Katarzyna Ulman, Interia: How did you get to “Uroczysko”?
Katarzyna Ucherska: My adventure with the Uroczysko series began around July, when I received information that such a project would be created. Everything happened very quickly, so in August I was in Wrocław and right after the fittings we went to work.
“Uroczysko” is a daily series. How intense is the work on set to shoot such a large amount of material? We’re probably talking about a few or a dozen scenes a day.
– This is probably the most intense mode of working in front of the camera I have ever experienced. It happened that we shot twenty-one scenes a day; it’s a huge pace – a dozen or even twenty shooting days a month. It requires absolutely 100% dedication to this one thing over the course of several months, so this is the only project you can devote your full energy to. With so many scenes, the working time is over twelve hours. The team working on “Uroczysko” are amazing artists who have a lot of ideas, great talent and experience. When I see the effects of our work, I bow to all of us for being able to give so much of ourselves artistically at such a breakneck pace. I hope that in the second season, because the number of viewers increases from episode to episode, we will show even more.
Such an intensive work plan requires a well-coordinated team.
– I’m surprised at how quickly we bonded. On the other hand, I think we saw each other almost every day for half a year of filming the series. This is a huge advantage though; plenty of time, and some of the team had already worked together before. The success of the Wrocław team is the fact that they understand each other without words – they know three scenes in advance what will be needed and how we will implement it. Antek and I have the impression that we have smoothly entered the close-knit ATM family; we draw from it and we also give as much as we can. And with this type of work, such a well-coordinated team is 80% of success.
Your heroine, Agata Wilczewska, comes to Uroczysko to break with the past. What else can you tell us about her?
– Agata planned to get married, but during the bachelor party her lover cheated on her and this absolutely ruined their future. The girl, under the influence of emotions and a broken heart, decided to go as far away as possible – that is, to Uroczysko, where she wanted to start everything anew and threw herself into work. As it turns out, there are plenty of crime mysteries in Uroczysko, so he has a lot to do. She also found people with whom she makes friends and has support – not only professionally, but also privately.
– Agata is a woman who has her feet firmly on the ground. She has an analytical mind, but she does not lack empathy. Together together with the director, Kamila Fidler, we make sure that this feminine element is visible under this professional uniform – for example, in the interrogation scenes we make sure to show her sensitivity, such a human part. It’s interesting for me to play, but also for the viewer, because he likes to see a full-blooded character, not a stereotypical policeman.
– It should be noted that the four main characters are young people – the assumption was that we were dealing with young staff and we did not want them to be cynical or spoiled. We wanted these characters to contrast their youth and idealism with the world.
How do you build the character of Agata?
– Even before we started shooting, I set myself the task that Agata would be different from me, which means – when I read the script, I let her emotions flow through me and try to turn them upside down. Where I would be very emotional and react impulsively, Agata is calm and reasonable. This is the most interesting work for me – searching far from myself; approaching the matter with logical, cold calculation. Then I have to keep myself in check so that Agata “comes out”. I also had training in police activities. I also looked for inspiration in literature and police series.
Can you tell me the titles of these productions?
– Kasia Wajda, who created a beautiful character, was a great inspiration during the preparations in “Thaw” – I really like this series. And Gillian Anderson in “The Fall.” Apart from the fact that she is simply a beautiful actress and I can watch her for hours, in this series she is made of steel, but remains human. This is exactly what I wanted to show in the form of my Agata.
What is the biggest challenge on the set of a series like “Uroczysko”?
– Starting with this fast pace of work, sometimes shooting several scenes from different episodes out of chronological order, you also have to sharpen your acting temperament and adapt to the conditions of such work and maintain the artistic level despite all the difficulties encountered in such intense work. Fortunately, I had time at the beginning to find that “something” in Agata and I’m trying to maintain it.
Do actors have any influence on the development of their characters?
– Such conversations took place on an ongoing basis, certainly between the director and the screenwriters – the director is, in a sense, our voice, because we talk a lot about the characters; we’re looking for solutions, so I think the writers are very open to our ideas. We see this when, for example, we receive scripts and, for example, on the dialogue level, we sometimes change something. We often know our characters a little better, we know more about them – because we let them pass through us, keeping the main context, of course. I think that if I said that I had this idea that Agata goes away for a short time and comes back changed, he would say: “ok, I’ll see what I can include.”
Do you have an idea for a thread?
– I would like to show more scenes from the private lives of our heroes. We then have greater pleasure in playing because, let’s face it, the things that take place at work – interrogations, searches, etc. – are strictly informational things. Agata has to say certain lines: “you are accused of…”. All this has to be said, but what shows the hero’s heart are dilemmas, love problems, problems in everyday life… I can fill these places – figure out how to play it, why and look for acting solutions. The scriptwriters are slowly making our dreams come true and whatever they write, I will be happy.
We talked about inspirations from crime series and building the character of Agata. What attracts you to productions of this genre?
– Mystery. Acting. I came to the conclusion that I don’t like animated films because there are no actors on the screen. I look at movies through the prism of acting because I’m looking for inspiration. What else do I like about crime stories? Well-built tension – this is something that everyone likes in crime stories. Now I watch westerns.
“Yellowstone”?
– “Yellowstone” and, above all, the prequels: “1883” and “1923”. This is something wonderful. One minute I’m opening my heart to these characters, and the next the scriptwriters are beating the crap out of them because they’re killing more characters. I am also delighted by these beautiful photos, areas, music, narrative and universal message – life is short and we must enjoy it here and now, and not worry about what will happen tomorrow or next year. We don’t live in the Wild West, but you can get a lot from these series.
You play in a daily series, previously there was a slightly more closed form, i.e. “Girls from Lviv”. Now rehearsals for the show. What form do you prefer – film, series or theater?
– I like everything – each form is different and each one makes some part of me fulfilled. I wouldn’t like to decide on one of them, because if I can do them at the same time – that is, go to another set after another, or to a show in the morning – then I am absolutely delighted. When I have a break from the camera, I miss it very much. When I have a break from the theater, I start to miss it after a while, so it’s best if it all complements each other.
– In a TV series it is often the case that the producer tells us how many scenes need to be shot, but in the theater I have more control over this time. After performing in front of the audience, I immediately have an answer as to whether they were captivated by the art or not. I’m more creative and brave on stage, but I love performances, rehearsals and film sets. It’s a bit like sports – when we practice it regularly, we have more energy. Each of these forms gives me a lot of room for development and brings me a lot of joy.
What are your next plans? Is there a character or project you would like to play?
– It is, but I don’t know if I can talk about it. I can say that I have always wanted to play a biographical character. This is a job that would give me a lot of pleasure.
See also:
“For better and for worse”: Episode 914. It’s over. He will not stand in the way of their happiness
“Rojst: Millenium” leaves no doubts. This is the best crime story of recent years