Entertainment
365 Days sequel will have ‘a lot more sex’ as author dismisses Netflix controversy
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2021 has already been a success for Italy with the Euros and Eurovision, but some could say in 2020 Italy also brought it when the world was introduced to Italian star Michele Morrone, lead actor of the Netflix film 365 Days (or 365 dni in Poland), which was one of the biggest trending films of the year.
Morrone, with his smouldering looks, played mafia boss Massimo Torricelli, where he stole the hearts of millions of women over the world, who fantasised about living in Sicily while making him homemade Limoncello.
However, the film – which tells the tale of a woman kidnapped and imprisoned by a man who gives her a year to fall in love with him – was heavily criticised and accused of ‘glorifying rape and kidnap’.
Despite the controversy, 365 Days will return with a sequel (well, technically two, it is based on a trilogy of books after all) and according to author Blanka Lipińska, 365 Days 2 will be raunchier than the previous film, all thanks to her.
Lipińska, who is from Pulawy, Poland, is also a producer of the film and tells Metro.co.uk: ‘I may not know about many things, but I know how to direct sex in the movies.
‘I was the director of the sex scenes in the first part and it was really hot. I’m a specialist in the emotions of my actors.’
She adds: ‘The second film will be even better than the first, there will be a lot more sex, we will see a different side to Massimo, and you will see the character of Nacho played by model Simone Susinna.’
When asked about the criticism surrounding the film, Lipińska dismisses the controversy: ‘This is not really controversial, when you read all three books and see all three movies, you will change your opinion.
‘You can’t judge a three-book trilogy on one book. As an author I want to show how love can change a guy.’
Despite the claims of glorified sexual violence, it is impossible to ignore the popularity of the Netflix erotic series that have spawned since 365 Days. There was the Mexican series Dark Desire which soared in views and amassed 35 million viewers in 28 days, and recently Sex/Life has been trending in the top five for weeks since its release in June 2021.
The film was trending on Netflix amid its debut (Picture: Netflix)
365 Days is based on Blanka’s real life. The female lead Laura Biel, played by Anna-Maria Sieluka, shows a part of Lipińska’s life where she was in a sexless relationship and wrote fiction to try to escape from her reality.
‘I was in a relationship with a guy I loved, but he didn’t want to have sex with me,’ she says. ‘So, after one year without sex, I was still with this guy, but I wrote 365 Days. I needed this for my mental health. It was cathartic.’
Blanka adds: ‘I can’t write about vanilla sex, my book is about when you have strong desire and passion so I can only write about this type of sex.’
While many may argue there was little vanilla sex in the 50 Shades of Grey films, which cast Jamie Dornan as billionaire Christian Grey (with there being The Red Room…) Lipińska wasn’t bowled over by Dornan’s charm and wanted to make sure she didn’t make the same mistake in casting her own protagonist.
She says: ‘Everybody was waiting to see what Christian Grey will look like. I was so sad because they chose Jamie Dornan. It wasn’t like in my imagination, therefore I decided I have to find a perfect Massimo because I didn’t want girls to feel like me after I saw 50 Shades of Grey.’
Lipińska adds: ‘The first time I saw Michele Morrone, it was like thunder. At that minute I thought “yes, this is my Massimo!”
‘Michele looks amazing on-screen but oh my God he’s even better in real life! Especially when he’s naked!’
More: Netflix
Not just Massimo, but every character in the film is based on a real-life person.
‘The guy who is based on the character of Nacho lives on the Canary Islands in Tenerife,’ the author explains. ‘He taught me how to surf and there is a real-life Massimo who lives in Sicily!’
Did she go out with him?
Lipińska says shyly: ‘I can’t tell you that. You need to read my books and watch the movies!’
365 Days is available on Netflix, with the book trilogy available now.
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