Generally, Words are Deceptive
With the exception of Jerotije, which is a real "fat part", I tend to chose parts that aren’t leading roles but are still very important. Those are the roles that give you the possibility of interpreting more colorful and interesting characters, that allow you do some real acting. If you weigh down a leading role with a particular gesture or a certain alteration you risk having a bored audience in two hours, says Nebojša Glogovac, the extraordinarily charismatic leading actor of the Yugoslav Drama Theater.
By Ivana Kladarin Panić
Photo by Courtesy of The Yugoslav Drama Theatre & Nebojša Glogovac
The mere mention of the name Nebojša Glogovac brings to mind the image of an artist of exceptional diction and gesticulation, who has interpreted memorable roles in film, theater, and television. Thanks to his incredible ability of transformation many of his interpretations have made the annals of Serb cinematography. This actor, for whom directors invariably reserve the most demanding roles, is currently interpreting, to the joy of the public, the role of Jerotije Pantić in Nušić’s "The Suspect", directed by Jagoš Marković.
You recently began interpreting the cult character of Jerotije Pantić. What’s it like to interpret a character that never grows "old"?
– A team of people got together looking for a different type of theater, the type the Yugoslav Drama Theater has been nurturing for the past few years, something more cheerful and to which people can relate but still with the esthetic balance that this theater’s reputation merits. Nušić’s works are timeless classics, and Jagoš has a lot of experience in that genre. I found that role interesting because it shows the type of people who will do anything to get to a position of any power, they’ll push their daughter into a loveless marriage, they’ll accuse an innocent man… And they’re all around us. They are easy to spot, because they are so obvious and because they don’t even bother to hide their actions any more, they are very matter of fact about it all. They simply feel no shame and are convinced that the end justifies the means…. and Jerotije is just that type of person – very typical.
Srdjan Golubović’s movie "Krugovi" (Circles) will soon see the light of day. Is this another movie, like "Klopka"(The Trap) dealing with a strong moral dilemma?
– It’s a story about other parts of the human mind. It’s about Srdjan Aleksić in Trebinje who defended his Muslim friend and got beaten to death by some violent soldiers. That heroic act became a symbol of courage and humaneness surpassing every religion, color of skin, and nationality. It’s important that others should learn about this side of the Serbs. Most of the film’s action takes place ten years after his death, when the people who took part in the circumstances around it meet again. The movie is about forgiveness: what should Srdjan’s father do when he meets the son of one of his son’s killers who wants to help him build a church or what should I do in the role of Srdjan’s friend, who has become a surgeon, when he finds out that the car accident victim he is to operate is one of his friend’s murderers. To forgive or not to forgive and how do you live with something like that. It’s a very good movie and Srdjan is one of our most gifted, most astute directors and working with him is great.
Would you condone the action of someone who kills in exchange for his child’s life, like your character did in The Trap?
– I hope I never find myself in that situation. It’s a terrible dilemma. Everyone’s mind halts before that question, that’s why the movie leaves such a strong impression. Whatever I say now would be offensive and wrong, of course I would do everything for my child but to take another life for the life of one’s child is a sin and a crime. I would rather rob a bank.
The films "Artiljero" by Srdjan Andjelić and "Kad svane dan" (When Day Breaks) by Goran Paskaljević are also in postproduction?
– In "Artiljero" I play an old football fan leader who no longer goes to matches because he is disappointed by today’s world of football but his younger brother does go to see games. It’s a story about kids who have no idols and who decide to rob the entire city in order to get Nemanja Vidić back into Zvezda (Red Star). A romantic teenage comedy with a serious theme. In Paskaljević’s work I only had one day of filming but it was a pleasure and an honor to meet Mustafa Nadarević, who is an exceptional actor and a wonderful person whom I have admired my whole life.
You gave a very complex interpretation in Oleg Novković’s work "Beli, beli svet" (White, White World).
– That work represents a beautiful screenwriting creation by Milena Marković and the courage of Oleg Novković with whom I have already done several films. I respect his work because of his uncompromising and stubborn determination to put his idea into effect, combined with a deep feeling for esthetics which is not seen too often in our film.
This poetic work says much with few words?
– The movie is poetry with very little text expressed inversely, while the story is told by gesticulation and facial expressions. Often in life our facial expressions and gesticulation say more than the words we utter. When you want to see if a public figure is lying, just turn off the sound on your TV and watch closely. Generally, words are deceptive and unreliable and the quality of silence and the manner of maintaining silence as a nonverbal form of communication is much more interesting.
What is your greatest love, theater, film, or television?
– Acting.
Is there any role that you would rather forget?
– After the bombing for lack of money I had to do "Ranjena zemlja" (Wounded Land). I had to go hunting… and, well, a partridge is no deer but at least there was food on the table. It’s a very mundane reason but it’s not so terrible, nor is it my personal shame.
What are you currently working on?
– I am working on the first movie by a young director, Kosta Djordjević, with the working title "Skoro pa skidanje" (Near Nudity). At the same time I’ve turned to smaller but more effective roles that are like cookies.
Comedy or drama?
– I’ve put a lot of effort into finding the right balance, extricating myself from heavy dramatic texts which I’ve had enough of.
Which comedies have you played in?
– Until a year ago, I played in "Vuk" in the play "Sablja dimiskija" by Aca Popović. And in the comedy by Patrick Marber "Closer", which won the Best Comedy award, although the author said he had no idea why it was awarded because he didn’t mean to write a comedy. That’ show it goes, some plays turn out to be comedy when they aren’t comic at all, and some comedies turn out more serious than tragedies.
How much do you "live" your characters?
– That’s something you learn at the Academy and it forms the basis of our profession. It’s difficult if the role is not well written or if the director projected something that cannot be related to the text, where there is no consummation and no wedding, so to speak.
Classic or contemporary works?
– A classic is a classic because it touches every time period. Recently quite a few old classic works have been redone in contemporary form. For instance, the setting is Manhattan or an industrial zone or a computer environment and the lines are from Shakespeare.
Is there a role you would like to set apart?
– I think I went furthest in "Hadersfild" (Huddersfield) and The Trap. And I love Jerotije, that type of acting is de-stressing.
What do the many awards you’ve received mean to you?
– Depends who I receive them from. If the jury is made up of people I respect and admire, than I’m happy. It’s also nice when the audience praises your work.
How do you bear the burden of fame?
– I’ve learned how to deal with it but it takes practice. At first I felt uncomfortable, you always have the feeling someone’s looking at you, you try to make your face more pleasant than it is. If it’s not your day it still doesn’t seem right for other people to see you looking glum. I try to reach a balance between two options – between "I am what I am" and respect for someone’s good opinion of me.
The public sees you as a warm, gentle, and serious individual?
– That’s all wrong. I do put on that mask of respectability in front of the media. I am not exactly a loud, boisterous person but I’m also not what I appear to be in public. I reserve that part for my friends and family and it’s not something I care to share with the general public.
