by Linda Kay
Original Air Date: April 4, 2024
Starring: King
Directed by: Steven Zaillian
Cat Out of the Bag Alert! This review contains spoilers for the first season of this series!
Synopsis: Based on the series of novels written by Patricia Highsmith. Confidence man Tom Ripley (Andrew Scott) is slumming in New York when he gets the opportunity to travel to Italy to try to impress a slight acquaintance to return. This turns into a golden opportunity for Tom to vastly improve his lifestyle even if it means stealing — and destroying — the lives of those around him.
Cat Burglar (Scene Stealer): The very first episode, A Hard Man to Find, starts with a scene that is well into the story. A gorgeous gray and white tabby Maine Coon cat sits on a bench as Ripley is busy pulling a body down the stairs.
It isn’t until episode five, LUCIO, that we learn the context for the cat. Running away from his crimes, Ripley takes an apartment in Rome. The landlady, Signora Buffi (Margherita Buy) owns the cat named Lucio who is constantly hanging out either in her office or in the lobby.
Lucio always seems to be on hand to eye Ripley accusingly as he comes and goes.
He also seems infatuated with the building’s elevator, that is when it is working.
The cat is on hand to witness Ripley dragging the body seen in the first episode down the stairs.
This is followed later by a shot of Lucio’s paw prints in the blood left on the stairs (the only color in the whole series). We won’t spoil what happens when Signora Buffi finally spots these bloody prints!
Shots of Lucio are included in all the episodes of the series following this. It’s interesting to note that the chief inspector (Maurizio Lombardi) actually says goodbye to the cat as he leaves one time.
Kitty Cameo: In episode four, La Dolce Vita, there is a shot of a black kitten in an establishing shot in Atrani.
Behind the Scenes
The regal cat actor portraying Lucio is a local Italian thespian named King.
Director and writer Steven Zaillian explained to Forbes Magazine that his original idea was to only have animals on hand to see Tom’s crimes; witnesses who couldn’t testify. “The cat, of course, was the tricky one.”
The cat actor had to be recast twice before the perfect fit could be found (the first two had a tendency to wander around instead of staying put.) Owners who brought their cats naturally thought the director would want their kitties to do tricks. Most cat acting performances for movies require movement, after all. “But what we wanted was a cat that could just be really chill, and comfortable with people and cameras,” Zaillian explained.
They couldn’t have cast the role any better. King turns in a subtle but sterling performance, giving just the right amount of judgmental expression. Never has a cat actor expressed so much with just a slight turn of one ear.
Amazingly neither King nor his trainer / owner is given on screen credit but he is receiving well-earned kudos for his work from admiring fans on the internet. The author of the original stories, Patricia Highsmith, was a known cat lover and the inclusion of the cats is something she was sure to appreciate.
Final Mewsings: Cats not only witness our crimes but judge us, too!
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