A month after the premiere of “Fan”, he still arouses interest among Netflix users, and Grzegorz Palkowski opens on work in production, which aroused great emotions in viewers. He only gives two individual interviews – one of them is this one. In an interview with Interia, the actor reveals the backstage of building the character of Cuba, the emotional costs of the role and what is to stay in the viewers. He also tells whether his brother, director of the series, knew about his casting. What really is behind Kuba’s story? And can we count on the second season? Check our conversation!
Martyna Janasik, Interia: I discovered you again thanks to the “fan”. I have been following you since 2017, from the movie “Once upon a time in November”, but in the new series you show yourself from a completely new page. If I met you on the street in the last version of your character, I would probably get scared! Anyway, looking at people’s comments, both in social media and outside, everyone emphasizes that you are disappearing in this role. I wonder – are you a football fan?
Grzegorz Palkowski: – I like football, but I’m not a big fan of football. I was once at the match, I played in the yard, but this was not the main topic in my life.
Have you ever encountered situations reminiscent of those we see in the “Fan”?
– No, no, none of these things. No match campaigns or any such situations concerned me. Anyway, in this series we do not say that this is a story based on facts. This is a fictitious story with an accent on the story of a boy, not about football. I think that this focusing on the character and change of the hero surprises, and the final effect is good.
I agree, although the series met with a very extreme reception – some believe that production is only an idea of the creators about what the world of football fanatics is and has nothing to do with realities. What do you think about it?
– It’s fiction, not a document, but the characters in the series have their own rules, full of emotions and their truth. This is mainly a story about a drama that can affect anyone, regardless of the environment in which it operates. A young man experiences him in the series.
How you were preparing for the role. Did Łukasz Palkowski (director) sit with you and said: “I have such an idea, stick to it”? Did you have full freedom?
– Łukasz, although he is my brother, did not even know that I took part in the casting. When he realized, he called me surprised. I focused on the character. I did not have a framework imposed, rather in the process it was about building the character of Cuba. Each shooting day gave me new energy and new tools that I could use. Improvisation with actors, actresses, as well as energy that various locations gave – all this allowed me to gradually develop this character. I built Kuba from scratch, applying subsequent layers on him. I also added something from myself – for example, a sequence with a skateboard, which was not in the script, but I felt that it fits this character.
You ride a board great anyway. It’s good that you are talking about Łukasz and the casting, because we can tick off the accusation that you have been manned after the connections. The only question is whether when you found out that the series would take place in such a brutal time, the world of football fanatics full of emotion, you thought you would approach it in a completely different way.
– That’s exactly how it was. I decided to do something completely different and show Kuba in contrast to all that surrounds him. The title of the series can actually cause a surprise in those who thought it would be a story only about football.
What is the “Fan” series really about? What does Cuba’s story bring about?
– This is primarily a story about values and their search and the principles that shape the world of Cuba. About how important interpersonal relationships and family are.
And this already goes beyond the world of fans and gives the story of universality, right?
– Yes, this is the surprise – that the series connects two different worlds, but in a completely different way than one could expect.
Perhaps that is why negative reviews have appeared. Viewers and critics expected history from “The Hooligans”, and here they got a series, in my opinion, about the drama of a lost unit, which desperately seeking a sense of belonging. Look wants that it is the supporter’s environment that gives her a sense of strength, values, agency, which can sleep vigilance when someone feels as lonely as Kuba.
– My hero is embedded in a specific environment that affects his action. He makes better or worse choices and suffers the consequences. He enters the path from which it is difficult to go down. He feels pressure, gives her up.
Kuba seems to be a very emotionally demanding character. He undergoes a great transformation in the series and experiences many difficult, formatting experiences. How is it out of such a role? Or maybe you can’t fully get rid of it and the Cuba particle will always be in your heart?
– I think about Cuba all the time. He is with me, sits in my head. But at the same time I perceive him as a tool that I can use in the future. I remember when I came home on the set after one of the heavy days and I was unable to do anything for two hours. I know that every actor experiences tension and fatigue that happens during photos. I can “calm” the figure in myself, but I can wake her up at any time when I need it. This is valuable for the workshop.
Returning to the series – although it is more and more difficult to like Cuba with the course of history, I gained more and more empathy for him. Especially in the final scenes, where his look suggests that more is happening inside than he shows. How would you defend the figure of Cuba? What would you like viewers to see in Cuba, despite his difficult choices?
– Kuba still believes that everything will work out. He is a lost boy who is still looking for his place because he has faith that something will change. He also has guilt, but he doesn’t lose hope. Even when at some point he spreads his hands, then this hope returns. In my opinion, he defends him that he has feelings. As long as there are emotions, change is possible. He is a sensitive man.
I have the impression that Kuba is bursting with emotions. I think that in a key fragment for the story, what is in Cuba is an internal process. He doesn’t have to say anything – one look is enough and you can immediately see that something big is happening in his head. It is hard not to get the impression that this boy is undergoing internal settlement of conscience at this point.
– Yes. This is the moment when he doesn’t know what to do with all this. This inability, surprise, anger, tear – I hope that I managed to show it and the viewers noticed it.
It sounds like a good introduction to a potential continuation.
– May! I would love to. But for now we focus on the first season.
If the second season was to be created, how do you see the future of Kuba? What will happen to him?
– I think more than one change will take place in it.
Writing a review, I pointed out that “a fan” can open an important discussion – bend over what to do to protect young people from loneliness felt by Cuba. Give space to consider mindfulness and help to people who do not show their wounds because they suffer in silence. Do you agree with me?
– Definitely, this is an important topic. Kuba feels lonely all the time. Even when his father returns, whom he missed, and who is one of the reasons why my hero enters the world of football. After all, it’s something that connects them. Kuba is still looking for something that will complement him. I would like the viewers to see that every story can have its dark sides, but also a light of hope at the end of the tunnel.
My guess is that after such an emotionally demanding role you need a moment to rest. Maybe you already have any more plans for this year?
– Nowadays, until you enter the set, it’s hard to talk about plans for the future. I can tell you about the next projects on the horizon, but first of all why to get, and secondly to the details too early. It will definitely be interesting.
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