She could have starred in Polanski’s Oscar-nominated film, but she refused. She waited 15 years for her debut

Aleksandra Koncewicz was one of the most famous dramatic actresses in Poland and was considered a star of Poznań stages. Throughout almost her entire career, she performed on the stage of the local New Theater and the Dramatic Theater. Few people knew that in her youth she also had a chance to appear on screen with a role in Roman Polanski’s nominated production.

She had a chance to star in Polanski’s blockbuster. Her role was taken over by an aspiring art student

In the early 1960s, he was already a recognized director in the world of cinema. “Knife in the Water”, created according to his own script, was supposed to be his first full-length film. So he began an intensive search for an actress who could play the role of Krystyna. During one of the performances, Aleksandra Koncewicz caught his attention. – He was looking for an athletic actress, and at that time I was a good swimmer and played volleyball – in “Rzeczpospolita”.

Unfortunately, the 33-year-old had a busy time at the theater at that time. She was preparing for two great premieres, as she was to play Clarisse in “The Courting Man” and the title Ondine in Jean Giraudoux’s play. She knew that she would not be able to reconcile so many obligations at the same time, so she refused, or at least that was the official reason. – There was no doubt whether to take on another great role in the theater or make a film debut – she explained. Ultimately, he cast the inexperienced Jolanta Umecka in this role, who impressed him at the Legia swimming pool. Visually, it met all his requirements, but, as he recalled years later, working with it was quite a challenge.

We had the Lord’s Cross with my swimming pool discovery. Both during filming and off set. First of all, she couldn’t swim and we had to hire a stunt double. She couldn’t remember her lines. We were all close to hysteria

– he wrote in his autobiography entitled “Roman by Polański”.

Koncewicz justified her decision. Why didn’t she want to play in “Knife in the Water”?

For years, many have wondered what the actual reason was for Koncewicz to reject such a lucrative offer. Finally, the actress decided to talk about the behind-the-scenes of this situation. It turns out that the reason was not too much work. She believed that playing the first screen role, especially the main one, for a debutant was not a good idea; at that time she did not expect that “Knife in the Water” would achieve international success and be a real gateway to her career. – But this debutant was Roman Polañski, and his proposal was the later Oscar-nominated “Knife in the Water” – she recalled years later. There was also a fear that without experience he would not be able to meet the expectations of the 27-year-old director, especially since the shooting took place in demanding conditions.

It is true that after this situation, Koncewicz continued to triumph on the stage, and viewers from all over Poland came to see her performances, but in the world of cinema she was unable to draw attention to herself. She made her film debut only 15 years later, with an episode in Gerard Zalewski’s “Zielone – gone”, but her participation was not even included in the end credits. Later she appeared, among others, in or “Doktor Murku”, but her most famous screen role was the character of Maria in the series (available on the website).