We are sharing our recent interview with actor and filmmaker Pablo Olewski.
Pro Media Mag : First off tell us about the start of your career?
Pablo Olewski : After graduating from Drama school I did anything and everything that came my way. I would fly home to Spain to be the guy inside the mascot at some big sporting event and then fly back to London to start rehearsals for a children’s play that would tour the UK. All the while trying to find an agent and audition for anything that would pay the rent. I even played the undercover waiter at hen parties for a while: I was the comedy act, before the stripper came out. It wasn’t pretty, but in hindsight it was a good learning experience. Luckily things started looking up after a while. I landed a few commercial jobs and two small roles in movies in Spain, which helped me greatly to start making connections and understanding the trade.
Pro Media Mag : Who or what inspired you to get into acting?
Pablo Olewski : I was very lucky to have Drama classes as part of the curriculum at secondary school, and I immediately fell in love with being onstage and playing Shakespeare. Encouraged by our drama teacher, I joined the Drama club,which gave me the opportunity to hang out with senior students. It was a chance to look cool in front of the rest of the school, so I wasn’t gonna let it pass. That’s how a fifteen year old’s mind operates, I guess. We would put on the yearly play, which was always a huge event, and then we would go out and party. For me, it was always about the social aspect and being part of a group, creating something together. It still is.
Pro Media Mag : You have lived and worked all over the world, what’s the best part of the world as per your experience?
Pablo Olewski : After travelling and moving so much you learn that every country and every culture has its good and bad things. Some cultures are less social and more work oriented, some are the opposite, some are neither or. It’s up to you to be strong and determined enough to create your own way of going through life, with respect for yourself and others. Mediterranean is the best food though.
Pro Media Mag : What’s the best part of being an actor?
Pablo Olewski : A few years ago my Pablo Olewski would have sounded like something out of a Paulo Coelho novel. Right now, I’d say the money and the great locations you get to visit while shooting, as long as you get a day off.
Pro Media Mag : How did you meet Lara Loher, was it a love at first sight?
Pablo Olewski : It wasn’t, actually. I saw her across the floor at a night club and walked up to her. We were both not feeling the whole clubby vibe and started chatting. It turned out we had both been working as actors for the same people in London, but at different times. I have to admit my conversation wasn’t the most interesting in the world. I was going through a rough time, and the jokes weren’t precisely flying. She was great though. We exchanged numbers and the rest is history. A few years later
she confessed she had almost given me the wrong number on purpose but then thought “well he’s alright, let’s give him a chance”.
Pro Media Mag : It must be pretty easy to go along with a partner with the same field?
Pablo Olewski : It helps greatly in many ways, but there is also a risk of being too influenced by the other’s outlook. We are independent from each other as artists now, but it has taken us a few years to figure out the right balance.
Pro Media Mag : Filmmaking is a fun or a tough job?
Pablo Olewski : Both. You have to enjoy the pain. Although I think this statement is more true for directors and the creative team behind the camera. I have directed and produced a few films myself and you really have to love the physical and psychological grind that is making a movie. As an actor, the difficulties lie within. It’s more of an intimate fight between the character and yourself, in order to align both souls. And that work is (or should be) generally done before filming starts. If you have a good director, the shoot should be mostly fun.
Pro Media Mag : Tell us about your recent and upcoming projects?
Pablo Olewski : My most recent role was Ramiro in The Cathedral of The Sea, released on Netflix earlier this year. It is a costume drama based on the homonimous bestseller by Ildefonso Falcones. It was mostly shot on location in Spanish medieval towns, so it was an amazing opportunity to visit places I didn’t even know existed in my own country. I played a stone worker from the XIV century, so we had long makeup sessions in the morning to “filthy up”. It was great to be able to forget about propriety for a while. Next year I’ll be doing some voice work in LA and filming a horror road movie after that. It’s gonna be intense, but it’s always worth it.
Pro Media Mag : What do you do in your free time?
Pablo Olewski : I try disconnect as much as I can, so I hardly watch anything or talk about filmmaking. I try go out with friends and family, have a drink and enjoy the food, the music and the people I meet.
If I’m lucky to meet someone interesting enough, I like having long conversations where we solve the world’s problems from the confiness of our Spanish terraza.
Pro Media Mag : Are you active on social media, what’s the best way to follow you online?
Pablo Olewski : I am not hugely active, but I have an Instagram account where I haven’t posted for ages: @pablo_olewski
