Shots rang out Tuesday night in the southern Italian city of Cosenza, interrupting a recital by Oscar-winning filmmaker Roberto Benigni.

The Life is Beautiful director was onstage in the midst of reciting a passage from Dante Alighieri's The Divine Comedy when a man fired six shots at a 22-year-old security guard at the show, police said.

Shots rang out Tuesday night at a recital by Italian actor, comedian and director Roberto Benigni, seen here performing in Milan in March.Shots rang out Tuesday night at a recital by Italian actor, comedian and director Roberto Benigni, seen here performing in Milan in March.
(Giuseppe Aresu/Associated Press)

According to Italian news agency ANSA, Benigni blurted out "What, is hell here, too?" He eventually resumed the show.

The 54-year-old actor and director has been touring the country with Tutto Dante (All Dante), a program in which he delivers political satire mixed with readings from Dante's famous 14th century poem about a voyage through the afterlife.

The suspect, a 45-year-old local man known to police, had attempted to get into the recital without a ticket. After the incident, he was arrested for attempted murder, authorities said.

The security guard, who was hit several times in the legs, is in hospital and expected to be released in 40 days, police spokesman Angelo Cosentino said on Wednesday.

With files from the Associated Press