Fast confession - Simona Krainová: I won't go with the times, my kids won't be staring at tablet screens
Even those who do not keep up with the Czech show business probably know Simona Krainová's name or face. Sometimes she's giving you a sultry look from a billboard, sometimes she's smiling at readers from the front page of famous magazines, sometimes she delights the viewers' eyes on television. "Síma" has become a household name and a good brand over her years-long career in the Czech republic and abroad. Thousands of men and women follow her on social media. She made it. She went from a model to a successful businesswoman, but also the mother of two beautiful boys. In the interview she opened up not only about her work that she has more than enough of. In one month she's released not only a calendar filled with flawless photos, but also a day planner, in which she answers her admirers' questions. She speaks nicely about her family, but isn't afraid to talk openly about the negatives that come with fame.
You're all over the place, you've been working on a calendar and a day planner. And I must ask you - why? When you could just put your feet up already...
I enjoy it. I did try just putting my feet up, but I realized that work is a part of my being and that I feel unfulfilled without it. There are so many people who ask me for advice, wondering how I'm doing it on social media. I told myself to just put it all together in one book in the form of a day planner and finally have the answer for everyone. I like working, I'll never be the traditional housewife.
Isn't it also mostly about money?
It's not about money. It's nice to have the option, to have the money without having to work. It's a great luxury and I'm grateful for it. Nothing's forcing me to do this for money, I do it for myself. I enjoy doing it for the people and for myself, and if I am able to make money from it on top of that, it's great. I've worked all my life, so I have some money saved up, but it's not about that. I simply enjoy work, so I intend to continue doing it and facing new challenges.
What about family, are you able to balance it?
Of course, sometimes it's difficult and balancing all work commitments isn't easy. But Karel is very supportive and our nanny Magda always helps out, since neither of our parents live in Prague.
Because I do the job that I do, many people don't see that sometimes I'm home for up to a week. I exercise in the morning, and when I have no meetups or photoshoots during the day, I pick my kids up from school early and we spend time together, we play or do homework. Sometimes I only see them off to school in the morning and don't even manage to put them in bed in the evening because of work, so I make it up to them on days when I have more free time. A big advantage of my work is being my own boss and being able to adjust my schedule to align with my kids' activities, it is my own decision when I'm going to work and when I'll take a day off. That's what I like best about it, being my own boss, and I'm really glad it's that way. Right now I'm preparing to go to Miami for two weeks and I didn't need to ask any boss whether I can. We wanted to travel and go somewhere warm, so we're just going.
The boys must know that they have one of the most beautiful moms in the Czech Republic. Does it ever happen to them that the others ask them at school whether mom's picking them up?
(laugh) It does. Maxie isn't into it at all, I think fame is going to bother him. People notice him and it makes him sad, that's why I don't take him to formal events at all. He's an introvert and very sensitive, it's not exciting for him. Quite the opposite, as much as I used to enjoy it, he doesn't like it. But he absolutely can properly tell his girlfriends who his mommy is. When I then come to pick him up from school, the girls are just gawking. He has a whole harem of girls thanks to that. "Mommy, everyone keeps telling me that you're really famous and rich, is that true?" So I tell him: "No, Maxie, mommy works on TV and that makes her more visible. But she isn't any richer."
Our little Bruno is the biggest boss, he can utilize his mother's potential to the max, I think we have stuff to look forward to. (laugh)
I try to keep my kids away from all this, it's not even a thing at our house that they'd have an online presence, surf the internet or have an Instagram account. They're only allowed to use the tablet on Saturday for two hours and that's it. We play games at home, play together, read books. They're off social media and I'll try to keep it that way for as long as possible. I'm glad that the kids are unaffected by it, it's like they're from a different world. Somebody comes visit us and they play with them, pull out their toys, Lego and the kids are just staring, asking whether they have any games on the computer.
I won't be going with the times and the world of tablets, I don't like it when a family's out having dinner and the kids are just staring at their tablet screens, not communicating at all. My kids don't play on the computer, don't have Instagram accounts and don't upload their selfies anywhere, and I am adamant about this, that's why I keep them away from events and all activities that could influence them negatively.
Maxie was in an ad already, though, for juice...
For Kubík. We're actually doing a photoshoot for another ad tomorrow. But that means a photographer comes and takes pictures of them as they play. I explain everything to them, what it's about. I don't force them to do anything and they can always say "no" and I'll respect it. They have their own minds now and I let them decide whether they want to do the campaign or not.
You posed for a beautiful calendar, now you have the day planner too...
It's a bit of a sister project to Masterpiece. We said that we'd make another product because Masterpiece is doing really well on the market, it's got its place on it already. So we made a deal with Vivantis, who sells Masterpiece online, for them to make a day planner, and I'd like to say I'm very grateful to them. The planner contains advice, how I eat, exercise, what cosmetics I use, make-up and dress-up tips. Simply whatever works well for me. I don't spend several hours a day on it and it's summarized inside a classic dated daily planner.
I reached out to nutritionists, personal trainers and people from the fashion industry to give women advice on how to quickly get in shape without having to spend a lot of time on it. I speak to women who are working just as I am, who have children, problems and don't have the time to spend hours at the gym. I tell them what works for me, I'm no expert. These are things people keep asking me about, so I put them in one "book". The contents are very brief, it's a planner titled 366 Days by Simona.
I feel like not many people use paper planners these days.
The paper and the book itself are beautiful things. I've always carried planners around, it's nice when you can flip through it, the paper smells nice. I don't like that everyone scrolls through their virtual planners on their phones, paper is much more alluring to me, much more personal. When somebody told me that fashion magazines would be pushed off the market and and that everything would be replaced by online things, I almost cried, I love flipping through magazines...
In the near future we will be able to see you on the TV series Ordinace v růžové zahradě...
I'll play the lawyer Daniela Stárková there, who will be making things difficult for Pavel Řezníček's character. I represent a klient of his and we have an affair. And I'll mess it up a little in the plot for other characters...
You're still interested in acting?
Yes, I'm interested in it and quite into it.
Have you ever seen an episode of Ordinace?
I don't really have time to watch any series, but I knew of Ordinace and I know that it's popular and has established its place firmly among TV series. I wanted to try filming a series with prominent TV actors, it's a different system of work, it's very fast and you are learning your lines overnight. It was a big challenge and an experience and I'm curious about the result myself.
What does Karel think about that? A lovestory with the handsome Řezníček...
If Karel were to be jealous of every single job of mine, the poor man would just go crazy. He knows who he lives with. And that it is a part of my job and I approach it purely professionally. Karel knows what I'm like, we trust each other, so it doesn't bother him.
How does he view the photos?
He's really proud. He took the most revealing picture and asked me whether he can post it on Instagram, that he'd like to show off how pretty I am. It's nice that he doesn't feel resentment or anything. I probably wouldn't be able to be with such a man. He tells me that I am an otherworldly being, that he knows that he has to share me with the whole country.
Do men ever hit on you even after all the years with Karel and two beautiful kids? Are they still so shameless?
Really shameless. I'd like to show you my Instagram one day and the pics they send me. If I published those, it'd likely be more famous than my calendar. They take pics of themselves naked, I even have interesting erotic offers among the romantic ones. I love forwarding it all to Karel, it amuses him too. I don't reply to anyone, I don't respond to it. It's just a part of what you do. I have many different kinds of fans.
Are you happy? Is there still room for being even happier?
I think people should be humble and happy with what they have, not tell themselves that it could be even better. I'm a perfectionist and keep setting new goals for myself. It's what I enjoy doing. I have the tendency to keep overcoming my limits. So sure, as far as work stuff is concerned, I'd really love to film one good feature film where I could play the role that I deserve.
Which one would that be?
The role of a woman who's been through life and can show something more than just a nicely shaped butt. It's this dream of mine, to play a more complex character, where the personality is the most important, not the looks. If that doesn't happen, that's fine too, because I have two healthy kids, a family and a lovely husband. And that means the most to me, I have actually been living my dream for ten years now and I'm really grateful for it.
Are you afraid of growing old?
I am, terribly. It's not just about looks, but about one's mental faculties too. It makes me really anxious and depressed, the older I am, the worse it is. I get anxious when I see people leaving this world. This year was terrible, many people died and I see it in old people, that old age isn't easy. It's not romantic, nothing one should be looking forward to.
I see it in my dad, who always tells me, "Síma, it's terrible, you have a healthy, working brain, but your body is failing you." So of course I'm afraid, who isn't? All of us are scared, especially of death and all these things, it's unimaginable. The older one gets, the more they concern themselves with it, I think. We're careless at the age of twenty, not so much at forty.
