The Polish actor starred in the new "Superman." He defeated 30,000 rivals from around the world.

PAP Life: Was it difficult to get the role in "Superman"?

Marcin Harasimowicz: It's very difficult. Around 20,000-30,000 actors from around the world audition for this role, of which about a hundred are selected for a recorded audition, then five advance to the final round, and finally one gets the part. From what I understand, very well-known Polish actors auditioned for the role, but ultimately James (James Gunn, director of "Superman" - ed.) liked what I proposed.

PAP Life: What surprised him?

MH: I was referring to a general, army chief, and advisor to the president of the fictional state of Boravia, who serves as the protagonist's antagonist. I thought that, contrary to stereotypes, my character wouldn't be a tough guy. He'd appear strong on the outside, but in his relationship with the president, he'd be submissive and fearful.

Initially, I was supposed to be in two scenes, but during filming, James decided to add me to other scenes, and I ended up in six. I'm glad they all made it into the film, because when you make such a huge production, a lot of it ends up on the cutting room floor. You never quite know what will become of your on-screen role. I thought my role would be smaller, but James literally used every second of my time, every gesture, every word.

PAP Life: James Gunn is a well-known director who directed "Guardians of the Galaxy," among others. Was this your first time working with him?

MH: Yes, and I hope it won't be the last, because he likes to cast actors he knows for his upcoming projects. James is an incredible professional. We discussed the process before we even went on set, and during filming, everything moved very quickly. James knew exactly what he wanted, and his entire crew responded immediately to what we were doing. We shot most of those scenes in one day, which was a shock, considering that in previous major films I've starred in, like "Red Notice," "Grey Man," and "Amsterdam," the process was much more spread out.

PAP Life: "Superman" premiered in the second week of July. To date, the film has been seen by approximately 41 million people worldwide. Has this had any impact on your interest? Or do you just keep doing what you're doing?

MH: Both. I have certain principles that helped me break through and start acting in Hollywood. For me, work simply comes first, and I focus on the project I'm currently involved in. Sometimes it can get a little absurd.

I missed the main premiere of "Superman" because I was on the set of an independent film shooting outside of Los Angeles that day. Two days later, I was in LA for a special screening at Warner Bros., so I met some of the film's colleagues and producers. But I wondered if missing the main premiere wasn't a mistake. So I did, oh well.

PAP Life: Before you get a role, you have to go through an audition. Do you make a lot of self-tapes?

MH: There are actually quite a few of them now, and I hope it stays that way, because it means I'm being considered for many projects. Getting cast is the hardest part. Today, I'm practically always considered for German-speaking and Slavic-speaking roles. There are maybe two or three other actors in that position, but they're two decades older than me. I speak several languages fluently and can practically act in sixteen.

Marcin Harasimowicz on his career in Hollywood

PAP Life: Many European actors believe they did not make a career in Hollywood because of the accent they could not get rid of.

MH: You have to know your place in the pecking order. If I tried to pull off an American accent, I'd waste a lot of time that I could have spent learning Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, Georgian, Slovenian, or Serbian. In "Superman" and "The Hunt" I speak Croatian, in "Gray Man" Czech, in "True Lies" Slovenian, in a few productions German, and in a few Russian. You have to find your niche, highlight your strongest, unique attributes.

PAP Life: You have only played a Pole once so far.

MH: A Polish priest in the series "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel." It's a very important role for me. Two months ago, I was at a promotional event for another production and I spoke with Amy Palladino (American screenwriter, producer - ed.) and her husband, who told me that the Polish wedding scene in "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel" was one of their favorites from the entire series.

The bride was played by an actress of Polish descent, Matilda Szydagis from Chicago, with whom I became very close. Rachel Brosnahan, who plays Lois Lane in Superman, also appeared in "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel." Although we didn't meet on set because we were in different studio locations, on the first day I spoke with James's assistant and asked, "Tell Rachel that Father Piotr showed up on set and says hello."

Marcin Harasimowicz on life in Los Angeles

PAP Life: How long have you lived in LA?

MH: 17 years old. I never wanted to leave Poland permanently, but that's just how it worked out professionally. I came to LA for a year to finish the Stella Adler acting school, then I wanted to return to Poland, but I was told I was too old to pursue a career in Poland, so I had to stay in the States. I also finished the Beverly Hills Playhouse, and then two other schools.

PAP Life: I've heard opinions that these American schools are much worse than Polish theater academies. From your perspective, did graduating from these American schools benefit you greatly?

MH: A lot. It's interesting what you're saying, because one of the things I heard from an agent in Poland, even before I started acting in major American productions, was that schooling in the States doesn't mean much because Polish schools are of a higher standard and Polish actors are better educated than American ones. Surely if that were the case, Polish actors would be starring in these Hollywood films, not American ones? In my opinion, American schools are completely different. Polish schools are more focused on theater, while American schools are focused on film and television.

Of course, many people who finish them don't make it, because the competition is simply enormous. There are a million actors here. And even if you manage to land a role one day, the fight for work doesn't really end there. I know many actors who had their moment, started to think they'd already caught God by the feet—and it all ended very quickly. There's always a whole crowd to take your place. You have to have bravado and believe in yourself, but you also have to be humble, because you're really easy to replace.

Marcin Harasimowicz on the work of a sports journalist

PAP Life: Before you became an actor in the States, you were a sports journalist in Poland. What did you miss?

MH: These reflections on what worked for me and what didn't came when I turned 30. That's when I decided to go to the States and fight for my dreams. I started over several times. When I was very young, I played in a rock band, then the band broke up, and I decided to pursue music journalism. I went to concerts, interviewed musicians, collaborated with Radio 3, and wrote reviews for the monthly "Tylko Rock."

I couldn't quite make a living from that, so I switched to sports, which had always interested me. I was earning very well, but then came a moment when the magazine I was working for closed, and I decided to change my life once again. Initially, in the States, I sent sports correspondence to the media and wrote two books about basketball ("LeBron James: Is There Only One King?" and "Los Angeles Lakers: The Golden Story of the NBA" – ed.). This helped me support myself.

PAP Life: When did you start acting in films?

MH: Actually, I was acting almost from the beginning. I made my first film two years later in the States. But, honestly, it wasn't very good. For me, stand-up comedy was my bridge to acting. One day I saw an ad looking for new stand-up talent. I'd never been on stage, but I was running out of money, so I decided to give it a try. It quickly turned out I had a talent for comedy, so I came up with my own show.

I performed at various venues, and the Wayans Brothers, brilliant American stand-up comedians who were preparing for a US tour, heard about my show. They were looking for a place to practice their new jokes, away from the main Hollywood venues, and started performing at my place. Within a few months, I went from a pizzeria to the world's largest comedy club, the Comedy Store, where all the greats performed: Jay Leno, David Letterman, Andy Kaufman, Jim Carrey. I performed at the Comedy Store from 2013 to 2017.

By the end of that job, I had every Friday night and a few Sundays booked—the best time. I invited all the biggest comedians in the US to my show, including Joe Rogan, Judd Apatow, Whitney Cummings, Bill Burr, Tom Segura, Tiffany Haddish, Bobby Lee, Theo Von, Drew Carey, Nikki Glaser, and Ian Edwards. And in the audience were Justin Bieber, Billie Eilish, Elon Musk, and many other celebrities.

PAP Life: Comedic talent is one thing. But stand-up comedy relies on lyrics, linguistic subtleties, and cultural associations. Did you speak English that well?

MH: No. I played a jerk with an accent, and people laughed at me. Stand-up is a tough one. I was good at it, but I didn't like it. When I left stand-up, everyone was shocked. To this day, famous comedians say, 'Go back to stand-up.' Maybe I will someday, but at some point, it just stopped being my thing.

PAP Life: Have you ever considered that your acting career in the United States would not work out and you would have to return to Poland?

MH: No, because I'm stubborn and have always succeeded. I've had moments of self-doubt, the worst of which was when I was at the Comedy Store. That's where I saw how many people in that environment were depressed. I don't want to go into detail, but there's a lot of drug use. In my four years at the Comedy Store, 17 people I worked with on stage committed suicide or overdosed. Among them was my very good friend, Brody Stevens. That was a huge shock to me.

A lot of people came to me with their problems, because I was also producing the show. At a certain point, it became overwhelming. But I kept putting off completely giving up stand-up. The turning point came in 2020, when the great American basketball player Kobe Bryant died in a plane crash. He was my mentor. I remember him saying that if I wanted to be successful, I had to dedicate myself 100 percent to one thing; I couldn't do four or five things at once. That's when I decided to focus on acting. I think my stand-up experience has made me very good at comedy, although I enjoy dramatic roles the most.

PAP Life: Over the past five years, you've starred in numerous well-known productions, including "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel," "Stranger Things," and "Amsterdam." What other titles have been important to you?

MH: Definitely "The Hunt," because it was my first major film. "Red Notice," because it was the first time the media in Poland started writing about my work. In "The Stairs," I had the chance to work with Colin Firth, who welcomed me very warmly on set. And "Better Call Saul" is a cult series.

In "Amsterdam," I worked with a dozen very famous actors, including Robert De Niro, who gave me this advice: "Remember two things: be on set on time and learn your lines, and you'll have a long career in Hollywood." He liked my acting. During rehearsal, I yelled at him so much in German that it even made it into the film's trailer. And I had the most fun on set with Ryan Reynolds because he was incredibly funny and joked around the whole time.

PAP Life: How do you build your acting career? Do you set any goals for yourself, or do you just wait and see what happens?

MH: I'm making specific plans. I really wanted to be in "Stranger Things," "Better Call Saul," and "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel," and I achieved all three. Then "Superman," and I achieved that, too. Now my goal is "James Bond."

PAP Life: Will we see each other in the next "Bond"?

MH: Not yet (laughs). But I'm attracting projects I care about. I'd also like to play a leading role in Poland within the next five years.

PAP Life: Do you want to prove those who said you were too old to start acting wrong?

MH: I don't have to prove anything to anyone anymore – my body of work speaks for itself, and let it stay that way. That they were wrong is beyond dispute, even if "Superman" turned out to be the last film of my career and I started herding sheep tomorrow. Although, of course, that won't happen...

Besides, Hollywood is my main place of work; I'm building my reputation here, and that's my priority. I'd like to work in Poland for personal reasons, my family is there, and because I simply love Poland. I grew up in a patriotic family. I read history books about Poland because it's my passion. It would be great if I could someday star in a period piece. However, I wouldn't work in Poland at the expense of working in Hollywood. But would I want to if the role and project prove interesting? Absolutely. For now, though, I'm trying to represent Poland well on the world's largest film stage.

PAP Life: Do you watch Polish films?

MH: I've been a jury director at the Polish Film Festival in Los Angeles for three years. It's just that only three or four films a year make it there, so I only watch the ones I have a chance to see. Recently, Paweł Chmielewski's "The Hunt," a film we've become friends with, won an award. Paweł wants to cast me in a film of his in the future.

When I was working on "Superman," during every break, Zlatko Burić (the award-winning Croatian film actor who played the general in "Superman") and I would talk about films by Wajda, Kieślowski, and Zanussi, because Zlatko is a huge fan of Polish cinema from the 1970s and 1980s. We were so engrossed that James finally got interested: "What are you all talking about?"

Interviewed by Iza Komendołowicz

Marcin Harasimowicz, aka Martin Harris, is an actor. He comes from Wrocław and played in a rock band in high school, then wrote music reviews, before turning to sports journalism. He has published articles in publications including "Przegląd Sportowy." At the age of 31, he decided to try his hand at acting and graduated from the Stella Adler Studio of Acting in Los Angeles. He has worked for BBC Sports and co-hosted the popular podcast "Soccer Comics." He has produced and hosted stand-up comedy shows in California. He currently lives in Los Angeles, where he is pursuing his acting career. He has appeared in the popular series "Stranger Things," the films "The Hunt," and "Amsterdam," among others. He was most recently seen in "Superman." He is 47 years old.