Up Close with Francesco Dalli Cani

Francesco Dalli Cani Talks Collaboration and Chaos in “Chinese Delivery”

Italian-born actor and filmmaker Francesco Dalli Cani has always approached storytelling from a place of curiosity, discipline, and lived experience. From his early days in Vicenza, where he entertained crowds of children as a young storyteller, to his formal training at the New York Film Academy, Dalli Cani has steadily built a career that bridges performance, production, and creative development.

Now based in Los Angeles, the multi-lingual multi-hyphenate continues to expand his range, most recently with the comedy pilot “Chinese Delivery”, a project that marks a turning point in his journey, not just as an actor, but as a producer, writer, and editor.

Movie Marker: Before we dive into “Chinese Delivery,” can you talk a bit about your background and how you got here?

It’s funny, because my mom always tells this story about me standing on a chair when I was five years old saying, “I go to America, become actor.” At the time I had just started speaking, in both English and Italian, so for her it was shocking. I grew up in Vicenza, in Italy, and storytelling was always part of my life. I used to entertain kids at a tennis club, sometimes in front of 100 people, just inventing stories on the spot. That’s where I really understood what it means to hold an audience. Later on, I studied Classical Studies, which introduced me to theater and gave me a deeper understanding of performance, then I went into Law School while acting professionally in Italy. Eventually, I made the move to Los Angeles, studied at the New York Film Academy, and started building my career here.

What’s interesting is that I’ve never really separated acting from storytelling. Whether I’m on stage, on set, or producing something, it’s always about telling a story in the best way possible.

Movie Marker: “Chinese Delivery” feels like a very different type of project for you. What drew you to it?

It was the first time I wasn’t just an actor on a project. That alone made it special. Justin He and I came up with the idea together, and from the beginning, we treated it like something much bigger than a short. We developed a full concept, logline, synopsis, and even mapped out eight complete episodes. The short you see now is actually the pilot of a web series we still believe in.

The tone is very much a “comedy of opposites,” something in the spirit of The Odd Couple. My character, Frank, is organized, clean, and structured. John is the exact opposite, messy, chaotic, and unpredictable. That dynamic naturally creates humor, but also tension. What excited me the most was the opportunity to build something from scratch.

Movie Marker: You weren’t just acting in this, you were producing and editing as well. What was that experience like?

Honestly, it was eye-opening. As actors, we usually focus on performance, but here I had to deal with permits, crew coordination, logistics, post-production, everything. Pre-production was probably the hardest part for me because it’s where everything has to come together before you even step on set.

One of the biggest lessons came from working on the lookbook. That process really taught me how to “talk through images.” Instead of explaining an idea, you show it. That’s when the project started to feel real, I could actually see the characters and the world.

Then, during post-production, I worked as the chief editor using AVID. That was… challenging. The system crashed twice, and I had to restart from scratch both times. But it taught me patience and precision. The first cut was over 12 minutes long, way too slow. By tightening the pacing, especially the montage, we brought it down to 9 minutes and 20 seconds, which made a huge difference.

Movie Marker: The writing process sounds very collaborative. How did that work between you and Justin He?

We treated it like a tennis match. I would write something and send it to Justin, then he would build on it and send it back. Back and forth, over and over. Slowly, we started locking in jokes, character beats, and rhythm.

It took multiple rewrites before we reached the final version, but that process helped us really understand the tone of the show. Comedy is all about timing, and that doesn’t just happen, you have to build it.

Movie Marker: Production sounds like it came with its fair share of challenges. What was the toughest part?

Time. Always time. We had an 8-page script and just one day to shoot everything. That’s already tight, but then you add multiple scene changes, especially for the montage, which looked simple on paper but turned into five different setups on set.

At one point around midday, we realized we were falling behind schedule. We had a hard wrap at 5:00 PM and had to be completely out by 6:00 PM. No flexibility. On top of that, we had a neighbor trying to shut down the production. Even though we had permits, it still took time to resolve the situation. But what really impressed me was the crew. After lunch, everyone locked in. The assistant director and director reorganized the schedule, prioritized key scenes, and somehow, we made it. We wrapped at 5:30 PM and were out by 6:00 PM. That level of teamwork was incredible.

Movie Marker: There’s a pretty hilarious behind-the-scenes story about one of the key scenes. Can you share it?

Yes, that one is unforgettable. We were shooting the main scene where Frank first discovers John in his apartment. I was struggling a bit that morning, overthinking, stressing, not really connecting. We were already behind schedule, and the director wanted to move on, but Justin asked for one more take. He told me, “Go back to one, don’t worry, let it come naturally.”

So, I reset, the director called action, and I walked into the room…And Justin is on the bed absolutely destroying a slice of pineapple pizza in the most disgusting way possible. The director, the AD, and the cameraman were hiding in the closet trying not to laugh. I was genuinely shocked, which made the reaction completely real. That take is the one in the final film.

Movie Marker: This project was also shot during what you’ve jokingly called your “platinum blonde era.” What was that about?

(Laughs) Yeah, that was a moment. I had platinum blonde hair at the time for personal creative exploration, and it ended up being captured on camera in both Chinese Delivery and Impossible & Unstoppable. So now those two projects are basically the only official record of that phase of my life. Unless someone casts me as Ken in a Barbie spinoff, then maybe it comes back.

Movie Marker: What did this project ultimately teach you?

That storytelling is a team sport. Coming from acting, you sometimes focus on your role, your performance. But when you step into producing, writing, editing, you realize how many moving parts are involved. It also taught me that problems will always happen, time constraints, technical issues, unexpected challenges, but if you have a committed team, you can solve almost anything. And most importantly, it reminded me why I started doing this in the first place.

Because at the end of the day, it’s about creating something with people you trust, something that makes others laugh, think, or feel. That’s what Chinese Delivery is for me, the beginning of something bigger.

Curious to know what’s next? Follow Francesco on Instagram.