Valeria Golino
A Conversation With Valeria Golino
(Calpurnia)

Q: How did you get your arms around your character and the story?
A: I read books and tried to remember everything I had learned at school and had forgotten. It was so engaging. I was really interested in the relationships. Their habits, as far as being faithful to each other and as far as loving their children, were quite different than ours.

Q: What is your character's relationship with Caesar?
A: Calpurnia is a very strong, intelligent woman. She and Julius are soul mates, even though they never see each other. After all, he's Julius Caesar; he's at war all the time, while she is at home. When they do get to see each other, like every five or six years, it's a very intense and sensual relationship. She's also very protective of him.

Q: What do you hope people will take from this?
A: It would be really nice if we could show two people who love each other and respect each other, against all odds.