WELL TALK: Sebastian Dela - the fresh blood of Polish acting: "I dream of playing a chess horse"

One of the most interesting actors of the young generation, with a great distance to himself and the world, talks about acting, about working with the most important creators of Polish cinema and why he dreams of the role of... a chess horse. Karolina Magiera-Wróbel talked to Sebastian Dela during the Mastercard OFF CAMERA festival.

From the mine to the red carpet

Karolina Magiera - Wróbel - Well.pl: Which of your visits to the Mastercard OFF CAMERA festival was this?

Sebastian Dela: Second, I was here for the first time last year. For now I have continuity, I hope it stays that way, I wish for it.

I wish you the same! Especially since the festival was born in Krakow, you were also born in Krakow, but you emphasize that you come from Wieliczka. Can we say that it was there that everything began, that the first thoughts about acting appeared?

Yes, definitely. I was recently at a class reunion with my friends from middle school and I realized that Mrs. Ala Grafka – our Polish teacher – was the first person who believed in me and sent me to a recitation competition. She told me to try, that it was worth going in this direction. I had already felt that I wanted to be an actor, but this experience only confirmed my conviction. Wieliczka, the outskirts of Krakow – that's where it all started.

I even found out that you worked for a while in a salt mine. It would be hard to find a more symbolic place – it is the heart of Wieliczka.

I don't know how it is now, but "in my day" almost everyone worked there. Small town, giant workplace, it was natural.

Your parents work there too, right? Is it a family tradition?

Yes, these family traditions have been preserved to some extent. My parents are retired now, but they sometimes come to the mine as guides and show groups around. They both used to work there full-time. I followed in their footsteps, although maybe not entirely…

You played one of your first roles in the mine.

First there was the Church of St. Michael the Archangel in Pawlikowice – or rather the theatre room, which is located just below it. I remember a situation when a priest came to us after Christmas carols, and my parents mentioned to him that I would like to become an actor. He replied: “Come to us, we have a theatre.” And that’s how I ended up in my first theatre group. Then, I was Soliludek. I showed children around the mine, showed them Solonia, Solizaury, Solizaki – I gained my first acting skills there.

The next stage was Łódź?

Yes, then I got into acting studies in Łódź and luckily! Now I know that it was THE school, it was where I was supposed to finish, because otherwise I probably wouldn't have finished any.

You often mention that you were very lucky because you played episodic roles while you were still studying. When did the breakthrough come?

It started with taking part in commercials, and then came the casting for "Nobody Sleeps in the Woods Tonight". It was definitely a breakthrough when, after the casting, in which I took part with Wiktoria Gąsiewska, I heard: "Listen, we can already tell you - you got the role, you're doing it with us." It was the first time in my life that I heard such words, an incredible feeling. Right after leaving, I called my mother, my friends, to tell them that I was going to play in a film. And to this day, fortunately, I have managed to appear on the screen. I am incredibly lucky.

Working with people, not just with a camera

Let's go back for a moment to the film "Nobody Sleeps in the Woods Tonight". In Polish cinematography, horror is not a popular genre, even underestimated. What do you say about this project?

It was a fantastic adventure. First of all, I met great people – Bartosz Kowalski, Mirella Zaradkiewicz, Janek Kwieciński, and of course my colleagues – actors. I also had the opportunity to play alongside my professor, Gabriela Muskała. The crew was fantastic, and the awareness that we were shooting the first slasher film in Poland gave us great joy. There was a lot of laughter, there was a great atmosphere on the set, and great relationships were established. I guess I am lucky with such genre experiments, which makes me very happy – regardless of how these productions ultimately turn out. If we are talking about genre cinema in Poland, it is great that we are opening up to it, that we are looking for something different, fresh. We have great specialists, so it is worth trying – in the end, we will manage to create something exceptional. Really good films are already being made.

The following years brought you new roles. You appeared in two productions, among others: "Sex, Love and Pandemic" and "Pitbull". How do you recall working with Patryk Vega?

I have absolutely nothing to complain about, we got along well on the set. You could say that it was Patryk who "picked me up", in the film "Sex, Love and Pandemic" I played a small role, and after a few days he said: "Listen, I'll send you something" and sent me the script for "Pitbull". If you were to say in short - what kind of director, boss is Patryk Vega?

He has a very clearly defined vision and knows exactly what he wants – both in terms of camera positioning, shots, and emotions. There is no room on the set for long analyses or scheming in the style of: "Maybe one more time, or maybe differently?". Patryk looks at the course of the scene and says directly: "We have it" or "We don't". The work is very specific. I think I learned a lot from him and I am convinced that he gave me a great chance. It is thanks to him, among other things – at least for now – that everything is going well.

You also mentioned Gabriela Muskała – you met on the set of the film “Błazny”, which was her feature directorial debut. Is working with a director-actress different from working with creators who have never stood in front of the camera?

I see many differences. First of all, Gabrysia, as an actress, knew perfectly well what she expected from the director and tried to give it to us. She did a great job. She had a great sense – she knew when to support someone, to give them a word, an emotion, a suggestion, and when it was better to give them space. She showed great empathy. It was a very attentive, sensitive collaboration.

Occupation: actor

Do you think the film "The Fools" realistically shows the moment of transition between studying and practicing a profession? Is that what it looks like - omnipresent rivalry, great ambitions, complexes?

I keep trying to believe that it doesn't. I don't see it myself, at least not in such an overt way. If it does happen, it's behind my back.

So you haven't had any bad experiences?

Of course, there were times when an unkind word was said or a voice was raised, but always for a good cause. I really like to give the example of the wonderful collaboration with Marcin Filipowicz on the film “Braty” – one of those that I remember best. Probably because I have the character that I do – I like to clash, confront opinions, try to find a solution. In the case of this production, it worked perfectly. For Marcin, it was a feature debut, for me – one of my first big roles. Everyone really cared a lot, everyone carried within themselves the thought “don’t let anyone ruin this for me”. There were emotions, there were tensions, but all in such a constructive spirit. From these conversations and differences, great ideas were born, we reached a consensus, there were moments of recognition: “you’re right, it will be better this way”. No one was closed to change. It was precisely because everyone cared so much, from these clear emotions, great things were created. I understand that sometimes emotions can carry you away – it happens. As for violent behavior, extremely violent, for which there is absolutely no consent or place, I have not experienced it. Of course, I know people – colleagues, colleagues from older years, and even from my own, who could say something different. I know that such situations have happened and continue to happen. I have not encountered them personally.

What advice would you give to younger colleagues who are just starting their acting adventure?

I'm just starting out myself and it would be very presumptuous of me to give anyone advice, but I think – although it's very difficult and I'm still learning – that the most important thing is to be aware that this profession is perceived very subjectively. If someone says that we're brilliant actors, someone might be sitting two rows away and ask why they hired such a piece of shit to be a part of the film school. The point is to learn to accept compliments and not worry about the hate, which appears very often. People criticize the entertainment element, few think about the fact that there's a real person behind it. Let's not kid ourselves – most young people who got into acting or just finished school only dream of acting. You can't get all fancy, but you also shouldn't wallow in regret over what others say. I'm not saying anything groundbreaking and I don't have any golden advice. I don't think there is one, but I still remember the phrase I heard at school: "be yourself, don't change." I know it's a truism, but there's something to it.

I hear you have a healthy approach to this profession. In one of your interviews you said that you don't romanticize it.

Romanticizing this profession is probably the easiest way to go crazy. You can afford it when you only play important, artistic roles, but let's face it - the reality is different, our market is simply too small. I have great respect for those who treat this work as a mission, but for me it is first and foremost a profession, I don't want it to completely fill my space. I have my own life and I want it to be the way I dreamed it, for acting to give me the opportunity to earn money for it, and if some interesting, valuable projects come along - that's a fairy tale! Then I will really be able to say that I've grabbed God by the feet. I think romanticizing can be harmful, because when we idealize everything, something will always be "not like" we imagined. Is there a role you wouldn't accept or a boundary you wouldn't cross?

I want to be surprised. As long as something is not iconoclastic or does not violate my values ​​or beliefs, I think it is worth it – even necessary – to do it. For the experience itself, to broaden the perspective and to encounter something that we do not experience every day. This is where I see the beauty of this profession. So far, I have never found myself in a situation where I had to say a categorical “no” to something that was contrary to my views or that I considered morally wrong.