Young Montenegrin actor Omar Bajramspahić he is recognizable by his charisma, energy and charm with which he captivates the theater audience and creates excellent communication with his colleagues on stage. This is not surprising given the fact that he stepped onto the stage when he was only six years old, but also that he comes from a family that engages in theater out of love, it is concluded from his interview with "Vijesti".
There are a number of different roles in which he was noticed by fans and admirers of the theater, as well as colleagues and directors, and the repertoire of the Podgorica City Theater is now almost unimaginable without him. That his work and efforts leave a mark is also shown by the fact that he is one of the laureates of the annual award of the City Theater, which was awarded to him on December 27, the day of that theater company.
Omar Bajramspahić is an impressive actor in every piece, unconventional, charming and equally dedicated to every task, his colleague pointed out on that occasion. Ivona Čović Jaćimović, and Bajramspahić pointed out in his address that he is honored to be among the awardees.
In an interview with "Vijesti", Bajramspahić summarizes the previous year, which, in addition to the professional one, was also successful for him on a personal level, he shares his memories of the beginnings and his first role, reveals his hobbies and especially emphasizes tennis, in which he excels, and also talks about his profession , roles, the ideal of beauty, the theater and with all that, he also reveals that he plans to try himself in different roles...
You are the winner of the annual award of the City Theater Podgorica. Although you have already been recognized on the Montenegrin acting scene, considering your age, you are a young actor and on the threshold of your career, so how much does this recognition mean to you in that context?
It means a lot to me. This is proof to me that I am on the right path, that I am doing well. I think it is a reward for all of us who participate in the process of creating the play, and I thank the audience for also recognizing my work. Without her, there would be no us. Thanks to the directors of the City Theatre to Stevan Koprivica i Dusan Kovačević and my colleagues for trusting me and for recognizing something that I am. I was encouraged to keep working even harder and not to relax too much, because then it's a dangerous field. When they take away a man's right to success, they take away everything from him.
Actors often say that the biggest recognition comes from the audience, and the audience liked you easily and quickly, it works... Can you choose between official awards and recognition and applause from the audience, recognition and the like?
The theater audience also has its own role in the theater. Both the applause and some dissatisfaction are scenes, acts, acts aimed at the actor. They support our game. Official awards open up space for new experiences, give me the strength to continue learning about theater.
You adapt to any role very easily and, as explained at the award, you approach performances for children and adults with equal enthusiasm. Is there a difference depending on the project, when it comes to your approach? Some say that children are the most demanding and honest audience, and on the other hand, adults often do not hesitate to comment on many things...
There is no difference. Just as adults in the depths of their souls have remained children somewhere, so children also carry within them the germs of a very mature personality. They are somehow pure, innocent, so they absorb everything. They don't want "colorful lies", they look at the show as life. They become restless if they do not understand the actor and what is happening on the stage. They are sorry to miss the details. They want to see everything and hear everything, to feel the adventure of the imagination, a feast for the eyes and soul. That's why we work a lot on stage movement, rhythm, diction...
Among the last plays you played in: "No Portfolio", "Aladdin's Magic Lamp", "The Taming of the Shrew", "Horses Kill Ain't They", and there are also "Blue Treasure", "God of Massacre", "Milk Powder", as well as a number of other notable roles... Do you have a favorite and why? Also, it is obvious that wit, dance, music, rhythm and energy go with you. Is it sometimes drawn or, as is the case with happiness, is it shared and glorified? Do you have any hobbies that you prefer and at the same time easily incorporate into your profession?
All roles are dear to me. I couldn't single out one that is my favorite, in every role I give my best. Each one is dear to me in its own way. Among those you listed, I would also add "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest", my first professional play directed by Diego de Brea, then "Tre Sorelle", the graduation play of the 3rd year of FDU directed Zoran Rakočević because I played with my class with whom I studied for four years, Maša, Marija, Jelena, Paja i I love it, then "Bokeški D minor" directed by Milan Karadžić, "Mediterraneo" and so on.
I went to a pioneering football school, a school for basic music education, majoring in guitar. From time to time I play golf and go on off-road rides with my godfather Seja, and I like to play tennis the most. I am very grateful to that sport. I participate in tournaments and win, but I also meet quality people.
You are slowly but surely finding your way as an actor who is recognized, supported and desired by the audience, and who is easily transformed despite his impressive expression... Gradski's repertoire without your authentic performance is unimaginable, and the directors choose you. How difficult is it for a young actor to profile himself in terms of roles, but also to establish his expression and performance and, on that basis, become desirable for work and engagement? Also, do you prefer that power/ability to transform or stick to a certain character type?
I don't choose roles. The director is the author of the play and the one who assembles the actors and assigns the roles. I enter each new role from scratch, as if I had never done anything before. I'm always gaining new experience. An actor has to observe a lot and be brave. He has to perceive and identify with the character playing and with life. I love the transformations that are covered from the inside and I love the imagination that makes me shift into something completely different, into something that is sometimes not me and that's why I love this job.
Theater life in Montenegro has been (increasingly) intense lately. On the other hand, film and television production are not so advanced. How do you see opportunities and production here, what should be changed and in what way?
For the audience, film is a more mass, acceptable medium. It often depends on producers and time frames, and most often on money. It seems to me that culture is impossible where people struggle for a living and suffer from poverty. I don't remember any man asking actors at important functions: What do you need? How can we help? Instead of building scenes, we tear them down because of politics. Mosques, churches were being demolished because of politics, and here is the scene. Embarrassment and shame.
People simply became dehumanized.
The goal of many of your colleagues is to break into the foreign market, do you have such affinities and why?
In countries with a Balkan theater image, I would be happy to play, with great pleasure. I don't think about the foreign market at the moment and I don't suffer much from it. You have to know the language well if you want to make the part and be very very lucky. A man's destiny is his character.
What would you say, where in an actor's life does he become/remain a human, a separate individual, and then how does he build himself through a series of different characters he performs?
Acting is a craft, an actor is always a student until the end of the profession. With the help of representations, man shapes and changes himself.
How would you sum up the previous year both on the business and personal level? In this regard, do you have any expectations and plans for the next one?
The year 2022 was very successful for me, both on a business and personal level. I got married in August and my wife Adela is my faithful companion and someone who understands me completely, for which I am very grateful, because nowadays it is difficult to find a person whom you can trust and rely on and get support when you need it most.
Where can the audience watch you, either in the theater or on the screen? Are you working on something new?
The City Theater continues its plan with the start of work on the play "Only if it's OK" by Stefan Bošković, directed by Lidija Dedović. A black comedy that talks about all of us, about exclusivity, about selfishness and about who we really are. We are in the first stage of the process, but already at the first rehearsal we entered a mise-en-scène. A very interesting process. The premiere is on February 20.
Then we are waiting for the RUTA festival in Ljubljana with the play "Without portfolio" by Stevan Koprivica directed by Branislav Đaga Mićunović, which won awards at the sixth international festival "Days of Jurislav Korenić" in Sarajevo. The "Avazov zmaj" prize awarded by "Dnevni avaz" for the best performance at the festival and the prize for the best scenography Marko Petrović Njegoš.
Directed by "Horses Kill Don't They". Kokan Mladenović in Podgorica and Bar, "Aladdin's Magic Lamp" directed by Milan Karadžić in Podgorica, Pljevlja and Nikšić, "Three Pigs" directed Aleksandar Jovanović, "Gozocide" directed by Vide Ognjenović and so on. For our dear audience, there is a repertoire on the website of the City Theater where they can see everything.
We are expecting the premiere of the film "Alive and Healthy" according to the text and direction Ivan Marinović. A very good and high-quality story. I feel great gratitude and satisfaction that I was part of that adventure and I look forward to meeting the team.
Started as a six year old
When it comes to your beginnings, before enrolling in college, did you reconsider your decision or did you know that, no matter what, acting was your calling?
I started at the age of six, in 2001, in the play "Little Šćepan II", based on the text by Slobodan Tomović and directed by Slobodan Marunović. I played Little Šćepan, who appears as a false emperor. I remember I was in a suit and sneakers. I extend my hand, and the dukes kiss it submissively, and among the actors was my father Jusuf Jule Bajramspahić, a graduate in economics, who has been acting for 40 years and who drew me into that world. Alma's mother is a doctor of medical sciences and she is the one who first stepped on the stage, followed by his father and brothers Mensur and Smajo. I played in 18 plays in the Bjelo Polje theater before enrolling at the Academy, and also in the short film "Pusta zemlja" by Goran Bjelanović, so I knew what I wanted to do, no matter what.
"I will lose weight for the sake of health, and to change my repertoire a bit"
At the award ceremony, in your address to the audience, you said, among other things, that you will lose weight. Do you think that the "line" and good looks have become imposed as mandatory and in accordance with world trends, today, both in the media and on the catwalk, and on the street, and then also on film and in the theater? Do you feel any kind of pressure because you don't fit the mold of macho men with sculpted bodies?
When I addressed the audience and said that I was going to lose weight, I was primarily thinking about my health, and to change my repertoire a little, to see how it is. An actor does not have to be a macho man, he has to live the life of the character he is playing on stage. Acting is a physical job, it's a struggle that lasts as long as you live. Marathon.
However, with your charm, just the way you are, as Ivona Čović Jaćimović noted, you captivate... What do you think, does an actor sometimes need some particularity, perhaps an imperfection, in order to be closer to the audience? What do you think, does the audience sometimes identify with public figures and why?
The audience comes to the theater not only to understand the drama, but also to experience it in some way. He observes everything and sees everything on stage, acting, voice, eyes... It's nice when you see an actor who is silent while speaking, who "doesn't act". The problems faced by young people in the search for their own identity leads to identification with public figures.
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