Andrzej Seweryn took part in the meeting after the show to meet the participants and answer any questions. In an interview with the media, the actor revealed the meaning behind the title of the film, which, as he emphasizes, is a document, not a biography. He also revealed what helps create characters, whether he considers himself a brave person and what defiance really means to him.
It turns out that the words “I am a fictional character”, which became the title of the documentary about Seweryn, were uttered by Joachim, the hero of the film “A Perfect Number” by Krzysztof Zanussi. They were found in a monologue uttered at the very beginning of this production.
When asked how much truth about himself the audience can see during the screening, the actor replied:
“There is nothing fake in this film, I don’t feel like I’m acting or pretending. Of course I’m aware that there’s a camera, just as I’m aware that someone could be filming or recording me now (…) Personally, I don’t think I’m fake right now, but you could say I’m acting because people are looking at me. (…) This film is an authentic film about me, I guarantee it“.
“I think I’m a very simple guy. (…) I don’t feel like anything particularly brave has happened in our film, on my part of course. I look at myself a bit like the camera, I actually see myself all the time.” “It’s not even about the fact that I may be observing, but I see myself because as an actor I have a particularly developed look.”
The actor was also asked about how he prepared for one of his latest, special roles, the role of a retired tailor and drag queen in the Netflix series “The Queen” (2022). Seweryn admitted that it was a special and complex experience to play someone who plays a woman (and is not really one). He also expressed hope that by creating this production and raising such a topic, they contributed to an important cause..
“On the one hand, I have to say that the entire technique, i.e. the make-up, the hairdo, the costume created the character, of course. We’re talking about Loretta, and about Sylwester too. When I put on Tomek Osowiński’s suits, I put on the shoes that I had and the suspenders that were made in the factory in Scotland, where James Bond’s suspenders are made… And the cufflinks, and the ties, the price of which I don’t even want to talk about, that undoubtedly created the character of Sylwester as well. Of course, when it comes to Loretta’s character, the clothes, the costume, well, there were a few elements there that I had never known in my life. I mean, I had little to do with high heels in my life.”
“LGBT+ culture has existed, I would say, for over 2,000 years, it exists, will exist and develop. And among homosexual people, as we know, there are believers, I would even say practicing, because one does not contradict the other.”
Seweryn’s recent artistic achievements cause a lot of controversy in various circles. The actor spoke about going against the grain and the consequences associated with it.
“As far as I am concerned, I do not feel that I am doing anything special and it did not require any special reflections from me (…), I understand that it may be an act of courage by someone, but this is not my view. (.. .) Indeed, the environment somehow appreciated my work, a position that I sometimes take publicly. My Company Polska magazine awarded me the title of Diversity Ambassador, and Onet Plejada awarded me the ‘Star of the Time’ award.
“Gombrowicz said: ‘Don’t maneuver, sail straight into the wind.’ And I will say: be authentic, be true. Because it may be useful to you, and maybe to someone else who is watching it (…) It was never my goal to be on the wave, but if it sometimes happened that I was, it was not really because of my intentions, but this is how reality was created. (…) Why should I deny my faith because of what is happening to the church in Poland today? I don’t particularly manifest it, I don’t walk, I don’t scream. And here was a document made of my authentic works, gestures, situations and that’s it.
Interia asked what the idea of the Tofifest festival in Toruń means to him privately, i.e. defiance.
“I don’t feel like I’m particularly rebellious. Maybe it’s partly in the way I run the Polish Theater, of which I’ve been the director for fourteen years. I try not to give in to dominant tendencies, but to implement what I think is very necessary for our audience as part of something what I would generally call national education, or simply education.
“As for this rebelliousness, I would introduce such an aspect, namely: may my rebellion always be authentic. May it not be rebellion just to show that I am rebellious. So that it is not a fashion or a way of using it. (…) However, I think that rebellion is extremely useful. I am not talking about breaking the law, I am not talking about crimes, (…) theft. But a certain rebellion, which is skepticism, is sometimes disbelief, I think that it can be useful both for society and for the artist himself or the person who is rebellious.
I especially respect rebellious old people, because being young and rebellious is normal. (…) Rebellious old people, mature people, seniors or senior women, this is interesting, because their rebelliousness is the result of their entire life and perhaps this rebellion is even deeper than the rebelliousness of youth. But of course it’s good for young people to be rebellious. This is a positive feature, under the conditions I mentioned.”