Quick Confession - Tomáš Ujfaluši: In a new role of an actor together with daughter on one stage
We interviewed former football player Tomáš Ujfaluši, whom no one would call anything other than Ujfi, two years ago. We talked about women, money, and his daughter. Over the past two years, the Prague's Seladon has changed a few things. One of them is striking. Not that he found a new partner, even if though he was refusing the relationship at first, but that he moved from the playground where he made a great career to theater boards. There he assists his daughter.
What's new in your life in the past two years, since we have last seen each other?
I still have less and less hair, so that's why I grow my beard. Otherwise, I have not moved anywhere, spending many hours traveling. My daughter is growing in front of my eyes, so you have to be a little more attentive, she will be fifteen in six months.
Two years ago, I told you it was time to get a shotgun...
I still have time, I think she's in such a good phase, and puberty doesn't affect her much. She has become a Slávia fan (Prague football team) and she likes the football-player Masopust. She is a permanent member on the stands. And if she's not going there with her friend, I'm going with her.
How do you take it?
I'm fine. I'm a football fan, Slavia plays great football. Of course I support Olomouc, I spent about three months in Sparta, so for me it is definitely ahead of the Slavia team, but Slavia represents us well in Europe, so it is a pleasure to look at it.
Is anyone kidding about it? Friends, former teammates…
No. I accompany her there, there are a lot of people who ask me what I'm doing there, so I always explain to everyone that I'm just an escort to my daughter who's a Slávia fan. It was worse when Sparta played derby with Slavia, and Kačenka came there in a Slavic jersey. I said that "you better keep it under your jacket so that there is no trouble".
Now we are at the Karlín Music Theater. Why?
We are here because they are planning another show (of the musical) Fever. I had the chance… Or the girls talked me into it in some way and created a tiny roll in this show for me. I played it once and it was nice, I tried it with them and then we played it on stage.
But you're not an actor…
Footballers are actors, that's always being said. Plus the twenty-second shot I was there… It was great, especially to see the backstage, how it all works there, the hustle and bustle there. It's amazing that there are a lot of performers, so there's really chaos.
Sunday night fever, what should I imagine?
It would be best if you came to see it. Basically, it is simply an attempt to rescue a theater where, in the meantime, I think there are fifty-eight performers appearing. Everyone sings something different, everyone is embodied in a different musical and singer personality. There are lots of songs and lots of great singers, I'm the only one who doesn't sing.
What are you doing there, dancing?
I don't dance. I'm playing a dad who suddenly appears on stage with my daughter. It is, of course, also associated with football.
So do you dabble in your daughter's craft?
I don't. Rather, as I said before, I keep an eye on her. Even when singing, I jump in there and I have to put everything in order there.
Isn't she upset? Or is she glad she has her daddy there?
I think she's glad. Like this, she obviously won't tell me, you have to ask her.
Because you told me two years ago that you don't care what she does, especially if it makes her happy. In the two years time she made some progress. Doesn't it start to scare you? Because it's really difficult with artists.
This is one of the few musicals where she performs. She started with Ferda, then got to Shrek, but for some reason it didn't work out, it always ended up somehow prematurely. Maybe it was a signal that she didn't belong in the musical and could only devote herself to singing or acting that she enjoyed.
She started to dance, she dances in a group that also got to the Czech Republic Championship, where I think they ended up to be on the fourth or third place. She does a lot, she is in an age when she still thinks about it, but I think she would like to devote her time more in singing, dancing and acting.
So, will she go to the conservatory?
That is a question. She wants to go to the conservatory, but we'll see. It's hard to get there. And then in the end, a lot of people who graduated from the conservatory have no jobs. She likes a lot of other things she could do in the future as a job, it really depends on her. She's fourteen and a half, so she's in the thinking phase now.
Last time you talked about business and about having a little hotel in Italy. Does it still work?
I still have a little hotel there. It is associated with wine and olive oil. I go there regularly, now I've been back there again for a few days. Just to relax and check it out… Of course I also go to football when I go there, for example go for a football match at Fiorentino, where I spent four years. Now I plan to go to Istanbul, where I also want to watch football. I will meet with two more guys who have stayed there since I left, my friend from Brazil, who was also playing there, will join us. I also go to football matches in Spain.
Traveling is very much connected with football because my brother has a son who is a goalie, he is ten years old, he is a big fan of sport in general, so we travel with him. We went to see Arsenal, I was looking for match tickets Atlétiko-Juventus, we plan to go to see Manchester with Kačenka in January because she is of course interested in football at the moment since she became a Slávia fan. She would like to see Paris Saint-Germain, but I don't know anybody there, so we'll see.
Are you happy? Having a common hobby like this, you can discuss it together…
Certainly. Well, discuss it, she obviously has different point of view on it. She would like Masopust to keep playing all the time and score goals, then him playing in both Slávia and the national team. It's good, we can finally go somewhere together, because my brother is also a former football player and has a son that is a football player, I am a former football player, Kačka enjoys football, so we can combine it together with a trip and watch football.
Do people still recognize you in cities and places where you played?
They recognize, for sure. Since the moment I have started with social media and keep update them, people know what I look like. Mostly when I go somewhere, I get some news via Twitter that I'm going to visit a game and so on, so people recognize me. You can disguise it, when you wear a hat and glasses, so it's better.
Last time you told me your dream is to make a trip around the world. Are you already working on it?
No, definitely not. I certainly think I will do it but I think it will be when Kačka grows up and has her own life. So that I could travel in peace and spend months travelling.
What about Christmas, are you looking forward? Do you like it?
Let me just say it frankly that I don't like Christmas much. It's a stress, a chase for gifts. This year I started shopping for the first time in my life really soon, so I guess I will be calm that week before Christmas, but I don't like it.
Of course I like the atmosphere, I like being with my family at Christmas for the second year in a row now and then I go to see my baby-girl. I like that kind of ease, movies, especially the old ones that I like to watch. Here in Rýmařov we play ice hockey with boys on open ice, so I'm looking forward to it.
Last time you said it was hard to keep your weight when you're no longer a top athlete. Aren't you afraid of gaining weight?
No, I'm not afraid of it. I exercise a lot and do not eat sweets. I just enjoy carp and potato salad, that's basically all. If I add two pounds, then I'll drop it in a week.
What about love? It's no secret that you found a partner.
I would not like to comment on this, I do not want to disclose privacy of this type. I am well in this area, I am satisfied.
Do you still play golf?
Yes, I do.
What is your golf handicap?
15.6, I guess.
That's quite good, isn't it?
It's good, but it should be better. But I don't like to train.
What do you wish for next year, what is your goal, wish?
I never had it that way. I think the most we can wish for is the health of our parents and grandmothers, especially if they still can spend some time with us. Nothing else. I hope my baby-girl will be healthy and happy and she will choose a good school.
