Isn’t this a typical American story, like one from Wild Wild West?
Who knows what would have happen if I was somewhere across the ocean. Where my story would be ending… There, it is only important to start and here, till they destroy you with the school physically and psychically, they don’ let you go. I’m totally nuts. Even now I don’t know what was the exact title of my major subject in school which I attended in Bosanska Krupa… major in culture, no, education- culture- translation … there you go, what the geniuses have come up with. No wonder the professors consider us as stupid generation. How can we be smart after all those stupidities that they’ve come up with? I just want to pass this entry exam at the Film Academy and then I’ll blow them all off…
As an actor, aren’t you a bit embarrassed to be seen here, at the market, selling stuff?!
In one way, maybe it is embarrassing, but when I think about it, I don’t give a fu.. I don’t know what to do anyway. When I think everything through, nothing went in a normal way for me. Until the fourth grade in the primary school, I was the best pupil and then I became the worse. I did not come to this world spontaneously, although father says that he hoped for mothers’ another miscarriage. I didn’t get my part in the movie by chance, although they said so afterwards.
Can you explain this a bit more to us?
I came in the film crew in the middle of shooting the movie “When father was away for business”. While my father had a beer outside the bar “Dalmacija”, you know, that old bar near the market, a guy approached us and said that his name was Ciro Mandic. He spoke and walked in such a clumsy manner, so my father thought that he is screwing around when he said that they would like to take me for the movie. Vlatko, my father, said: “Ok, but only if he is going to play Marlon Brando and Mara, the cook, Marilyn Monroe…” Of course, later on he realized that they are not joking. As a matter of fact, he realized that Kusturica is a great man and that he will lead me to my dreams. He left me at his disposal
So, Emir Kusturica really helped you?
It was more than that. And not just to us but to everybody. However, I think that our town still doesn’t know who they’ve got. I may be stupid, as my professors say but I’m not dumb not to realize some things. We had the assassination attempt on Franz Ferdinand, Olympic Games and Kusturica, I said to my teacher and he gave me a huge E. What a primitive man, he wears “Nike”, fake jeans from Istanbul and he thinks that he represents the advanced intelligence. And the theatre…? He didn’t even see it painted on the greeting card. Kusturica is a walking legend…
You seem a bit upset?
I’m not upset, but I heard that they are arguing again about this new movie “The time of the Gypsies”. I was really happy to hear that he stated somewhere that from all of the actors I was the only one with guaranteed part in this movie.
Why are you defending him so much?
Not at all, but he is not just a great director but also a great man, pal from the street…
In your second movie, “The Magpie Strategy”, you were taken in the crew without second thoughts?
Yes, because the director of this movie, Zlatko Lavanic was Kusturica’s assistant, he was familiarized with my skills and he gave me a part of Pepi Lakovic’s grandson, Buda junior. During the 90 percent of the movie I’m mute, so I had to attend classes of a sign language, you know, those gesticulations that deaf people do. Pepi Lakovic, Nada Djurevska and Zlatko, of course, helped me a lot, while the rest of the crew was exclusively into themselves, but it seemed to me, they were also a bit insane. Branko Cvejic-Cveja and Radmila Zivkovic in particular.
You attend the school on irregular basis, you earn your pocket money working at the market. What about salary?
I gave everything to my old man. The money is on his bank account. The only thing I got was pneumonia until he decided to buy me this warm jacket.
What happens if you don’t pass the entry exam at the Film Academy?
I will repeat the exam until Boro Stjepanovic retires. I have completed the basic Music School, although my father thinks that one big guy like me has to have some higher education. And there will always be work at the market… I’ll manage somehow! I’m just waiting for Kusta to start and then I’ll say: Bye you suckers, Davor will do his way again!