Film » Film | 49 Savina GERŠAK I REALLY LIKED KATARINA’S CHARACTER You stated on one occasion that you would return to filmwhen a role came up that would allow you to find yourself in it. What attracted you about the character you play in The Elegy of Laurel? “The way in which the darkness of a community is presented, and marital relations within it, were extremely intriguing to me and I immediately agreed to play the role. When I read the script, I really liked Katarina’s character, as a woman whose apparently ideal life was actually filled with disappointments and distance from her nearest and dearest. Her decision to abandon her existing normality, after decades of marriage, and start an independent life as a way of critically examining her own experiences, seemed exciting to me, and important for considering the role of women.” Shooting the film took a long time, due to interruptions. How did you feel on the set itself, considering the big break that you’d taken from acting? “The film crew gave me great support and we shot it with ease. From the outset, director Dušan Kasalica had a clear vision of the relationship between the characters in the film. We had a good understanding of each other in terms of interpreting the script and the characters, so again working in front of the camera brought me great joy. Special emotions bubbled up in me upon returning to Montenegro, where I first started my acting life almost four decades ago.” Howwere your impression of Frano Lasić? “Frano Lasić is an exceptional actor and professional, and above all an incredibly sophisticated person in whose presence you believe that you can accomplish everything. In today’s times, you can’t say that about a lot of people. He has a healing effect on the world around him. It was an indescribable pleasure for me to spend time with him and to together create a striking on-screen relationship.” Moremature audiences remember you from the period when you actively engaged in tennis. You were written about as an icon of style and themuse of many renowned directors. And today you’re working very successfully in psychotherapy. In which ways are these three very different careers connected? “Through acting, you handle and playwith different psychologies. It is thoughts that trigger different acting behaviours. In that sense, psychology and acting are inextricably linked. And tennis ismy greatest love. I started training at the age of 12 and still play in tournaments today.” You’ve shot as many as three films with the legendary Živko Nikolić. What are your fondest memories of that collaboration? “From the shooting of Živko’s films, it is him personally that I most often recall. For the first filmwe did together, The Death of Mr Goluza, I was found by his assistants, who requested photographs of me frommy parents. When they called me by phone, I thought someone was playing a joke on me and I almost hung up. It was only on the set that I actually met Živko. I was only 19 and, at first glance, his pronounced individuality left me with the impression that he was an unapproachable, strange man. After the screening, I became aware that I was working with one of the greatest European directors.” You’ve spent a long time living in Rome. Tell us three things that no one shouldmiss out on in the Eternal City… “Be sure to have a coffee at Sant’Eustachio Il Caffè near Piazza Navona, visit the tomb of Raffaello Sanzio at the Pantheon and see the Orologio ad acqua (Water Clock) at the Villa Borghese.” SG Tekst/Words: Jelena Pantović Fotografije/Photography: Arhiva/Archive , Kadrovi iz filma/ Scenes from themovie
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