Hollywood star Meg Ryan arrived in Sarajevo last night, where she will receive the Honorary Heart of Sarajevo award at this year’s edition of the SFF in recognition of her outstanding contribution to film art. Today, as part of the Sarajevo Film Festival, she held her Masterclass at the Bosnian Cultural Center (BKC) in Sarajevo, and the moderator of the event was BiH. director Danis Tanović, whose film “After the Summer” opened the first night of the festival.
First of all, Danis Tanović welcomed the Hollywood star to the packed BKC. Meg Ryan was greeted by thunderous applause from the audience and her fellow film workers when she went on stage.
At the beginning of the conversation, Meg stated that she has known Danis for more than twenty years, that he invited her to come to SFF many times, and finally she was given the opportunity to come to Sarajevo and she fulfilled her promise to come.
“I heard you have a festival, so I came to see what you’re doing. I like coming to festivals. It looks amazing to the people who come to those places. However, sometimes you would like to have a normal life. It’s great to come to film festivals, especially with independent filmmakers,” she pointed out.
“I’m glad to be here, I’m honored to attend, it’s really an honor to be here with you ,” the actress said at the beginning of the program.
When asked by Danis about her first experiences on stage and acting, Meg talked about her childhood and how she didn’t really feel comfortable being on stage and under the spotlight, and told an anecdote when she had to go on stage at school to receive an award.
“In elementary school, I received an award and had to go on stage, give a speech and thank everyone. So of course I over prepared. “I wrote a seven-page speech, I was absolutely nervous and confused, so my mother had to get on stage and get me out of that situation ,” Ryan said.
Talking about the beginning of her career, she said that at first she worked as a student journalist, but at the same time she was also auditioning for roles.
“I didn’t have any formal acting education and I actually learned from other actors and by working closely with them. “My first role was in the soap opera “While the World Turns”, which had been on the air for several decades, and it was great to be a part of people’s lives and in their homes ,” she said.
When asked to compare acting on stage and in film, Meg singled out that experience as a beginner on stage and that she enjoyed discovering the artistic and technical aspects of acting.
“There’s a lot of value in being unfamiliar with things. When you discover everything along the way and enter that world. You’re not able to see the big picture then, but what’s great is that you’re part of a team that’s creating something together,” said Ryan.
She also spoke about her directorial calling, which she embarked on a few years ago, and about the last film she directed and starred in with David Duchovny (What Happens Later, 2023).
“I wanted to better understand the filmmaking process itself. The idea for this film with David came about during Covid. In the film you see that magical setting, they are snowed in at the airport and they see each other after 20 years and talk about their relationship trying to figure out what went wrong. It helped me to see our limitations as artists but also as directors, with all the things that caused us problems, with all kinds of difficulties,” she explained.
She added that it was wonderful to work with David Duchovny because he is an actor who is also a writer and screenwriter and is very skilled with words, which she claims cannot be said for many actors.
At the end of the conversation, she singled out as an important thing that filmmakers are also a kind of community, they help each other, share information and experiences.
“These are also some of the biggest benefits of film festivals, and that’s why it’s great to meet your colleagues, be on the festival jury, share stories and get to know the filmmakers a little better,” said Meg Ryan after finishing one of the Masterclasses held as part of this year’s SFF- a.
Source: akta.ba
