Do you welcome the characters you play with open arms, give them credit, or maybe clash with them?
Kamil Szeptycki: – When I receive a script and a written character, I don’t focus on what makes us different. Rather, I try to put myself in the hero’s shoes. Of course, some characters are closer to me, and I don’t understand some of their actions and motivations, but my job is to try to understand my hero despite the differences in their characters and perception of the world. I am open to diversity, curious about a different perspective, a different path. In life, I also try not to judge people too much, but approach them with tenderness.
Is Patrick close to you?
– See that earring in his ear? It’s Patrick’s earring. He stayed with me after the shooting ended. Patryk is such an interesting character that I proposed to directors and producers that we should do everything to make this young homosexual man avoid stereotypes as much as possible. First of all, I wanted the viewer to have the opportunity to look at Patryk as a guy on whom everyone can always rely – a funny and charming guy whose orientation should be of secondary importance to all of us. Thanks to this, I could focus on his character, his complicated emotionality, and his difficult relationship with his parents. After all, how he dresses, what he listens to and what orientation he is in no way determines what kind of person he is.
What role does Patryk play in the story of the main characters Wanda and Tosiek?
– We are talking about a group of acquaintances, friends, thirty-year-olds, in which everyone fulfills a specific function. Patryk’s role is to keep spirits up. He reminds Tośek and Wanda that there are different ways out of the situation, and a breakup does not necessarily have to be a drama and the end of the world. Patryk is a very present friend who is always ready to help and has time to listen. Regardless of Wanda and Tośek’s decision, he does not take sides. She doesn’t turn away from him or her.
He is still involved in both of their lives. That’s a great thing about him. Of course, as in life, someone who helps others often forgets about himself and his needs. When Patryk hits an emotional wall, there is a total explosion.
He has to find his way around it and start organizing his own life. For me as an actor it is Jordan Garden! The more I read the script, I kept saying, this is so confusing, but it’s going to be fun! Such a multidimensional hero gives space for exploration.
In the beginning there was a word, i.e. a script. As the producers say, its strength is its authenticity and original look at contemporary thirty-year-olds…
– Celebrating a decade in my profession, when I found out that I had won the casting for this character and I started digging into the script, I thought it was a gift on the occasion of this modest anniversary. It is pure pleasure to read a script that is gripping and reads with pleasure. This doesn’t happen that often. In this case, I was curious how the story would go further. Later, on the set, in our acting group of peers, an incredible space for improvisation was created. We were given the green light to follow our heroes and we made the most of it.
Was this role a step out of your comfort zone?
– Honestly, no. I am a very task-oriented person, and therefore a very task-oriented actor. Often, only after some time do I realize that something had the right to cause me discomfort or cost me a lot emotionally. What to do, I already have it. When I work, I don’t focus too much on myself, but on the action. I want to achieve my goal and that motivates me. I was looking forward to meeting Maciek Musiał and working again with Eryk Kulm, with whom I played years ago in “Kamień na Szaniec”. They are not only very good actors, but also cool friends with whom we had a good time between shots, which is extremely important considering the 12-hour shooting schedule and the number of days we spent together.
What were you left with after this role?
– I asked myself whether I also mask my emotions in different ways, whether I give myself space to express them? I’m still exploring this topic.
How do you filter emotions on a daily basis?
– Nature has been close to me since I was a child. On weekends off, after a week of intense work, I can get up at four or five in the morning and go to the forest and spend a few hours there. After such a lonely trip, I come back relaxed and ready for action. Until recently, my friends considered me a “slut”, but now they say I practice forest bathing. Cold or warm, I walk barefoot, or in the new nomenclature – I practice grounding. I also collect herbs. I love it. I didn’t buy land in my heart
the forest, because I’m afraid that I would stay there and never return to the city.
You’ve played plenty of costume roles over the years. You traveled through eras, only changing military uniforms. For a long time you had a very boyish appearance. Today, a well-built man sits before me.
– You know, I’m 33 years old.
So when is the wedding?
– When is the wedding?! Exactly?! Seriously. At some point, the thought occurred to me that a professional space entitled “boy” is already familiar enough to me. Now I’m eager for new roles, new challenges. Although I admit that changing an actor’s image is not that easy to accomplish. Breaking with the image that made me popular is associated with terrible fear. I was afraid of this change, but as wise people say: be afraid and do it! And I stick to it.
What do you want to do in 2024?
– Last year was very intense for me professionally. This year I would like to slow down for a moment and look at the landscape around me. We live in very dynamic times and in order not to fall into the trap of chasing my tail, I would like to sit down, see another person and talk to him for some time. And it’s best if we can keep silent together.
Beata Banasiewicz