Marco Calvani on love, loyalty and laughs in Netflix’s ‘The Four Seasons’

The poignant new comedy series, “The Four Seasons,” available May 1 on Netflix, was created by Philadelphian Tina Fey and based on the 1981 Alan Alda film. The story has six friends — Kate (Fey) and Jack (Will Forte), Danny (out gay Philly native Colman Domingo), Claude (Marco Calvani), Nick (Steve Carrell) and Anne (Kerri Kenney-Silver) — taking group vacations together every season. The sextet gets together to hang out, eat, drink and sometimes fight. However, during their first trip in the spring, Nick decides to divorce Anne. Making matters worse, he starts dating the much younger Ginny (Erika Henningsen), who joins the group on subsequent trips.

While there is plenty of drama with the straights, Danny and Claude have their own mishigas, starting with Danny having health issues, which prompts Claude to smother him. Calvani gets to be “extra” in the series, trying to infuse the gatherings with fun even when he is deeply concerned about his husband. The actor, who also directed last year’s bittersweet romance, “High Tide,” starring his real-life husband Marco Pigossi, spoke with PGN about his new series.

How did you get involved with “The Four Seasons” and create the friendship dynamic you had with your costars?
Colman and I are friends. We met on the festival circuit when he was promoting “Sing Sing,” I was promoting “High Tide.” We both live in LA. One evening, he said they were looking for a Claude. Colman asked if I was still an actor, and I genuinely said, “No.” Marco Pigossi is the actor in the family, not me. Then he asked if I would put myself on a tape for a project he was working on. I thought he needed someone Italian. When the [offer] came, my reaction was, “Oh My God!” I couldn’t resist. To be back in front of the camera playing with such comic actors, I couldn’t believe it. My previous work is very dramatic. I felt I was given multiple gifts to work with amazing artists and stretch my own talent. I felt like an imposter on set, but they made me feel I deserved to be there. For the chemistry, we all were there to have a good time, not shine more than someone else. This is the tone of the show. Everyone was there to push their own boundaries.

Can you talk about being partnered with Colman, and creating the backstory for your relationship? Claude is very much the gardener who tends to Danny, who is the rose. Why is Claude so devoted? He is scared for Danny all the time.
When we meet the couple, Danny is facing a health issue that is changing his personality. Danny doesn’t want to change. Claude is fully devoted to Danny because the relationship with Danny defines Claude. Claude doesn’t have a job; he’s a stay-at-home husband and can’t afford to lose Danny. There is a true, passionate relationship — there is true love — but they get caught up in circumstances. Also, Claude is an immigrant, and he doesn’t feel he belongs enough — that he has to earn his place at the table and the trust of his lover and friends. Claude is the last to join the group; all of the others went to college together. Knowing this, you can understand his colorful anxiety and energy. I love Claude, but that element of being an outsider explains why he is like this.

Danny and Claude’s relationship hits a few snags. Can you talk about their love and being their worst selves with each other? I often took Claude’s side in their fights.
I’m glad. [Laughs] Claude can be too much. He doesn’t always read the room, but he listens and registers things. It feels like he is out of tune, but he is tuned in. He is genuine and spontaneous. He is all about love. That makes you side with Claude. He just wants to protect Danny and help Kate. He tries to read the Napoleon book to please Jack. It might be too much, but what’s not to love about it?

What observations do you have about friendships, relationships, soulmates and marriage?
A week before we started shooting, I got married to Marco Pigossi. We did a table read around that time. The show was giving me a textbook of what is coming after 20 years of marriage. It taught me not to take anything for granted, not just in your intimate relationships, but with your chosen family. Cherish them, listen to them, and speak up. It was not just the show but the people I worked with who taught me that. I didn’t know anyone beside Colman when we started. We instantly felt [like we] belonged to each other.

The show emphasizes communication because the characters are often at odds with each other. They lie often to protect someone, but sometimes to deceive each other. What can you say about Claude’s skills as a communicator and how they mirror or differ from your own?
Claude feels so much so intensely all the time that he cannot avoid speaking the truth even if it is uncomfortable. I can pride myself in saying that I value the truth, and I can communicate my feelings — even the ugliest ones — truthfully. I do not react as fast as Claude does, but when I was younger, I was called “The Match,” because I would light up very fast. I would teach Claude to take a breath before speaking.

Claude tries to be the life of the party. He is also described as “living in his own opera.” What can you say about playing Claude who has so many feelings and emotions?
It was a challenge as an actor because I wanted to stay away from usual flamboyant gay men that we are familiar with on TV. I felt there was more to Claude because there was more to him in the script. I trusted the material, which balanced the humor and darker moments. I felt that was the starting place for my performance. Speaking of opera, it felt like a musical composition I could surrender to.

What is your ideal or favorite vacation?
[Laughs] I am so banal. The first places that spring to mind are the Amalfi coast and Bahia, because I am Italian and married to a Brazilian. You got to feel at home, and it depends on what kind of vacation you want, but those two places are beautiful and stunning. The water is fantastic. I feel at home there. When I think of holidays, I think summer, sand and ocean. The most beautiful memories I have are those cozy feelings from my childhood at the seaside.