Piotr Adamczyk is regarded as one of the most talented Polish actors among the young generation. In a conversation with Agnieszka Flakus, the actor talks about his role of Pope John Paul II and about his acting career.

Piotr Adamczyk is regarded as one of the most talented Polish actors among the young generation. His presence on stage dates back to 1995. He has appeared on stage, in television theatre, as well as on screen (including the title role in Jerzy Antczak’s Chopin, Desire for Love).
He is a recipient of numerous awards, among which he values the most Małe Berło (Little Scepter) bestowed on him by Janusz Gajos (the holder of the Great Golden Scepter, awarded by the Polish Cultural Foundation. Every year, the laureate appoints his successor, someone who follows in his footsteps and is likely to outstrip the master). Piotr Adamczyk has been also designated as the wittiest débutant of the year, a title bestowed by the Italian public. He has also been the winner of 2005 Wiktor and Telekamera awards.
Recently, he has gained much publicity thanks to two films by Giacomo Battiato, Karol: A Man Who Became Pope and Karol: The Pope, The Man, in which he played the title role. The first part of the movie was broadcasted in the US on the Hallmark chanel in August of last year.

- You admitted in one of your interviews that prior to the film about the pope, you were putting your life off till later. Do you still feel like that?
Piotr Adamczyk: We should specify what kind of life we are talking about. After all, I lead a very intense life, but my activities are practically limited to my profession. I have been putting my private life till later. I wonder when this “later” will arrive. I can’t wait…


- The movie Karol: The Pope, The Man has recently premiered in Poland, in Mexico, and in the U.S. (in Chicago). How was it received by such varied audiences?
P.A.: I had the opportunity to promote the film in Italy, at a special pre-screening in Vatican, in the presence of Pope Benedict XVI. It is needless to describe the emotions accompanying the experience of going to the movies with the pope. The world premiere took place in Mexico shortly afterwards. I got a lesson in worldviews: the reaction surpassed anything I could have imagined.
The film awaited quite a while for its Polish premiere, probably due to marketing issues. It was only recently that movie-goers saw the production with Jon Voight. Now it was time for a Polish-language version. In my opinion, this film should not be analyzed simply according to artistic categories. It’s an apocryphal, and appeals above all to emotions. It does not address the festival critics, but those who experienced Karol Wojtyła’s life and sainthood in a very personal way. The film speaks about extraordinary and important things in a very simple manner.
I enjoyed a very warm reception in Chicago. I was told that the Copernicus Center had not been filled like that in years. Of course, I realize that the interest in the film was due mainly to its topic, but I still considered it as a great reward for our work. The visit revived my hope that our best Polish traits are entirely extinct. I do not encounter such traditional emotionality or hospitality in Poland any more. I have the impression that, just as the French language has been “frozen” in Canada, and is cited by the French as Old French, our Polish hospita-lity and other national traits we take pride in, frequently described in literature, are not as present in contemporary Poland as they are here.

- Has the fact that you played the pope changed anything in your life?
P.A.: My whole world was transformed. This has been a critical experience for me. I have spent three years working on the role, meeting very different people, often very famous, Karol Wojtyła’s friends, his collaborators. I have also had the possibility of peeking beyond the Vatican walls, of traveling around the world. This sort of adventure opens your eyes. But it is a spiritual as well as professional adventure. The opportunity to enact the pope’s entire life was a unique challenge. However, I want to emphasize that it was equally an attempt to approach the genius of spirituality, the pope’s charisma, his suffering, his old age. The attempt was a singular experience and changed me a great deal.
 
- I have heard that you avoid watching films in which you play. This time, however, you sat in the Chicago audience and viewed Karol. What were your impressions from the movie?
P.A.: I do watch films in which I appear, but it rarely gives me any pleasure. Most often, I am disappointed. In this case, I was astonished. I found some of the scenes in the film, especially the final ones, surprisingly moving. The person of Karol Wojtyła is present in our consciousness with such intensity that, as I was watching our own work, I become captivated by the story as much as were the viewers.

- Until now, you were often cast in comic and dramatic roles. You have also played in a sitcom. With such a repertoire, were you afraid of taking on the role of the pope and having it compared to your previous roles?
P.A.: I am a theatre, radio, dubbing, TV, and film actor. As actors, we are always susceptible to comparisons. Although I know that I am being compared to Jon Voight, I am not dreading the comparison, I am rather proud of it. Every actor dreams of being identified in the viewers’ memory with some role, sometimes even with a single word, a gesture, or an emotion. When I accepted the challenge, I was aware that I was accepting a great responsibility, up to the consequences of my decision. I believe, however, that the viewers realize that one of the tasks of an actor is to continue shocking with new faces and personalities, and to present them in a credible way. When I took on the part of the pope, I didn’t think that it would be hard to play another role in the future. I am certain this is not going to be the case. The only thing that worried me, were my doubts whether I would live up to the task, whether this mutual accord with the viewer that I am not incarnating Karol Wojtyła, but rather sketching his symbolic portrait, is going to hold.

- How did you arrive at this interpretation, who initiated this approach?
P.A.: The screen play’s author and the film director was Giacomo Battiato from Italy. It was he who envisioned a six-hour-long story (the film is composed of two three-hour parts), forming an inscription of Polish and world history from the youth, through adulthood, to the old age of the Holy Father. But it is an inscription presented from a certain perspective, one that is, in my opinion, closer to the viewer’s because it is more human. The film recounts the impact of historical events on Karol Wojtyła’s formative years, and then the way he helped shape history. G. Battiato said that he could have called the second part of the film “The Pope of Those in Pain,” because it tells of suffering that continues to affect millions and which the pope experienced in a very intimate way.

- You say in your interviews that you use the film to promote Poland. What aspects of Poland are you “advertising” abroad?
P.A.: In fact, Karol Wojtyła did the best job of promoting Poland. Of course, our film also contributes to promoting Poland by reminding the story of his life and pontificate.

 Poles often think that our historical experience, the war, and the years of communism are commonplace facts. They are, but only for us. In my interviews I’ve always tried to emphasize as many good things about Poland as possible. Sometimes I simply speak about the Polish mentality, about the Pole’s farewell to the pope; I list our national traits; sometimes I present a rather idealized vision: that all young people learn foreign languages and that in a few decades Poles will be a nation of polyglots. As a matter of fact, thanks to John Paul II, we have the reputation of a nation easily assimilating languages. I think that we should live up to it.

- How did other people react to your make-up?
P.A.: When I stepped onto the set, conversations would die down — often, perhaps, out of respect for my concentration, but perhaps also because I paraded in a white cassock. It’s a powerful symbol, provoking strong emotions. I observed this frequently, for instance when we were shooting on Saint Peter’s Square. After the session, one of the extras who saw me made up as an older John Paul II, wrote me a letter suggesting that we plan together the autumn of our lives. She thought I was 70.

- How did you prepare for shooting the second part of the film? Did you talk to the elderly or to people with Parkinson’s disease?
P.A.: Yes, I had a chance to talk to Jerzy Łukasiewicz, the president of the association “Living with Parkinson’s.” He struggles himself with the disease and could explain to me the nature of the illness from the point of view of the patient. After our meetings, I was struck with the enormity of John Paul II’s effort and suffering. An average person knows very little about Parkinson’s. We think it boils down to the trembling of a hand. But in truth, it’s a very disabling disease, both physically and psychologically. John Paul II surmounted it with the power of his will and spirit. It was very challenging to render his struggle faithfully.

- Your answers indicate that you have also undergone a spiritual awakening while playing the role. Have you introduced any changes to your lifestyle, either spiritual or religious?
P.A.: It’s not the role itself as much as its consequences, conversations with people... While I was playing John Paul II, I was absorbed in the daily grind of work. I devoted every thought to the execution of the part just the way we had planned it with the director. It was not a question of “embodying” the character; it was hard film work, the monotony of repetitions, the necessity of grasping the chronology in order to make everything seem smooth and natural to the viewer. I devoted my energies, my time, and my thoughts to this task alone. Faith and trust I felt when the Holy Father blessed me before shooting the first part of the film supported me throughout the project. I carried this blessing within me as a treasure that allowed me to trust that I was simply chosen for this role, and I tried to do my best. Has it changed me as a person? I can’t say. I might be able to answer that question from a perspective of time.

- You read a lot about the pope and viewed archival materials as you were preparing the part. Have your research and your study of the character brought you closer to John Paul II’s message and prompted you, for instance, to read the Bible?
P.A.: My purpose in reading the pope’s journals or encyclicals was different than a theologian’s or of a believer seeking answers to fundamental questions. I found what I was looking for, in fact, in my conversations with Karol Wojtyła’s friends: human details, daily things, customs he kept, as well as anecdotes from his life, oftentimes humorous and not just testifying to his deep spirituality. As I said, one cannot imitate the Holy Father’s spirituality. This is a question of my accord with the viewer. I am glad that the movie touches upon John Paul II’s message, although I am aware that we were not listening to the pope when he came to visit our country on pilgrimages; our joy at having him with us prevented us from receiving his message. As someone put it nicely, we loved the pope as the witness to the message, but we didn’t listen to the message. Now, after his death, we are more attentive to his words, we watch documentary films, read his encyclicals, etc. I am happy that our film, too, helps bring it up.
It is extremely difficult to explain that an actor is nothing but an instrument. I simply tried to be the most suitable instrument and approach my job with the greatest tact. I do not want to discuss the purely technical side of it, since some viewers might find it disenchan-ting if they imagine that an actor who donned the pope’s robes has suddenly changed. I met nuns who told me that they prayed that I should discover my priestly vocation. I am afraid that people find me much better than I am. Do not expect me to answer the question of vocation, or of illumination... My consciousness has changed very slowly. I never witnessed an individual miracle, never heard the voice of God. It is certain that experiences change people, and, for me, this has been a breakthrough experience.

- You said in one of your interviews: “I hope that the film will remind you about the resolutions you made and the vows you pledged at the moment of John Paul II’s death. Recall those emotions. The recipe for a better world is simple—and the Holy Father gave it to us…” What is that recipe?
P.A.: Is that a question addressed to me?

- Yes. What did you want to convey as an actor playing the pope? To what extent playing that role made his message intelligible for you?
P.A.: The hardest questions are always those excerpted from other interviews... John Paul II’s “recipe” may be a trite formulation of a dream of a better world that everyone should help create. It’s a high standard that we won’t be able to reach, but the higher it is, the more we try, and that’s what matters. As to your question, I hope I answered it with my work. And because I am an actor and not an orator, I prefer to invite people to the movies.

- What touched you most about the fi-gure of Karol Wojtyła?
P.A.: As I was reading about John Paul II, I was struck by his determination. Since early age, he behaved as if he knew his destiny. He had a strong character, a strength that we can envy but also try to emulate it. John Paul II undoubtedly gave us an example with his life; he was an exceptional teacher who taught not only with words, but above all with his being, as once did Christ.

- Shouldn’t Jesus Christ be “jealous” about the popularity enjoyed by this “representative of God on earth”?
P.A.: You ask surprising questions...
But, speaking about the movie, it is not addressed exclusively to Catholics, just as John Paul II’s message was not destined only for believers.

- Many Catholics revere the pope as if he were a divinity. Do you find that you get a special treatment? I often see such captions in newspapers as “Pope in concert.”
P.A.: That’s a humorous formulation that is slowly getting old; a sort of transgression of ethical boundaries. The media find it catchy, while people oftentimes offensive, especially those who treat the pope with extreme respect.
That I might be idealized or seen as better than I am is something I am very much afraid of. We, actors, find it hard to believe, but many people view us through the prism of the cha-racters we portray. It is my dream to play as many parts as possible and to be perceived as Piotr Adamczyk who played the pope, Chopin, and the groom in Testosterone and, hopefully, many others in the future.

- Did you get a chance to speak with people of other faiths who have seen the movie?
P.A.: Yes, I spoke among others to Muslims, and they saw the movie as a record of John Paul II’s efforts to bring peace to the world, eliminate violence and war. I can only express my joy that the film was so positively received by people of other religions. And, I emphasize, this is not a religious movie, although religious persons take it that way. Nor is it a film that would easily fall into any accepted film genre.

- A commentator said that Jon Voight, who portrays the pope in another film, is just an actor, while you on the other hand were human. Where does the difference come from, in your opinion?
P.A.: Exclusively from the individual perception of the viewer who wrote the commentary.

You have made your stage debut at the age of 14…
P.A.: In fact, I have appeared before the camera for the first time shortly after my birth. My mother gave birth at the hospital on Karowa Street in Warsaw, as part of an experimental program where children would be left with their mothers right after birth. A film crew from Warsaw Courier showed up at the hospital to cover the experiment. My mother, because of her exceptional beauty, and I, because of my calm, were chosen to be featured. Perhaps that fact decided about my vocation as an actor.

- I heard that from your very first role you made up your mind about your future profession. What attracted you to acting so much that you remained faithful to it and gave up your childhood plans of becoming a cyclist or pumping gas for a living?
P.A.: I must do something about the internet (laughter). The gas station attendant keeps haunting me because once, when I was younger, I said that I liked the smell of gasoline... What attracted me to acting? I remember going once to a street festival, organized by the Communist newspaper People’s Tribune, because I knew they would be selling Coca-Cola (an American reading this interview will be probably dumbfounded). I recall people lining up for hours to the parked trucks. But what was even more important to me than the taste of foaming bubbles—an imitation, by the way—was the moment when I saw children from the theatre club at the “Ochota” Theatre, run by the Machulskis, who were reciting poetry. I stood transfixed, watching them recite poems out loud in front of such a large audience without even blushing. The desire to overcome my own shyness was the first impulse that drove me in that direction. Then, there was only joy that, performing on stage, I am getting rid of that shyness.

- When you chose your parts today, do you rely on your agent or on chance?
P.A.: Chance has been, so far, my kindest casting agent, but I realize that one should take matters in one’s own hands. I have received too much just by sheer luck, so now

 I feel like I should help chance and seek offers on my own.

- Do you dream, for instance, of playing in American films?
P.A.: Although I would like to take matters in my own hands, I am also aware that I won’t be able to do anything without the 99% that the chance will bring.

- You have played Hamlet (your Masters performance at the British-American theatre school), Chopin, the pope... What is your dream role? Are you afraid that the part of the pope will eclipse for some time other film offers?
P.A.: Knowing our Polish reality, it certainly will. Usually success is followed by failure and failure by success. But success makes you lazy. Failure is more stimulating. The opportunity to play this part, three years of my work, was a Mount Everest of my own. I had to face up to my doubts, limitations, imperfections... Every mountain climber who has reached Mt. Everest wants to continue climbing. And my dream is to continue my climb. Even if the peaks are smaller, you can always choose the more difficult path towards the top. My performance in the film on the pope was already followed by a role in Testosteron, a film directed by Tomasz Konecki and Andrzej Saramonowicz. The Polish premiere is scheduled in March. I hope that this film finds its way to festivals and, who knows, even reach wider audiences. It’s a universal story, telling of relationships between men and women, and those are always a great material for the movies, regardless of geographical location.
I also perform in Warsaw theatres: at the Contemporary Theatre – in “A Woman of Passion” directed by Maciej Englert, and at the National Theatre – in “Power,” where I play Louis XIV who, as a young man, thought of nothing but women and ballet. The play was written by the British playwright Nick Dear. Soon we will perform “Power” in Chicago. The play is directed by Jan Englert, and other actors include: J. Gajos, K. Gruszka, A. Chodakowska, J. Gajewski, P. Stipa, and A. Gryszkówna. The play portrays the mechanisms of power, but also Louis XIV’s love affairs.
As a tidbit, I can add that I will be able to surprise the viewers with a new and exceptional challenge: I will soon be cast in the role of a woman...

- Thank you for the conversation.