantis. And then he does this. There is There is li I don't know hurts. Whatever you're gonna do, I'm gonna kill you. Whatever. Even just because I can do this and I pretend to be serious. I'm actually getting a little mesmerized. Just stare your eyes in. And this is all about this is all about the wrist. It's it's all about they they will never, I mean, they do not punch this, you know? Yeah. It's pretty non-effective. But if you try to punch me now, like whatever, do something. And I can do this and, you know, the wrist block your your punch, and you can grab it and do whatever you want. And at the first time someone told this, it's like someone tell you this, it's like, no, come on. This is bullshit. This can't be real. When you actually see one of these guy doing Kung Fu, you're afraid as hell because this guy with two fingers can kill you. And you know the beautiful thing that I had this huge stunt group of people, Chinese, Japanese. None of them was like super fit. It's not true. You don't need those muscles. We don't need like whoa, super beautiful muscle. They were so skinny, I mean, not not super skinny, of course. But they they the power, it's all about, it's all about it's more philosophy, you know? It's not it's not just like being cool doing Kung Fu. Even cuz if you want to master it, you have to study it like for ten years. It's pretty much a philosophy. And John Fusco, the creator of the show has a passion and a great experience with martial art. So he was there and he wanted to to bring their martial art in a poetic way in the show.

Wow. Amazing story. If you this isn't a reason to watch the show. The $90 million budget, the whatever else. I mean,

Oh, no. It's all me. It's all me.

$90 million and all. I mean, but this, I mean, the show, it's gonna be epic. Everybody knows it's gonna be epic, but it's great having you. You speak English better than a lot of Americans by the way.

Oh, really?

Yeah. You do. You really do. You know how to tell a story.

You should have met me like five months ago.

Well, that's the incredible part about it. It was great having you here. Thanks for coming in. Let's go do a tequila shot. What was that thing? Wait.