he has a rich artistic achievement, and each subsequent acting role only confirms his artistry and skills. He appears not only on theater stages, but also on the small and large screens. His roles include: in “The Promised Land”, “Granica”, “Różyczka”, “The Last Family” or the Netflix hit. Now it turns out that over 30 years ago he had the chance to play the main role in one of the most outstanding Hollywood productions.
Spielberg was delighted with it. He wanted to give him the main role in “Schindler’s List”
It was the fall of 1992. At that time, he had been living in France for over a decade, where he successfully developed his career. It was then that he received information from the Polish co-producer, Lew Rywin, that the producer of the new film invited him to participate in the casting. He couldn’t believe it. He agreed without hesitation, after all, such an opportunity doesn’t come along every day. He recorded the monologue on a cassette and then sent it to the USA. He didn’t have to wait long for an answer.
Branko reviewed all the recordings with Spielberg and suggested to him that it was worth hiring Seweryn. This information was given to me by Rywin. I was stunned, even though I knew it was me and someone from the West waiting in line
– in the book “I’m driving!” Arkadiusz Bartosiak and Łukasz Klinke. Ultimately, he flew to Los Angeles for a final audition, during which he acted out part of the script that had been previously given to him. Spielberg seemed impressed, which was reflected in his subsequent decisions.
He called the head of Universal Studios next to me and said: ‘It’s time for a new star.’ He seemed very happy and let me know that I had the role
– Seweryn said in an interview in the river. He hadn’t even managed to get on set yet, and already the largest acting agencies were willing to take him under their wing. He approached it with some distance. He focused on the role and started creating his hero. He didn’t even imagine that he would be disappointed.
The joy of success did not last long. The director replaced Seweryn with another actor
It turned out that the then more popular Liam Neeson was also competing for the same role. The producers, at the urging of Universal, weighed all the pros and cons, ultimately coming to the conclusion that his participation in the production was a greater guarantee of success than if they entrusted the role of the main character to an unknown actor from Eastern Europe.
What really decided was pure economics. Liam Neeson was a rising star, and Seweryn – an unknown Pole. It’s better to invest in a star than in an anonymous actor from Eastern Europe
– he describes in the book. Ultimately, as compensation, Spielberg gave Seweryn the role of Julian Scherner. Although he remembers working on the set fondly and considers it one of the greatest adventures of his career, he does not hide the fact that he still has a bad taste. Especially since the director gave him hope to continue cooperation in the next production. The actor recalled that one day, during a break between shooting, he had dinner in the company of Wajda, Spielberg and his wife. It was then that the Hollywood filmmaker allegedly said “I will take you to America, I promise”, but in the end these words turned out to be empty.
I believed I would act in his next film. I trusted the bastard once again.
Source: Gazeta
Bruce is a talented author and journalist with a passion for entertainment . He currently works as a writer at the 247 News Agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the industry.
