Tomasz Włosok played Jerzy Kulej. “He was the character of my dreams” [TYLKO U NAS]

What made Tomasz Włosok want to play in this production? – What interested me the most were these young people who are just entering life, who are learning, taking their first steps, and after these few steps they stood on the edge of the abyss, and how they will behave. This is, in my opinion, a huge lesson in how to cope in a situation when something happens at the expense of something else, and how not to forget that you are creating a life together, and under the pretext of going to work and earning money, you are fulfilling yourself and forgetting about the other person – says Tomasz Włosok. The second reason was his love for boxing. You can watch the entire interview here:

Tomasz Włosok about Jerzy Kulej: He was the character of my dreams

In my home, the character of Jerzy Kulej was known. He was the character of my dreams, and I don’t know at this moment if there is any other character on this level that I dreamed of playing

– says Włosok. The actor has been training kickboxing for years. In preparation for the role, he strengthened his boxing training, attended choreography and dance classes to more effectively recreate the fighting style of a bygone era. However, this is not just a film about boxing – his relationship with his wife Helena, played by Michalina Olszańska, is important. That is why, as Włosok says, this is not just a production for fans of the double Olympic medalist.

– We’re talking about a young guy who had ambitions, who wanted to break away from the life he had, and wanted to achieve success. And these are the kinds of topics that – I hope – will move those who don’t go to see the story of a boxer they don’t know, but go to see the story of a boxer, the story of his career, his relationships, his life – says the actor.

What is “Kulej. Two Sides of the Coin” about?

This is the story of Jerzy and Helena Kulej – an extremely colorful Polish couple of the 60s. The distributor describes them as follows: he – a legendary boxer, double European champion and eight-time Polish champion, who was the only Polish boxer to win two Olympic golds and although he never lay on the boards, he fell more than once in his life; she – a strong woman who always stood by his side, but did not want to remain in his shadow forever.

The film “Kulej. Dwie strony medalu” is directed by Xawery Żuławski, who is – together with Rafał Lipski – the co-author of the script. Marian Prokop (“Miasto’44”, “Letters to M.”, “Wojna polsko-ruska”) is responsible for the cinematography. – The film about Jerzy Kulej is the fulfillment of my dreams related to the production referring to the 60s. It was then, in the sad and gray realities of the past period, real people full of emotions and color were an important part of society. Among them stood out the Kulejs, Jerzy and Helena, representing great love, the world of boxing, rock’n’roll, two Olympics and the fascinating flirtation of sports with politics and the underworld of those times. In my opinion, all this constitutes the essence of good cinema – says Żuławski about the production.

In addition to Włosok and Olszańska, the cast includes Tomasz Kot, Andrzej Chyra, Bartosz Gelner, Konrad Eleryk and Monika Mikołajczak. Marian Prokop is responsible for the cinematography. The film’s premiere is scheduled for October 11.