To make a good film, the story is most important. The camerawork doesn\u2019t matter, says R\u0103zvan Vasilescu. He has appeared in seminal works of the Romanian new wave such as Stuff and Dough and California Dreamin\u2019 (Endless). Tomorrow, as a member of the Main Jury, he will decide which among the 11 films in the International Competition of Feature Films will win Art Film Fest\u2019s grand prize\u2014the Blue Angel.<\/p>\n
Do actors and directors judge films differently as members of festival juries?
I don\u2019t think there\u2019s a major difference between us. We all expect the same: good acting and good directing. Or at least those are my criteria for judging films.
How do you recognize good acting?
You can just feel it. It\u2019s the same feeling as when you meet a stunning girl. You\u2019re speechless, you can’t take your eyes off her, and you just sigh, \u201cWell I\u2019ll be!\u201d But when a dog-faced fatty comes along, no one gives her a second glance.
So in your eyes, good films are like stunning girls?
In their own way. The difference is that sleeping with films isn\u2019t really my bag.
What about preparing for a good performance\u2014is it anything like preparing for a date with a beautiful woman?
When I prepare for a role, I usually study the texts for the two, three months I have. And I think about what my character could and should be like. But a good role is actor-proof. It plays itself.
What makes a good role?
A good script. For me, the script and the story it tells are very, very important. Just like a play is the most important thing in a theatre production. After all, why do they keep performing plays by Chekhov, Shakespeare, Pirandello and so many other long-dead playwrights over and over, with such success? They\u2019ve got good stories.
Where do you act better, onstage or onscreen?
I\u2019m not ashamed to say that in front of an audience I\u2019m a terrible actor. I\u2019m shy. It\u2019s most apparent at auditions. Even when I know the script forward and back, I don\u2019t feel confident in front of people.
How does a shy person become an actor?
Quite naturally. In fact, precisely because he is shy. I don\u2019t think it\u2019s so he can prove himself and show that he can get over stage fright. More so he can be a tough guy, pick up the hottest girls, so he can kill… When an actor has a good script, he can spit in politicians\u2019 faces and tell them off: \u201cYou bastards, you\u2019ve got all the dough and we\u2019ve got nothing!\u201d But afterwards, when he meets a politician in real life, he lowers his head and shakes the man\u2019s hand with a smile: \u201cHello Sir, how you\u2019re doing, thank you for everything.\u201d
Are the lives you live in front of the camera ones you\u2019d like to live in reality?
No, certainly not. It\u2019s about love.
Do you watch films differently from your average viewer?
I think that, due to his trade, a film professional sees more than the average viewer. He sees the difference between genuine actors and those who just go to and fro across the screen. For example I\u2019ve never seen an African actor who was truly good. The way they perform is as if they were constantly in some National Geographic documentary. I don\u2019t hold it against them, but good actors have a European style. Perhaps today some have more of an Asian style. I reckon it\u2019s predetermined by the history of our culture.
Who plays the most important role in making a good film?
Every role is equally important. And as I\u2019ve already said, the screenwriter is very, very important. Only at Cannes, when you\u2019re after an award, is the producer most important\u2014especially one with deep pockets.
Juraj Fellegi<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
To make a good film, the story is most important. The camerawork doesn\u2019t matter, says R\u0103zvan Vasilescu. He has appeared