Karolina Szymczak: When I was a child, I told my mother that I would like to play with Brad Pitt

Klaudia Kolasa, woman.gazeta.pl: In the Polish media, you usually appear as “Piotr Adamczyk’s wife” or recently “a Polish woman who starred in a film with Brad Pitt”. I would like us to forget about these terms during the conversation. Tell me, who is Karolina Szymczak?

Karolina Szymczak, actress: Thank you for such a beautiful introduction. I have the impression that in Poland I have lost my identity. It is very sad that in the 21st century I am referred to as someone’s wife, and not a separate person, i.e. Karolina Szymczak. As if I was someone’s property. After all, I have a first and last name, it can be used when talking about me in public, especially in the context of my professional achievements. Sometimes I even wonder if I should change my name in my ID card to “Piotr Adamczyk’s wife” (laughs).

Who am I? First of all, I am myself, that is Karolina Szymczak, and I would like to be described as such. I am an actress. I’m a former model. I am an animal lover – I love them very much and I am involved in various actions related to animals.

I work for women suffering from endometriosis, because I have it myself and I identify as an Endo-Warrior. But I am also an ordinary girl from Złotoryja who suddenly began to fulfill her dreams.

How do you feel with it?

Sometimes I get emotional when I think about girls from small towns. Probably some of them think that they have no chance, that it can’t be done. Everything will work. We have to look for ourselves, what really plays in our soul. Especially now that the world is open to us. I meet young people who have done great things. It’s a really beautiful feeling: to fulfill your dreams without any prospects. I grew up in an average home, I don’t have rich parents. I am from the so-called broken family. I had no prospects of being here – and I am.

Some actresses start out with low-budget movies or TV series, and you’ve entered Hollywood right away. Your first film is “Hercules” from 2014. How did you get into his cast?

When I was 16, I started modeling. This industry is often connected with the world of acting. Agencies in New York and Los Angeles often represent models who are also actors.

As a child, I dreamed of acting. Only that in small towns in the 90’s, it was difficult to provide children with development in what they are good at. My mother worked a lot. I get the feeling she didn’t have time to watch me and think about what I wanted to do. On the other hand, I was a very shy child and did not communicate my needs, but I was already performing in school plays. Moreover, I always played the main role.

Once I even won a review of school theaters for the role of Cinderella. I got a teddy bear. I was walking with my mother to my grandparents holding the award and I told her that someday I would like to play with Brad Pitt. Now, when she found out that I was playing with Brad, she just burst into tears of emotion.

The film “Hercules” appeared after a session with David Bellemer. The first film set made me realize how much this is my place where I want to be. How much I want to do this. I’ve kept it for so many years. The movie set is addictive. It’s hard to go back later. It’s impossible not to fall in love with it and not want to do it. It’s a great experience. For me, acting is also a profession that heals our wounds. Sometimes what we don’t want to show on the outside, we can show in the role. It is very ventilating.

You were immediately thrown into deep water. I imagine you must have put a lot of work into preparing for the role.

In Hercules, I approached it on an adventurous basis, I was still primarily a model. However, the director told me that I have a knack for acting and that I should work in this direction. I thought then maybe I’d go to a school, but in the States. I wanted to learn to play in English. Then “Stars” appeared in Poland, I got a role with Jan Kidawa-Błoński. I played in a few more productions, but there are still very few of them on my account.

Not much, but what a thing! This January we will see you in Babylon, dir. Damien Chazelle. Can you tell me about the casting for this movie?

It was a worldwide casting because they were looking for a European woman. I think girls from all over the world applied. I also know three Polish actresses, my friends, who tried to get this role. In practice, it looked like any ordinary casting.

The manager submits his proposal to the casting director, who decides if he wants to see the actress at all. I went through the sieve. Through a really huge sieve, with hundreds of actresses. I waited a year for an answer. In fact, I didn’t even wait. It’s like we record castings and the manager says to us: “You record – you forget.” If something happens, great. If not, it’s better not to dwell on it.

What were you doing when you found out you got the role?

I was in Atlanta with my husband. He was filming Marvel’s Hawkeye at the time. The manager called me. “Listen, remember that Damien Chazelle Babylon project?” I replied that I remembered. “They are asking about you. They also asked me if you could record a Hungarian casting for them?”

I say: God… in Hungarian. Okay, but how much time do they give me for this casting because I don’t know the language.

“Well, tomorrow,” he replied. I was shocked, I didn’t know a word in Hungarian, but the rule was simple: either I take it or I don’t. Thousands of other actresses were waiting to take my place. I agreed.

Did you manage to learn Hungarian in one day?

Fortunately, there was a time difference between the US and Europe, so when it was night at my place, I could take Hungarian lessons with a lady from Budapest. She taught me how to pronounce my lines. I jotted down the sentences on pieces of paper and hung them on the wall so I could come back to them. If I had jammed while recording, I could have looked at them too.

We filmed this casting in an apartment in Atlanta. It was a very intense scene. I was overwhelmed with great emotions. Even a security guard came to us because he thought we were having a fight. He pointed out to us that the neighbors were complaining and that we should be quieter. I asked him to give me one more chance to record, that it was really the last time and that it was very important to me. He agreed to this last time. I recorded the casting, sent it and after 15 minutes I got a reply that I had the role.

How did you react?

I ran out of the apartment, ran downstairs to the security guard and hugged him while screaming, “Jesus, I got it! Thank you so much!” He was very happy.

Did you feel nervous on your first day on set?

Of course. It was a very difficult day. I can’t tell you what scene we shot, but it was horribly hot. We were wearing nylon coats and nylon hats. We were sweating profusely, and it was the first day of shooting that I met Brad Pitt. We were both terribly exhausted. It was super funny.

Did you tell him about your childhood dream?

Not yet, but I hope I get the chance.

How was it working together?

Comparing the work on the Polish set and the American set, I have the impression that here everyone is reconciled with what they do and what their role is. Nobody wants to exalt themselves. Brad absolutely does not show that he is a star. He talked and joked with all the cast members, extras, technical crew. He is an actor who really gets along with everyone, although he is shy at first. Also, he is very supportive and listening. When he gave me some attention, he also listened to what I had to say and how I felt.

Even though it’s Brad Pitt, I didn’t feel pressured to play the scene the way he wanted me to. If I disagreed with him, I told him so. I told him how my character felt at the moment, that she was from a different culture and had a different temperament. I was on my own. He accepted it. He created such an atmosphere that I didn’t feel that I was standing in front of an Oscar-winning star who is admired by the whole world. Our cooperation was also short, because I want to emphasize that I have a small role there, but it is one of the most important for me. This is my childhood dream come true.

What other differences have you noticed between working on a film set in Poland and the US?

The main difference is money. If we had the money they have for their productions, then each actor would also have his own camper, each would have assistants, allowances, etc. There are also no active trade unions for actors in Poland. They have SAGs. This prevents productions from using actors. They cannot pay less than the SAG rate. They can do whatever they want with us. They may also not pay the actor, I’ve heard of such cases.

What was the biggest challenge for you while working on the character of Olga?

The scene you will see in the movie. She was very exhausting. Damien Chazelle knew I’d die if I played it twice. He perfectly understands and loves actors. He rolled all the actors first – including Brad – and left me for last. He understood that if I spit it out twice, I would either collapse there or lose my voice. Anyway, I lost two days anyway.

It seems to me that the film industry is still heavily dominated by men. Did you feel it as a woman?

Comparing the times of “Hercules” and “Babylon”, a lot has changed during these 9 years. The “Me too” movement worked in the right direction. I didn’t feel that I was at a disadvantage because I was a woman. Nor did I feel that I was at a disadvantage because I was a foreigner. At the moment in the States, when they were talking about my achievements, they couldn’t call me “Adamczyk’s wife” in the headline.

On the other hand, it hasn’t created such divisions that we don’t talk to each other or give each other a hearty hug after recording a scene. This is normal and there’s nothing wrong with that.

What are the relationships between women like?

In Poland, I had such an experience with actresses who have the status of a star that I felt like a star next to them. This is where I filmed the scene with Olivia Wilde and Katherine Waterston. I was surprised by their approach. They included me in the conversation, treated me like a friend. I felt fantastic with them. It was great female energy. Katherina came up to me and said I had to keep this wig for the castings because I looked great in it. It’s beautiful that actresses can support each other and be together like this.

So is Margot Robbie. We don’t have scenes together, but we had camera tests together. We sat in the dressing room, trying on clothes. we were joking. It was a great experience. She’s such a warm girl next door. Everyone likes her. These actresses know their worth and don’t have to prove anything. They don’t have to show anyone that they’re better. They know where they’re going. .

What do you wish for in the coming 2023?

Every odd person is happy for me, so I believe that this one will be happy too. 2021 is my jackpot. It brought me Brad Pitt and Babylon. I’m afraid to think what will happen in 2023 (laughs).

Seriously though, I wish I didn’t have another surgery for endometriosis and I’d like… I’d like to play something in Poland. To show that I am not just “Adamczyk’s wife”.