Celebrity Interview - Elsa Pataky - Comments

Elsa Pataky

Poster: Amparo De La Gama 18/04/2007

Elsa Pataky belongs to a generation of women appearing in TV series who found a path to successful film careers by working their way through castings. She has grace and beauty, speaks Rumanian and has a strong desire to be the best actress in her profession. The "golden guerrilla girl" can currently be seen in the second part of Manual de Amore (Love Manual), a film which confronts different love stories in an extreme sense. Adrien Brody has also lately been ever-present by her side, escorting her to cities where the film is being premiered.

They say happiness comes in fleeting moments but right now you are living it 100 per cent...
"Yes, I think I'm going through a very good moment. But happiness is measured just by that, very precise moments, and you always have to be very aware not to lose them."

Is Adrien Brody also responsible for this happiness?
(She laughs) "Of course he is - the time I spend with people I love. Other moments have to do with my work, when - for example - I'm given a role I like a lot."

Do you not think happiness has a lot to do with innocence? Do you consider yourself naïve?
"Yes, but always knowing what I want and where I aim to go. I'm like that in a way because I've had many let-downs, but even so I'm still very open. I usually give myself to people, and sometimes think maybe I shouldn't. But anyway..."

Do you have a manual for love?
"No, I don't. I don't believe there is one and I don't believe there should be a love guide. You should just be natural and be yourself, which is how you win a man's heart."

Who did the chasing, you or Adrien?
"I chased Adrien."

What is the best thing about Adrien?
"The best thing about him is his heart, he's lovely."

Is he jealous?
"No, because he knows I don't use any manual, as I said before."

You studied journalism. What would you ask Adrien?
(She laughs) "I haven't really thought about it as I've never followed that career. I'm very happy with what I'm doing. I studied journalism because my father thought being an actress had no future. My maternal grandfather was an actor; and my mother was acquainted with the theatre world and gave more support in this matter."

You boast about having done everything in life by now...
"I've done all kind of things, to pay for my studies, etc. I've been a waitress and a stewardess, I've handed out flyers and I've worked as a shop assistant in a cake shop. I've always been a bit fanciful and rebellious, and since I was young I wanted to be independent, have my own money to buy my own things and pay for my theatre lessons. At 15 years old, I tricked the owners of a cake shop into believing I was legally old enough to work and they gave me the job. Then my father found out and came to the shop and made me leave with him. He was very angry because I had lied to him. It was horrible."

What advice would you give a green-eyed blonde girl who would like to be an actress?
"To fight all the way. I've been offered roles, and had others taken away, due to my image. They tend to offer me more superficial roles. We're in Spain, where it's strange to see a blonde woman with green eyes. That can be a handicap, as in theory I'm not the classical type of Mediterranean woman. It's unfair, because what actors like most is to change their image. If you want to change the colour of my eyes or make me brunette, well let's go for it. But there aren't many directors who make an effort to transform their actors."

You studied in a school run by nuns. Did this have anything to do with your rebel tendencies?
"People who study in religious schools are the ones who later renounce religion. We also had secular teachers, but the truth is I've never really liked nuns. I'm really not religious at all."

But you are very spiritual. Do you have faith?
"In myself, mainly. The most important thing in life is to have faith in yourself and know that you can achieve everything you want. It's a trick which never fails."

Your love for acting comes from your grandfather, a great theatre actor back in his country...
"It's true. He was the one who inspired me to enter this profession. He enjoyed it like nobody. When I was small he used to show me his album with all the photos of his theatrical company in Rumania, and played with me performing the roles which appeared in the photos. I used to think: I haven't got a clue what he does but I'd love to be like him. Dress up in costumes, and through that transformation discover things about yourself that you didn't know, or different ways to see the world that you hadn't taken into account."

What did you think the first time they called you in Spain to play the role of a teenager in a well-known TV series?
"Each time I receive good news, I always think, 'I can't believe it.' In this case, I was just about to throw in the towel, and I took it as a reward for constantly fighting for my future, from one casting to another, always ending up on the shortlist. I came to think I wasn't good at this. I'm not boasting but each step I've taken I've worked hard for it. I've never had it easy; nobody has given me anything. As I don't like giving up, I accepted the offer to take part in that casting. There were five really tough tests. I wasn't very hopeful, and then suddenly I got it."

They say you get old when you lose hope. Are you a very hopeful person?
"The truth is I am, so when I receive a blow it's much harder. That's why I try to protect myself more each time. I suffered a lot when I was young and I tend to turn my back on suffering when I see it coming. I had a very difficult childhood. I'm a very cold person, very rational; I'm ruled more by my mind than my heart. But I'm very stubborn, and I fight until I achieve what I want."

And to that end you are open to any kind of strategy? I've been told, for example, that you are a little superstitious...
"I'm not one of those people who won't walk under a ladder. The only thing I do is put a different sock on each foot every time I go to a casting. One day I did it and the result was great. The next time I put on a matching pair and it turned out horrible, so I adopted it as a habit. But it's more of a habit than a superstition.

A Star is Born - The Real Elsa

Elsa was born on 18 July 1976 in Madrid.
Her mother (Cristina) is of Hungarian and Romanian descent and her father (José Francisco), Spanish.
She studied journalism at university and enrolled in acting classes during her free time.
Elsa has appeared in more than 10 Spanish films, and recently had a supporting role in Snakes on a Plane alongside Samuel L. Jackson.
She has appeared on the cover of Glamour, GQ, Woman, Marie Claire, In Style and Telva.
She can speak Spanish, French, English and Romanian fluently.
She enjoys roller-blading, horse-riding and snowboarding.

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