I was not magnificent

There’s this saying in Hollywood, I think from W.C. Fields, that you should never work with children or animals, and in this film there are both. Did you experience any problems with that?

Alice Rohrwacher: I think W.C. Fields must have had a very boring life. I had many problems, but I love problems. As soon as I see a problem, I go running towards it.

Look at the honey in the film. The honey is illegal in the film, but it is very good. The production of honey involves child labor, violation of health laws, but it is a very good honey. And that’s sort of like the way we worked. There are a lot of laws, and it wasn’t always possible to observe laws to the letter. You aren’t supposed to shoot with bees because then the insurance won’t cover you, because bees are considered a wild animal, and they cannot be put down right away, so they’re classified as dangerous. In Italy there is a day when no one works—including the police—which is August 15, so we shot all the scenes with the bees on August 15.

Cilantro-Lime Chicken (prep time - 10 minutes, cook time - 4-8 hours)

Ingredients:

• 3 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts

• 1 jar of salsa

• 1 small package of low-sodium taco seasoning mix

• 1 lime, juiced

• 3 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped

Place salsa, taco seasoning, lime juice and cilantro into a slow cooker; stir to combine.

Add chicken breasts and coat with salsa mixture.

Cover the cooker and set to high for about 4 hours (low for 6-8 hours), or until chicken is very tender.