Shortly before the screening of the feature film Obraz, one of the lead actors, Edon Rizvanelli, gave us an interview to talk about the film in more detail and about his career as an actor, director, and screenwriter.
Welcome to Zaragoza! How do you feel about presenting Obraz at the Saraqusta Festival?
“It’s always nice to have the opportunity to present this kind of film to all kinds of audiences. I find this one particularly special because, from what I understand, it’s a festival featuring only historical films. This is the first time I’ve had the opportunity to present this film at this type of festival, and I’m very curious to hear the audience’s reactions, as they are more accustomed to this genre. Normally, when you go to a more “normal” film festival, you have access to several genres of films, but that’s not the case here, so I’m really curious to know what they’ll think. And of course, it’s a pleasure for me to be here; it’s always nice to discover new places and meet new people.”
Can you share a moment during the filming of Obraz that had a strong impact on you personally or professionally?
“Yes, I think the whole shoot was very impressive because we filmed this movie over four years, it was very intense. I had to wear several traditional costumes with lots of weapons as well, so it was very impressive. We also had a lot of scenes that were very moving. There was this one scene… I won’t say any more because it would spoil the film, but there were a lot of scenes full of emotion that I can’t talk about without spoiling the film, but they really made an impression on me. But I would say that the whole shoot was memorable.”
“AS AN ACTOR, YOU LEARN HOW HUMANS FEEL THEIR EMOTIONS AND THEIR DIFFERENT MECHANISMS, SINCE EVEN EMOTIONS HAVE THEIR OWN LOGIC.”
As an actor, what do you look for most when you’re offered a new project?
“I often look for something stimulating, something that’s challenging, something that’s different from me, something more complex, because normally most films only have good guys and bad guys, but I think people are more complicated than that. I think most of us are a bit of both, so that’s what I look for, people who are neither good nor bad, but rather people who live on the margins of society, who don’t fit into boxes. I like those kinds of roles, the ones that are unlike the others, that are different.”
What has been the most demanding role of your career so far?
“I think the most demanding and complicated role was Romeo in Romeo & Juliet in the theater because the play was set in Austria and I had to perform in German, and it was only three years after I had learned the language, so having to perform Shakespeare in German in front of a real audience was a real challenge. What’s more, it was my first role, so it was very demanding but also very stimulating because I think the best part of acting is the adrenaline rush it gives you, because it makes you feel so much more alive. When you love something, you feel that adrenaline rush that makes you appreciate it even more.”
“Most movies only have good guys and bad guys, but I think people are more complicated than that. I think most of us are a little bit of both.”
In addition to your acting career, you are also a director. How does your experience in this field influence your approach to acting and vice versa?
“It helps a lot, also when I write scripts because as actors, we learn how human beings feel their emotions and their different mechanisms because even emotions have their own logic, so when you write a script, you write it almost all the time from the character’s point of view. In general, people who aren’t actors write with only the story in mind, but actors who also write scripts have a slightly more internal approach, taking the character’s emotions into account. As an actor-director, I know how both professions work, so it’s easier to give real direction to help the actor bring out the expected emotions in a more natural way.”
What advice would you give to someone starting out in film, or what advice would you have liked to receive at the beginning of your career?
“My first piece of advice is not to be afraid, no matter what you do. Give it 100%, believe in yourself, and above all, always be curious. Curiosity will take you further than anything else. You can have everything: courage, intelligence, all the information in the world, but it will never take you as far as curiosity. You always have to believe in yourself and stay curious. You have to enjoy and love what you do. You have to work for yourself, not for the result. That’s the most important thing: working on yourself and for yourself, not for others or for certain goals.”
Finally, what kind of roles or projects are you hoping to explore after Obraz? Do you already have any new projects in the works?
“I’m currently working on a script set in the Netherlands. It’s a fairly personal story and I really hope to be able to bring it to life if I can find the necessary funding, but for now I’m still writing it. Apart from that, as I said before, I’m mainly looking for challenging roles, characters with complex personalities and lots of contradictions. I think those are the most interesting roles. So any role that’s out of the ordinary and not just the role of the villain or the good guy, I find that pretty boring. I prefer a role that’s closer to the true nature of man because man is a very complex being.”
