Hop Gala Laureate on the Bright Future of Young Theatre and Film Romanian Actors

Andi, can you please present to our readers the abridged resume of the Hop Gala Winner? Where and how where you brought into this world, why, when and how did you take up theatre?

I was born in Tîrgu-Mureș on the 28 of August 1981, to an only too normal family for those times. My hippie parents taught me what freedom was ever since I was little. The fact that I was born under the red sign of the hammer and sickle made me want to study law, which I graduated in 2003. Then, for reasons like an obvious lack of high positioned acquaintances I went to work into sales, first IT and then various services, etc. In 2006, I eventually grew up – or haven't – and decided that it is useless to try and get a career based only on financial reasons, as long as I am down spiritually. The moment which worked as a catalyst was an argument with my girlfriend at the time (who was studying acting) which ended childishly, with me saying, “You can't do what I'm doing, but I can what you do.” So I went to study acting (and was left single J). I wanted to study directing, but there was no directing class in Tîrgu-Mureș that year, so I went to do acting. I was admitted first, with the maximum score (not because I was more talented than other, but because I had a different life experience) so I decided to keep on with acting, which made my father say: “You'll end up starving!” The following year I also took up the master's in directing and attended both studies at the same time.

Which were your first roles and what funny memories to you hold of your first artistic attempts?

In my first year I made my debut on the stage of the Studio Theatre in the British comedy “Stags and Hens”, where I played a drunkard who only had one line “Teeeets!” Then there was collaboration with the National Theatre for the memorable play “Sindbad Sinbad Abban Aan Jad”. During my second year I accepted playing Hamlet in a direction exam of a colleague. It was by far the funniest experience. At the first reading, someone explained to me that it would be an evil Hamlet. Then Horatio was played by a colleague in the first year with a charming Moldovan accent. There were many rehearsals because we kept bursting into laughter on stage (the colleague is now rid of his accept and is a remarkable master's student). The cherry on top came at the “premiere, when the director forgot to tell me that he discussed with the casting the order of certain scenes. More, I was told before going on stage that in the theatre in theatre stage I was going to master some puppets while the audience listened in the speakers Shakespeare's text as radio theatre which had to be improvised, because the director had forgotten the CD at home. And however good I may be with improvising, how can anyone improvise Shakespeare's verses? So the poor scene got reduced to:

-          Baptista do you love me?

-          I do.

-          How much?

-          Very much.

-          And if I die what who will you belong to?

-          Better dead than belonging to anyone else.

-          Fine, now let me go to sleep. J

And you can imagine the rest. Funny thing was that there were some who actually liked it.

How did you get into the Hop Gala?

I got to the Hop by train. I applied in June for the preselection. At the beginning of July I decided to give up acting after one year when I haven't played anything. Then I got the phonecall with the scheduling for the preselection. I had even forgotten that I applied for it.

 

Which was the purpose of your visit in the Gala? Instead of lying out in the sun like your colleagues you decided to work on two scenes especially for this contest. Why?

In all specialised faculties in the country you're told nothing but: “Hundreds of actors take their diploma every year. Only 10 of them get to practice.” This is not remote from the truth. I simply wanted to see if I am among the 10 or not. I may be not, but this award gives me the confidence and strength to continue. It is exactly what I needed.

As a young Romanian theatre and film actor do you feel a bright future awaits you?

It depends on what we understand by a bright future. To me a bright future means acting. It doesn't matter where, it doesn't matter where. I refuse from the very start any employment for 600 Lei. I believe it is bellow human dignity to be employed in a theatre, any theatre, for 600 Lei a month. During the past two months I delivered pizza to support myself and made 1000 Lei a month. On the other hand I am sufficiently down to earth as not to dream of cars and houses. I don't mind paying a rent and going on a bicycle. But if you add up a rent + utilities + food it makes up more than 600 Lei a month. And to answer your question: Yes! I believe I have a bright future as long as I have self esteem and won't take being anyone's mockery. I prefer working in separate projects than getting employed in today's conditions.

 

How did you design your two scenes in the Gala?

I chose a monologue by Băieșu because he's an outdated author. I thought of taking the dust off him and try a somewhat more modern approach. A vocabulary of the '70s employed by a character of the 3^rd millennium can only add to the comic effect. This was the challenge. On my way to the preselection I was doubtful about my approach. I mean, theoretically it was alright, but I was wondering whether I managed to touch upon what I aimed at. Then I started thinking of how various directors would approach it. And as I sat in the train pulled in the Câmpina station, I got to Cristi Juncu. I had seen many of the plays he staged. So I was wondering how Juncu would stage this. Before the train got to Ploiești I was ready for a general rehearsal. I woke up my colleague who participated in the group section, went into a vacant cabin and told him the monologue. I didn't even need his reaction anymore because I already knew it was much better. But I still had a lot of trouble for the second scene, the imposed one. I took the book, read it, and couldn't believe how “untheatrical” it was. I read it again. No reaction. Then I read the five imposed chapters. There was no reaction again. Then I had a laughter crisis. Before I got to Mangalia I had several version of approaching the imposed theme, but none was appealing to me. That's the problem when you work on your own. You never know when to stop. I had the type of character in my head, I could see him, but the poor thing had no substance. It was a mere shape. I lacked the “why”. Then I started thinking outside the text. What if I brought that utopian land into realism and place it somewhere in the future? Then it all came naturally, both the song and the small improvised moments.

 

Why are there Hungarians in you sketch? Are you troubled with the cohabiting nationalities?

Why there are Hungarians in my text? Even in “Miorița” [“The Ewe”] you get a Hungarian shepherd J.  And well, I am half Romanian, half Hungarian. I have to irredentist, chauvinist or xenophobic feelings. God forbid! I played in Hungarian and I would do it again any time. The sketch was a sort of pamphlet addressed to the ones leading us and dragging us towards becoming a poor, unpopulated, deforestated country, etc. I believe the entire political class is to blame for it, regardless whether we're talking about PDL, PSD, UDMR, etc. I don't even know why they call it a political class. Because they have no class. During monarchy we might have said that we had a political class.

Who do you think you'd leave without a job if you turned into an American actor over night? In whose shoes do you see yourself and in what role?

I don't think I'd leave anyone without their job. With the cinema industry they have they'll be room for all of us.

 

What product would you advertise? What would you lend your face to?

I wouldn't advertise. I think that I'd limit my chances to do films if I associated my face with some product. And I really want to play in films. I think I stand more chances for cinema than theatre.

 

Tell me about your artistic fantasies :-)

I have no artistic fantasies. I am in a stage when I'd give anything a try. Actually, there is one. A film where I'm requested to put on some extra kilos. It would be my only chance to put some weight on.