She has blond hair, blue eyes and speaks with a Northern
European accent but that hasn't stopped Barbora Bobulova from becoming a
fixture in Italian cinema and television.
Barbora Bobulova was born in Slavakia in 1974. She began
acting at just 12-years-old. She was discovered in the late 80's by an Italian
casting director and has been going back and forth between television and film
roles ever since. In 2006, she won the Italian Oscar for her performance in
Ferzan Ozpetek’s film, Cuore Sacro
(Sacred heart). The film tells the story
of a young woman who is a real estate giant and uses ruthless tactics in order
to get what she wants. The role called on Bobulova to reach deep within herself
and bring out uninhibited, raw emotion.
Her lastest role in Francesco Munzi’s Anime nere has her in the international spotlight once again. This
time, she takes on the role of Valeria, a Milanese housewife married to Rocco,
whose family business brings her to Calabria where she experiences a whole
different world. Bobulova does a tremendous job in her role of this pristine
northern woman who genuinely loves her husband and tries to assimilate into his
family despite the differences in their cultures. Her performance was heartfelt
and her pain, especially in the final scenes of the film was nearly
overwhelming. It was an outstanding performance in a truly stunning film. Lucky
for us Americans, Anime nere will be
released nationwide next week.
I sat down with Bobulova while she was in New York a few
years ago promoting Francesco Bruni's, "Easy". The film made its
North American premiere at the annual film series, “Open Roads: New Italian
Cinema hosted by the Film Society of Lincoln Center. She told me how she got
started in the business and what it was like working with one of Italy’s most
respected filmmakers, Ferzan Ozpetek.
How did you get your
start in acting and go on to become so successful in Italy?
I started when I was a child, when I was 12 years old. I was
hired for a television film in Slovakia and that’s how I started to shoot some
films. Then when I was 18, I went to the Academy of Theater in Bratislava.
While studying, an Italian casting director came over there. She was looking for a Slavic actress for an
Italian movie. They chose me, so that’s
how I started to work in Italy. Now it’s
already been nine years, and I work mostly in Italy.
What was it like
working in a foreign country, acting in a foreign language?
In the beginning, they didn’t mind that I didn’t speak
Italian. They used me as a foreigner.
They used my accent. In television, sometimes they dubbed me. Now, it’s
been several years that I’m playing Italians. I’ve been working on my accent
with a dialect coach.
How did you come to
work with Ozpetek on Cuore Sacro? Did you audition for the part?
He called me. He meant to make this film with another
actress, but something happened and suddenly he called me a month before
shooting and he wanted me to prepare one scene. He told me that I could just
read it, but when I do something, I have to do it completely. So, I memorized
the scene, and when he watched me, he was amazed that I knew the whole part by
heart. I think that was also something
that touched him and after that, he gave me this part.
What was it like to
work with him?
It was a very strong experience. It was the most difficult
film and professional experience I’ve ever had because the story was very
complicated. The character was very complicated. In almost every scene, I was afraid that it
was too much, like over-acting and could be pathetic because the themes and
topics are very delicate.
Are there any
filmmakers in particular that you’d like to work with?
Even if I live and work in Italy, I like the French cinema
very much and I feel like the culture is closer to me. So, I feel closer to French actresses like
Juliette Binoche.
Do you like the
stories that are being told in Italian cinema now?
Yes, Italy has a lot of talented filmmakers. But it’s like a
plant. It needs water and sun to live. The actors and writers cannot just act,
they cannot just write. They need money.
They need many things, or else it is very complicated. We had a
government for a long time, who completely ignored culture and the arts. So,
it’s been very difficult, but things are already starting to change for the
better.
Anime nere (Black
Souls) will be released nationwide in America on April 10th.
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