Renata Dancewicz: "You can't do everything in life, you can't be everything"

PAP Life: In the Netflix series "Aniela," you play Zofia, the lover of the titular Aniela's husband. Zofia is a singer who enjoyed success thirty years ago. Now she longs for that era, watching her old recordings. Do you enjoy revisiting the past? This year marks exactly thirty years since you received an award in Gdynia for your roles in three films: "Pułkownik Kwiatkowski," "Dad," and "Deborah."

Renata Dancewicz: I'm going back, it's of course natural and in a sense inevitable. I like these trips to the past, I look at it from a distance, sentimentally, with fondness, sometimes with surprise. But there's nothing that makes me miss it. I certainly wouldn't want to go back to that time, for example, to improve something.

I'm generally happy with how my life unfolded, because I believe it unfolded harmoniously, in keeping with my personality. For the most part, I didn't do anything against my will and trusted myself and my instincts more than others. Mostly, because it's one hundred percent, and that's not always possible. Of course, other people and what's happening around us are also important and have an impact. Besides, it's just speculation, an alternative history. It's a waste of time.

It's obvious that there are different periods in life, sometimes we're worse off, sometimes we're better off, and depending on that, we have different thoughts. But—touch wood—I'm at a very good point in my life and therefore I don't feel the need to make any adjustments.

PAP Life: In one of the first scenes, we see Zofia in an intimate situation with Aniela's husband. Did you have any doubts about playing this scene?

RD: If I'd hesitated, had any doubts, I wouldn't have done it. Nobody's forced to do it. In my opinion, scripts as well-written, as brilliant, as irreverent, as sweeping as "Aniela" don't come along very often. This script is a bit un-Polish, it has a lot of character, so I was very happy to be involved. Frankly, I don't care what anyone thinks of me. Of course I look different than I did thirty years ago, because I'm fifty-six now. Why should I explain something so obvious?

PAP Life: You've starred in several films with Marek Kondrat. About a dozen years ago, Kondrat retired from acting and entered the wine business. You've been appearing on "Na Wspólnej" for over twenty years, and you've also appeared in films and TV series, but these are minor roles. What role does acting play in your life?

RD: This is my job, it's what I do for a living, and sometimes I even enjoy it. It's clear that work, to some extent, significantly organizes our lives; we have to earn a living because few people can afford not to work. My job is quite unique because it's not a one-to-one thing. It's obviously very important, and I owe a lot to it, but it's not the most important thing, because life itself is the most important thing.

PAP Life: The media recently reported that Marek Kondrat is returning to acting and will star in a new film adaptation of "The Doll." Would you like to see him again in front of the camera?

RD: Of course, I'd take a cool role, even if it were with Marek Kondrat (laughs). But—I've said this before—I'm not a fanatical actress, I don't have to play every role. I don't feel like if I don't play something, I'm missing out on something important.

Renata Dancewicz on her passion for bridge

PAP Life: Bridge is important in your life. You're a member of the Polish Sports Bridge Association, holding the title of Sports Master, and you attend tournaments. I admit that bridge seems like a retro pastime to me. Why did you start playing bridge?

RD: When I was six, my grandmother taught me how to play blackjack. My family played all sorts of cards, except bridge. I became interested in bridge after reading Agatha Christie's crime novels, of which I was a fan because the game appears frequently in them. I signed up for sports bridge courses, started attending classes, and traveled to tournaments. The bridge community is very diverse, and that's what I like about it. There are a lot of young people, and Poland has had significant success in the youth and junior categories.

More and more women are playing bridge, and there are sports bridge classes that produce excellent players. There are older players, but also children whose heads barely stick out above the table. Of course, it's not a mass entertainment. But fortunately, enough people play, and thanks to that, we have our own events. The European Sports Bridge Championships were recently held in Poznań, and many medals went to Poles.

Bridge has embraced modernity; bidding is done on iPads, and there are machines that deal cards. I realize there's a retro feel to it, and maybe there's something to it. In any case, I love bridge very much.

PAP Life: Do you spend a lot of time playing and traveling to tournaments?

RD: Bridge is a statistical game, so if you want to play well, you just have to play and practice. Lately, my weekends have been busy with work, so I've been playing a little less often. Now that the holidays are starting, I'll have more time, so I'll play more often.

PAP Life: Can you make money playing bridge?

RD: There are people who make money playing bridge, but they're few and far between. Most of the other enthusiasts contribute to the sport, mainly because of the tournaments, travel, accommodations, and so on.

Renata Dancewicz about work

PAP Life: You make your living as an actress. You've starred in the series "Na Wspólnej" for over twenty years. What else is going on in your professional life?

RD: I also perform in theaters, mainly the play "ŻONa" directed by Adam Sajnuk with Piotr Polk. In September, we'll be on stage at Mała Warszawa. Come see us. We're also performing it in Poland, because things have gotten so bad since the pandemic that there's a lot of travel. I have the impression that people are hungry for comedy.

I've just done a play called "Thief" at the Komedia Theatre in Warsaw. It's so funny because I first played "Thief" directed by Janusz Majewski at Kwadrat, when the thief was Jan Kobuszewski. The second time I played it was directed by Cezary Żak, when the thief was Czarek Żak. And now Czarek Żak is also directing at Komedia, and the thief is Dorota Stalińska.

It's also interesting for me because I previously played a different role. I also did a very interesting production at the Polish Theatre in Szczecin – "Copenhagen," directed by Adam Opatowicz. It's a play by Michael Frayn from the 1980s about the moral responsibility of nuclear physicists who constructed the nuclear bomb.

PAP Life: Do you go to film castings?

RD: It depends. Sometimes I go. But it's not my favorite activity.

PAP Life: Was there a moment in your life when you thought about giving up acting?

RD: I had other ideas for life before I was accepted to acting school. But after Jan Machulski kicked me out of school, I started acting in films, then I worked at the Wałbrzych theater with Wowa Bielicki. It was probably my perversity that made me decide to prove Machulski wrong.

Later, when I became an actress, I achieved a degree of success that allowed me to support myself in this profession. Therefore, I didn't need to look for another job. However, occasionally, for various reasons, ideas would pop into my head, but nothing serious enough to completely change my professional life.

PAP Life: Speaking of change, the series "Aniela" is also about the midlife crisis that affects both men and women. At a certain point, we take stock of what we've achieved and what hasn't. Some people then decide to make radical changes. Have you experienced such a crisis?

RD: No, I feel a continuity with myself. I'm more of an advocate of evolution than revolution. Of course, sometimes people emphasize one thing more than another in their lives, have different priorities, are in love or not, or become a mother, etc. However, I haven't had an experience where I suddenly realized my life sucked or that I was living a life unlike myself and now I want to reclaim myself.

Just like in "Aniela," when her husband Jan goes to a male power circle and comes to the conclusion that he's been in love with Zofia, his first high school sweetheart, his whole life, he decides to stop living a life of facade and wants to return to what he considers to be important things. It's common knowledge that such revolutions end in various ways, usually badly or hilariously, in my opinion.

The world has long been like this, constantly bombarding us with things we can do because we're worth it, because we deserve it, etc. However, I'm a fan of Epicurus and self-fulfillment and pleasure, but with self-limitation—understanding who you are and accepting that you can't do everything in life, you can't be everything.

PAP Life: This causes a feeling of eternal unfulfillment, a constant search.

RD: And it also leads to neurosis and various other disorders. If you want to be everything, you know you won't succeed. You just have to decide. When I was twenty, I knew I wouldn't become a ballerina because it was physically impossible, even though I'd dreamed of it since childhood. I've never been tempted by golf, tennis, space travel, or scuba diving, and I don't even want to try them because at this point, I prefer to do what I want. And living a life of self-discipline, free from narcissistic fantasies or overblown ambitions, seems better, at least for me.

Because it doesn't end with some revolution where I suddenly drop everything and change, because I was living a lie and that wasn't me. I've simply been myself since birth and I live as I know how. Therefore, until now, I haven't felt the desire for such total change, and it's unlikely I ever will.

PAP Life: At the beginning of the conversation, you said you were at a very good point in your life. Does that mean everything is in its right place?

RD: No, I don't think of it as something having to be in a certain place or organized. I just feel good. I'm healthy. I have friends. I'm in love. I have a great son. It's vacation time. What more could you want? Life isn't an Excel spreadsheet where I have to do this and that, and if I don't, I'll be miserable. Life is chaos, and we simply react to what happens to us. Of course, we have plans, but we can't get attached to them. If it doesn't happen, too bad. It'll be something else.

PAP Life: Have you always thought so?

RD: I don't know, I don't do any self-analysis. I have a very good disposition; I simply prefer to be happy than unhappy. I prefer not to worry in advance. Of course, that doesn't mean that bad things haven't happened to me, or that I haven't had bad moments, problems, or even tragedies. But I also know that not everything depends on me, and I have no intention of taking on the blame and responsibility for the entire world, because that's a recipe for frustration.

PAP Life: You shouldn't get too attached to plans. But I'd like to ask you about your vacation plans?

RD: At the beginning of July, I'll be working a little more, as I'm finishing "Wspólna." And then I'll be traveling, driving around Italy, spending some time at the seaside, and spending some time in my country. I'll be playing bridge, reading, sleeping, and cracking my proverbial bubbles. Because that's what holidays are for.

Interviewed by Iza Komendołowicz

Renata Dancewicz is a film and theatre actress. She also plays bridge. She studied acting at the Łódź Film School and passed her professional acting exam externally. She won the Best Supporting Actress award for three films: "Dad," "Deborah," and "Pułkownik Kwiatkowski" at the 1995 Polish Film Festival in Gdynia. For over 20 years, she has appeared in the series "Na Wspólnej" and in private theatres. Most recently, she starred in the series "Aniela" (Netflix). She is 56 years old and the mother of 21-year-old Jerzy.