Fast confession - Denisa Pfauserová: My biological clock is ticking like crazy!
She's beautiful, smart, and definitely doesn't lack optimism. Even though society mostly views her as the spoiled princess Markétka from the fairytale Řachanda, the acting opportunities she'd gotten so far have been very varied and diverse. Denisa Pfauserová, who has recently celebrated her 30th birthday, has both feet planted firmly on the ground and knows what she wants in life. We talked not only about what's coming up next for her, but also about her view on the current casting of actresses and her relationship with critics and tabloids.
Denča, how have you enjoyed the holidays?
With all my heart! (laugh) I went to the sea in Provence with my parents, it was really nice there. By the way my boyfriend is from Liberec, so I spent most of the time there.
Is he a famous actor of some sort?
No, not at all. He's a mechanical engineer. We've been together for almost a year and it's great!
How does that work out? An actress and a mechanical engineer...
When I tell my friends that I'm dating an engineer, their usual responses are: "Wow, that's great!" They respond this way because they realize that it's nice to have somebody close from a "different world". Both of us learn about the other's profession, it's great!
Of course, for him it's attractive to have an actress at home. And he's very interested in my work. I, on the other hand, am glad to have a logically thinking man at home, who stands with his feet firmly on the ground and doesn't concern himself with emotional states, but can bring me back down to earth. (laugh) I really fell in love with Liberec thanks to him, the nature surrounding it is beautiful, I've come to really like it there.
So you keep moving back and forth between Prague and Liberec?
Yes, but for now it's fine this way. We look forward to seeing each other and carefully plan our time together in advance.
Aside from sharing time, are you planning for sharing a future?
Definitely. Every time I got into a relationship with somebody it was that way. We don't have a wedding date yet, that's up in the stars for now, but we'd like to walk to the altar together.
So you see him as the father of your child?
Well, you know, from a certain age you look at every man this way. (laugh) You can't just think about whether the boy has lovely eyes, but what's going through your head is also what kind of dad he's going to be.
So you do hear the ticking of your biological clock?
Uh-huh, they're ticking like crazy! It's been about five years already.
Wow, so that's already been a while... Moreover, you've recently celebrated your 30th birthday, so that's when the desire for motherhood hits a woman really hard, isn't it?
Yes, I think that a woman sees the 30th birthday as a bit of a milestone. Me and my friend have agreed that's it's actually this first realization of one's own mortality, in a way. Up to that point, a person lives like they're supposed to be here forever, doesn't concern themselves with stuff. But suddenly the 30th birthday comes, everything hits you and you are rearranging your priorities. But right now I'm shooting a series, so for at least one more year I cannot get pregnant. (laugh) I have to say that I've also calmed down a lot and came to terms with myself. In the best sense of it, of course.
If you compared yourself to yourself from five years ago, how'd you come out of it?
I've definitely made a rather big leap, but it requires continuous work on one's self. Learning to love yourself in a way, and so on... I actually have the advantage that I do not look thirty. When I try to audition for the role of a mom, everybody laughs at me because I could not play that. Recently I was even carded at a store when I was buying cigarettes. So it's not that bad yet. (laughs) So I can't exactly play moms, but I also can't really play teen girls. I'm in this unattributable age.
You used to mostly appear in series and movies playing crazy girls. Does society view you the same way?
I'd say that people see me as Princess Řachanda. That hits me from all directions everywhere I go. And I tell everyone: "Her name wasn't Řachanda, but Markétka." But still, I'm just Řachanda for everybody. I can't do anything about that.
Just recently my boyfriend and I went to a small winery in Moravia and there was a group of some girls alongside us. At first when we were all still sober they were shy and kept looking at me. One gathered her courage and asked me if I was an actress. I said yes, thinking that'd be the end of our talk. Two hours later when the girls had gotten a little drank, the whole winery echoed with "Řachandaaaaa!" And suddenly you feel like somebody's property.
People who don't know you are suddenly all buddy-buddy with you because they know you from TV. (laugh) Naturally I don't really mind it, I laugh at it, but they could choose something else to yell at me. I don't really like the name "Řachanda" itself.
How do you view criticism and tabloids?
I'm not afraid of communicating with tabloids. But when they write something about me and it's a lie, I'm not afraid to laugh at it. I don't concern myself with it, I don't read it, I don't treat it as gospel. My mother keeps up with what's going on on the internet for me - when something is written about me or my friends, she sends it to me so that I can stay informed. But I don't bother with it.
Does it ever make you mad that movies and series keep casting the same actors?
It doesn't, I get it. If I was a director, I'd cast my friends too. And if I liked working with them, I'd cast them again. It used to be that way, Menšík, Kopecký or Jirásková were appearing everywhere. Now it's the same.
My agent tells me that us young actors should "raise" young upcoming directors. Meet them, make friends... But I don't do that and many of my acquaintances don't either. (laugh)
When you're after a role, are you willing to throw people under the bus? How about the rumors that actresses got certain roles through the bedroom?
That doesn't happen at all in my opinion. I don't know if it works like that in our country, maybe they're some Hollywood rumors. Personally I've never encountered such an inappropriate offer.
But I don't really push through at auditions either. I do attend them often, but I don't get cast. I've only ever won one audition in my life, for Jiřího Mádl's movie Na střeše. When I went there I was already telling myself, "I've got this, me and Jirka are friends, he'll give me the role for sure." But when I actually got to the audition, I only found Jirka's friends sitting there, so it took away my confidence completely. (laugh) But it worked out in the end, and I told myself that Jiří may have broken my streak of failures.
How do you spend time on days when you aren't shooting or acting?
I've learned to just enjoy the free time. A few years ago free time would make me sad, I'd cry into my pillow when I wasn't supposed to be anywhere in the morning and didn't have my schedule filled to bursting. Now it's different, though.
I know how to use the time for myself, because the less of it I've got, the more I enjoy it. So I may go for a run. Or yoga, which I love. I think that there's a sound mind in a sound body, so if I keep my physical form in good shape, it simply can't happen that I'd suffer from depression.
I'm also happy that I can meet with friends and spend time with them. Sure, sometimes I have days that I spend in bed watching series. But I'm not angry with myself for it - when my body needs rest, I rest.
You have your own vlogging channel on YouTube, "Denisa má kanál". Have you thought about becoming a career YouTuber?
Yes, I have. I can even imagine doing it for a living. I don't understand why it still hasn't caught on, I think it's good and amusing. (laugh) No, of course, when somebody gets into something like that, they have to devote themselves to it fully, commit to it. I wanted to try it as a different avenue, because I'm really shy in real life. For example, when I'm supposed to call somebody I don't know, or run an errand, my shyness overwhelms and paralyzes me completely. Acting for me is like an escape from this fear, because I'm in the role, it's not me - like, Denisa.
On YouTube a person is their own self, not a character. I actually became a script writer, director, costume designer and everything, so it was a great experience for me. But I've started to be more active on Instagram now, I enjoy that too.
What's coming up next for you? You've mentioned being in the middle of shooting a series...
Yes, it's the series Krčín about the House of Rosenberg. My role in it is really interesting, my character is called Eva of Rosenberg and I move through life with her. At one point I even play a 40-years-old lady. It's a challenge for me in a way, but you could say that about every character. (laugh) By the way, in theater, you can see me at Na Jezerce. And aside from Kalich, Vinohrady and then Many at ABC.
Denča, thank you for the interview, it was really nice!
Fast confession:
What did you want to be as a child?
What's your dream role?
Which Hollywood actor or actress would you love to work with one day?
The biggest lie you've ever told yourself?
What do you enjoy most about life?
Who comes first for you?
What can make you mad?
What would you never do for success?
How do you prefer to relax?
If you could change one thing about the world, what would it be?
What sets you aside from others at an audition?
What's your life's motto?
Who's your role model?
What are you addicted to? Yoga, family, friends and chewing gum.
What it's like, when an actress interviews an actress?
Inspiring.
