“When is the wedding?” is a series that in a realistic way, without being afraid of mature and passionate erotic scenes, raises the problems of contemporary millennials who are not fully grasped with life. It is also a positive guide to life for “adult beginners”: how to break up well?
Disorganized in life, professionally, chaotic, at a crossroads in their relationships, they don’t know what exactly they want to do. This is how we can describe today’s millennials – young people who have really just entered this serious life “adulthood”. These are the heroes of the new Canal+ series, a bittersweet comedy of manners that realistically addresses the problems of contemporary 30-year-olds.
Wanda (Maria Dębska) – a psychologist who has just started working in corporate – and Tosiek, an actor without much success (in this role Eryk Kulm Jr), at first glance they make a great couple. They have been in a relationship since high school, they have had many beautiful moments, they adopted a dog, and for several years there has been an engagement ring hidden in the cupboard, waiting for the right moment. After 13 years, however, burnout sets in and the desire to try something new.
Aleksandra Kalita, Interia: You got it the script of the series in hand “When is the wedding?” and what did you think?
Maria Dębska: I thought it was a great line and I would love to act in it. Something fresh, real, different, without pomp. I don’t think we’ve had a production like this before. I was really waiting for something like this as an actress, but also as a viewer.
What was important to you when creating the character of Wanda?
– I felt like she was representative of many girls I know. She is a complicated heroine, making difficult decisions, but in the next moment she is unsure of these decisions. Mature and immature at the same time, imperfect, following her instincts only to punish herself for it in a moment. Our series is largely about the fact that when we are thirty years old, we know a lot and very little about life at the same time. And that it’s okay.
Many social and romantic productions are produced in Poland, including:which theoretically present the lives of modern thirty-year-oldsthat. People working behind the bar, ktwho can somehow afford a large apartment in the center of Warsaw. If “When is the wedding?” Does it have a chance to break the stereotypes of drama and romantic productions?
– We show a world close to reality. There are no women here who wake up in make-up, put on high heels, get into a Jaguar, drive away from their apartment building to work in a small newspaper where they earn a fortune. Plus they have four nice guys. And everyone is so cool that it makes us faint. This is not the story.
– I have nothing against idealized film worlds and sugar-coated romantic comedies. What’s more, I like many of them. But here we set ourselves the task of making our characters and the world as close to the truth and without filter as possible. They wore normal clothes and talked without censorship. I had so much fun being Wanda.
There may be some clues in social and romantic productions, such as:that particularyou also like things like thisthose you think “oh my, it’s the same again”?
– Romantic comedies are mine “guilty pleasure”. I saw it for the hundredth time recently “This is Love”. I love how well written it is “Notting Hill”but also Polish,”Leidis”. I believe there is a time and place for everything. I like ambitious cinema, but sometimes I want to jump into an unreal world. Professionally, I feel the same way. I really like traveling through different genres and I have fun doing it.
We meet Wanda at a turning point in her life, a breakup after 13 years. The series mentions that Tosiek and Wanda grew up together. Do you think friendship is possible after such a breakup?
– I think there is and I know several such cases. Wanda and Tosiek still feel a lot for each other. They respect each other and are close to each other. One of the characters in the series says at one point: “maybe it would be better to hate each other”. They don’t go that route.
How do you remember working on the set with your on-screen partner, Eryk Kulm?
– Excellent. Eric and I had known each other before, but this was our most intense collaboration. Eric is a great partner. We have completely different work systems. He is one big spontaneity. I can be a control freak, I like to prepare, I write everything down. And he comes in and says: “hey, okay, let’s do it differently”. It was super inspiring.
– Once we arrived, we created a team in which we felt very safe. We have a lot in common and in difficult moments we supported each other. We were able to argue, but also support each other and praise each other, pat each other on the back and say: “but you played it great”.
The series features ralso Izabela Kuna, ktaboutra has a rather unusual role of a bit of a crazy mother, a bit of a cool mom. How did your cooperation go?
– Working with Iza is a cosmic experience. She is the best in the world at improvisation. I dreamed of acting with her, so I was very happy when I found out that she would play my mother. I feel that its episode and thread are very important because it talks about the connection of generations and the difference between them, but also about the understanding that can be established. Wanda’s mother has been unhappy with her father for years and she admits that she didn’t have the courage to leave.
– Wanda is not a girl who gives up easily, but when she makes a mistake, she knows how to admit her mistake and say something “I couldn’t do it, even though I really tried”. There is no soulfulness in her, there is no reflection,”What will people say”. For me, the episode in which Wanda’s mother appears is a truly beautiful meeting of extreme attitudes. But it was also a breakthrough moment for my heroine.
Recently there were holidays and certainly many waspsMany people from our generation have heard this question from the title: “when is the wedding” and many others. Is there a chance thatWill this ever change? Or like us “we will grow up” will we also ask similar questions?
– I hope that we will be mothers, grandmothers and fathers who will not ask such questions because we have heard them so many times ourselves. I pray about it.
The series features ralso thread coordinatorthat intimacy, atmany of which are currently happeningthose. You have projects behind you, ktthat required you to play bolder scenes. What is your experience like, and how do actors and production approach it now?
– First of all, such scenes must have a strong justification for me. I need to know the answer to the question why they are necessary. They were necessary here because it is impossible to talk about the relationship between two people without its physical aspect. After all, there is a lot of truth about closeness and the current moment in the relationship. It wouldn’t be true if we had to experience this story with them and not see how they love each other. I think every actor approaches intimate scenes differently.
– When it comes to intimacy coordinators, I have had two such meetings on set so far. I think it’s great that such a profession has emerged. These scenes are simply very difficult and a person who has appropriate experience, education and cares about comfort and safety can be a great support.
– For me, the most important thing is cooperation with the director and the partner I play with, as well as the atmosphere on the set. I’ve played a few scenes like this and I think communication is the key here. I have learned to say what embarrasses me, what I don’t want and what I need. IN “When is the wedding?” we had very vigilant and sensitive directors to make sure we were comfortable. We had great support from them, but also from the entire team.
I read in one of the interviewsthat you are working on your own script. Why did you decide to take such a step?
– I came across a book that I absolutely fell in love with and I want it to be turned into a movie. It’s a beautiful story and a very close topic to me personally. For now, everything is happening very slowly. We are working on the script, I hope it will be realized one day.