Aidan Gillen became known to the general public as the Machiavellian Lord Petyr Baelish, also known as Littlefinger, from the hit “”. He could also be seen in other productions many times, most often in supporting roles. He was present in the latest film adaptation of the story of King Arthur, “Bohemian Rhapsody” and “Peaky Blinders”. In recent weeks, however, the Irish actor has been seen more often on the streets of Warsaw than in Dublin or London. Gillen will appear in the Polish-Irish-Ukrainian production “Pojedynek”.
Aidan Gillen from “Game of Thrones” in Łukasz Palkowski’s “Duel”
“Pojedynek” by Łukasz Palkowski is to be one of the latest historical superproductions. It will tell the story of events from 1939 and show the game between a Polish pianist and a Russian agent. The main roles are played by a Polish-Irish duo: Jakub Gierszał and Aidan Gillen, who will play Vasily Zarubin. For the role, he had to learn at least the basics of Russian very quickly, and he also spent several weeks in Poland.
The Irish actor said he was charmed by Warsaw. Although it wasn’t his first visit to Poland, it was the first time he had spent more than a few days there.
I really like it here. I walk a lot around Warsaw, usually a few kilometers a day, right after waking up. It’s not some tourist sightseeing, I’m more interested in observing how people live here. I go to a café, sit at a table and look around to see what’s going on. Or I go to the Vistula, this footbridge over the river is very exciting! – says Gillen in an interview with the Polish Press Agency.
The actor himself says that he rarely has the opportunity to act in fully Irish productions. He has worked on film sets all over the world, including productions organized by Samson Films. The company is co-producing “Pojedynek”, which is due to hit cinemas next year.
Aidan Gillen, ‘The Duel Photo: prom. materials.
“Duel” by Łukasz Palkowski inspired by true events
Łukasz Palkowski likes to use themes related to real historical events in his films. Although recent years have been mainly spent on hit crime series (“Belfer”, “Chyłka” or “Żmijowisko”), his “Bogowie” or “Najlepszy” touch upon real figures from Polish history. “Pojedynek” is based on a script that was written about 20 years ago, but which was not produced for years. Gillen plays the historical figure of the NKVD agent, Vasily Zarubin, who plays a game for the soul of pianist and soldier Karol Grabowski. It is from the camp in Kozelsk, where Zarubin “works” his prisoners, indoctrinating them and convincing them to the communist system, that the rebellious ones later end up in the Katyn Forest. Grabowski starts a complicated duel with Zarubin.
In the film, in addition to Aidan Gillen and Jakub Gierszał, we will see Julia Pietrucha, Bogusław Linda, Wojciech Mecwaldowski, Tomasz Kot, Antoni Pawlicki and Mateusz Kościukiewicz. The production budget, according to the film’s distributor, is several dozen million złoty.
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.
