Source : the age
Comedian, broadcaster and film and TV producer Santo Cilauro burst onto TV screens as co-founder and co-creator of The D-Generation, becoming known for their ABC series Late Show. Cilauro was best known for characters such as half of Graham & the Colonel, the Oz Brothers and weatherman Geoffrey Salter on the parody current affairs program Frontline. He co-set up Working Dog production company, which created films such as The Castle and The Dish, and was a panel member of Channel Ten’s The Panel. A lifelong soccer fan, he is co-host of beloved comedy variety show Cup Fever on SBS, now playing on SBS TV.
Worst habit?
My crippling inability to say no. This is to anyone at all. I have no idea why. If someone could point out why, I would love to talk to them. It has got me into trouble. As in, I’ll find myself in a remote rural community dressed up as something and being interviewed because I said, yeah, I’ll do that. My wife hates me for it. I’ve never thought about why. I’ve got an inkling it’s because not saying no takes me to places I would never have gone to. Or it’s got me to meet people there. That’s something which I love. I love opening an opportunity to something. By saying no, you’ve closed that door.
Greatest fear?
I don’t have too many fears but, right now, Italy not making the World Cup for the fourth time in a row (for the 2030 World Cup) would be my greatest fear. Quite seriously. This is the third time they haven’t qualified. If they don’t make it another time, I’m terrified. They’ve won four World Cups, they’re considered one of the Goliaths of the FIFA World Cup, and they’ve not been there for the past three. I don’t want to bore you but there’s a whole lot of problems in Italy. The kids aren’t playing football on the streets any more, football is not broadcast on free-to-air channels, and the Italian leagues can’t afford to buy players like the Spanish or the Germans or the English. It’s a combination of so many factors. I’m very upset about it.
The line that has stayed with you?
The quote I keep very close is from Italian journalist and essayist Ugo Ojetti, who was around in the early 20th century. He said, “Beware of defining as intelligent only those who share your opinions”. I don’t like people agreeing with me. I love people that I disagree with. I love hearing opinions that are completely different from mine.My other favourite line is “Leave the gun, take the cannoli” from The Godfather. It’s so simple, so funny. Makes me laugh every time.
Biggest regret?
Not applicable for me. It doesn’t exist. I don’t see life that way at all. I don’t have any regrets.
Tell us about your turning point.
My two grandfathers, Luigi and Santo, literally changed my life because they understood the power of story. Luigi, my maternal grandfather, he loved literature. He came from Alexandria and read in many different languages. He’d not only recite poetry to me, he’d actually act them out. As a kid, watching him flap his arms around when he’s doing a poem about birds and things like that was just magic.
Santo, my other grandfather – he could hardly read or write. He was the closest person to me my whole life. We were inseparable, even when I was at uni. He lived to 98 and appeared on lots of episodes of The Late Show.
He was an amazing and strange storyteller because he’d include me in all the stories. If he was talking about being in the army he’d say, “And you and I went for a march one day and we got into the jeep and we had a monkey called this”, and so on. To this very day those stories feel like actual memories because I feel like I was in them. I realised telling stories, or a joke, you could hold people’s attention.
The artwork or song you wish was yours?
Caravaggio’s Judith Beheading Holofernes. It’s a classic example, to me, of Caravaggio as the first filmmaker. Apart from the drama, the violence, the expressions on the faces and chiaroscuro, it’s incredibly cinematic. I can see the planning that went into the killing. I can see how she sneaked up on him. I can see how she made him drunk before he did that. And then she’s killing him … What do we do now? Do we move on? It’s like watching a whole film. That’s the magic of it.
If you could time-travel, where would you choose to go?
Nazareth, any time between zero and 30AD. I want to see where all the fuss began. To find out about Jesus as a man. Get me down to Galilee, put me on a fisherman’s boat, be among the apostles and watching Jesus do his stuff. I’m not religious at all but I’d love to know the man.
Santo and Ed’s Cup Fever! streams on SBS On Demand during the 2026 World Cup.
