Opening an Instagram profile with a video about theater is not exactly the move you expect from one of the most serious actors in Italian cinema. Yet, Elio Germano did just that: he presented himself on social media with a sketch built entirely around a single word. “No.” Repeated dozens of times, with always different intonations, during an imaginary phone call. Those who know Italian theater recognized it immediately: it is a tribute to Gigi Proietti and his famous number of Your eyes on me, pleaseone of the most beloved shows of the last fifty years.
The timing, however, is not coincidental, or at least gives pause for thought. Because that word, “no”, has a precise political history in Italy, and Proietti was a direct protagonist.
View this post on Instagram
The “no” from Proietti who in 1974 defended the right to divorce
It was May 1974 when Italians were called to a repeal referendum for the first time. At stake was the law that had introduced divorce in 1970. Catholic and conservative forces were pushing to cancel it. Proietti took the other side, taking part in an advertising spot in which he looked straight into the camera and repeated “no” with ever-changing nuances, inviting voters to vote NO to the repeal. The same expressive mechanism of theatre, applied to politics. 87.7% of eligible voters went to vote, and the No won with 59.3% of the votes: the law on divorce remained in force, marking one of the most important stages in the history of post-war civil rights
A single word, used with intelligence and irony, to say something very serious.
Now, as Germano posts that video, Italians are preparing to return to the polls on March 22 and 23, 2026 for another constitutional referendum. There is no longer a vote on divorce, but the stakes are still high: this time the question concerns the separation of careers in the judiciary, the so-called Nordio Reform, which would redesign the relationships between judges and prosecutors. As with all constitutional referendums, there is no quorum: the majority of valid votes cast will decide.
The cultural short circuit that Germano has triggered, perhaps unintentionally, perhaps not, is this: bringing to mind an artist who used his voice to orient a vote, at a time when Italians are about to decide on another reform in republican history. That word, “no,” was never just a word.
The phone call monologue: when a single syllable becomes theatre
In Your eyes on me, pleaseone of the most famous numbers of the show was one of those moments when the audience understood what it really means to be on a stage. Proietti had no text to recite in the traditional sense of the term: he had only one word, and with that he built an entire scene. He changed tone, rhythm, intention and each time that “no” became something different. Surprise, annoyance, complicity, resignation, irony. A small catalog of humanity condensed into one syllable.
It’s the kind of talent that can’t be explained well in words, but that Germano was able to evoke in his debut video on Instagram with a precision that says everything about the kind of actor he is: one who considers the theater a living heritage, not a museum relic. A tribute that comes at the right time, in a country that – once again – has to decide what to vote for.
You might be interested in:
