Interview / Kasia Smutniak: "I still don't know what I'll do when I grow up!"

“Kasia is a real tomboy! But he is also a sincere and honest person, transparent ”. Thus Ferzan Ozpetek talks about Kasia Smutniak, protagonist of his latest film “Fasten your seat belts”. The Polish actress, now a naturalized Italian, is experiencing a particularly happy moment in her life. Not only has she returned to the cinema, but she is also pregnant (which was discovered at the Sanremo Festival, where she was invited as a "presenter ").
Already the mother of Sophie (9 years old, born from her love story with the late Pietro Taricone), she will now make her new partner, the producer Domenico Procacci, a father. But, despite her eyes sparkling with happiness, Kasia prefers not to talk (at least explicitly) about the happy event. On the other hand, you know, she has always been a very reserved woman. This, however, has not prevented her from chatting with us, also revealing something of her future ...

Let's start with Elena, the protagonist of “Fasten your seat belts”. Does it look like you in anything?
She is a strong woman, who follows her instincts and is not afraid to make decisions, even instantly. She is stronger than those around her, despite everything, she is animated by a real survival instinct. I must say that he fascinated me right away and yes, he is similar to me in some things, but not in many others.

How did you deal with the most delicate moment for your character, that of the illness?
Mine was not a "technical" preparation, I staked everything on emotions, even drawing on my wealth of experiences. I had some time to reflect on what my character's mood must have been.

Did the nude scenes make you a little embarrassed?
I have to say no. More than anything else it was hard for my body to endure the various weight changes required by the script. I came from the TV series “In Treatment” and I was pretty thin, so I had to gain 15 kg in no time: I guarantee you it wasn't easy at all! But I must say that playing Elena was a real gift for me: it is one of those roles that you are waiting for and that does not necessarily happen. Now I can say that I feel truly fulfilled.

So you don't have other “dreams in the drawer”, from a professional point of view?
Look, I can tell you that the shooting of Ferzan's film ended last August and I haven't done anything since then, I'm still at home thinking about what I want to do.

In Italy there is still talk of "pink quotas", "equal opportunities" and so on. What do you think about it?
I see a lot of women who make a thousand sacrifices to reconcile work and private life, there are mothers who do 12 hours of work without even receiving even a "thank you". In this I consider myself privileged, because I can also say no to a film. In any case, I think it is absurd, even today, to find ourselves talking about emancipation. Unfortunately, I must see that we women are turning back, also through our fault. We are losing the freedom that we have gained in years of social battles by ourselves, putting on the stress of always being perfect, young and beautiful. For example, I do not intend to live this stress forever and therefore, sooner or later, I will stop being an actress.

And what would you like to do?
I don't know, I still have to decide what to do when I grow up!

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by Laura Frigerio