Cult Polish productions from years ago brought great fame and adoration of fans to many actors. An example would be Stanisław Mikulski and “The stakes are greater than life” or Bronisław Cieślak and “07 zgpowiedz się”. Today we cannot imagine that anyone else could have played the main roles. However, fate could have turned out differently in the case of “Four Tank Men and a Dog”, which is still popular on TVP VOD.
Włodzimierz Press came to the audition “to earn a few zlotys”. He dreamed of a different role
in 1965, full of hope, he decided to apply for the title role in the film adaptation of Henryk Sienkiewicz’s novel “Pharaoh”. Jerzy Kawalerowicz ultimately chose Jerzy Zelnik, which Press himself found out about only when the shooting had already started. This disappointed him greatly and made him have serious doubts.
Then a unique opportunity arose – the actor received an offer to take part in a casting for the series “Four Tank Men and a Dog”. – It was shortly after the failure with “Pharaoh”, when I lost the remnants of faith that I was suitable for anything in this profession – he said. He did not want to fail again, and the director of the People’s Theater where Press performed did not want to fire him on the day of the audition, explaining that the actor’s absence would spoil his entire repertoire. Eventually he agreed, and Press went, even though he didn’t feel like it at all. – I went to test photos for “Pancerny” to earn a few zlotys. I didn’t want to play in it. After all, it was about a war series, and I am a pacifist by nature, I have never had anything to do with the army. But I didn’t spin well, so I went, he admitted. Ultimately, he was given the role of Georgian tankman Grigory Saakashvili.
Włodzimierz Press in the series ‘Four tank men and a dog’ Włodzimierz Press in the series ‘Czterej pancerni i pies’/screen vod.tvp.pl
Not only Włodzimierz Press. The series Janek Kos could have had a different face
Janusz Gajos also may not have appeared in the series, although for different reasons. As a still young actor, he was a fourth-year student at the time, and he was afraid of being pigeonholed and of destroying his career at the very beginning. – At drama school, I realized how much influence television has on an actor’s popularity. That it can give him enormous recognition, but also pigeonhole him. I watched what was happening to Stanisław Mikulski, who appeared in “Water Larger Than Life” – he said in a 2022 interview
– So when I got the offer to play in the series “Czterej pancerni i pies”, I didn’t jump for joy. I was in my fourth year and I had a feeling this might end. A red light flashed in my head, but I decided to go. And when it went wrong, it was impossible to undo it, added the actor. Although the series made him extremely popular, he was not entirely satisfied with it, as he was still more interested in a theater career. Fortunately, he managed to break away from the label of Janek Kos. If you feel like it, vote in our poll below.
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.
