"He was talented. He was likeable. He was a great actor. I have so many excellent performances of his etched in my mind. But one memory is indelible for me: when, some thirty years ago, I accompanied a friend (he was Gianni Boncompagni) to look at a car at a dealership. A salesman came towards us, smiling very kindly. We were surprised to see that it was Riccardo Garrone. I hadn’t seen him for a few years; we hugged and I asked him what he was doing there. ‘My dear,’ he replied, ‘the cinema doesn’t call me anymore, nor does the theatre. I have to make a living, so I sell cars. What can I do for you?’ A few years later, the cinema, the theatre, TV dramas and advertising called him back, and success and fame returned, just as before—and even better than before. You see, Riccardo has always represented this to me: the comeback! The good times that can return after the bad ones, the fact that if you have real talent, the world may ignore it for a while but not forever, and that tenacity and professionalism, when they go hand in hand, are an invincible weapon. I’m happy, Riccardo, that your long life didn’t end selling cars but by savouring success and the love of your audience once more. You’ve earned every bit of it, right down to the very last round of applause."