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Image of the presentation of the filming of 'Rifkin's Festival', with Sergi López, Gina Gershon, Woody Allen and Elena Anaya.
The actor from Vilanova i la Geltrú tells in first person his experience with the New York director in 'Rifkin's Festival', a film set in San Sebastián
Sergi López is an actor born in Vilanova i la Geltrú (Barcelona) who, for years,
has enjoyed enormous prestige outside of Spain
thanks to his participation in countless French films (such as
A private relationship
,
Harry, a friend who loves you
or
Potiche, women to power
), as well as Spanish productions such as
Pan's Labyrinth
,
Map of the sounds of Tokyo
,
Pa negr
e or
El Niño
.
Now, who has counted on him at
Rifkin's Festival
is
Woody Allen, in which the Catalan actor gives life to Paco
.
In this romantic comedy, Paco is a painter who has a curious relationship with Jo (Elena Anaya).
Sergi López
tells, in the first person, his experience in filming
a production that has been recorded in Spain and has as a backdrop the celebration of the famous San Sebastián Film Festival.
From left
to right, Paco (Sergi López), Jo (Elena Anaya) and Mort Rifkin (Wallace Shawn).
THE CALL
"Jaume Roures, who is the producer of the film, called me to tell me that
Woody Allen wanted to count on me because he had seen my films and liked me as an actor. At first, something like that sounds very good
(laughs). As everyone knows, In projects of this type you only work with the part of the script in which your character appears. In this case, it was the two scenes in which Paco appears, who is the one who gives life. So I never had the whole script, although I did know the synopsis. When the pages arrived, I liked reading them because,
far from seeming something small, my participation is very powerful within the story.
Paco is not just someone who appears for a moment and leaves "
Vittorio Storaro, director of photography, with Allen.
PACO, THE CHARACTER
"Paco,
the character I play at
Rifkin's Festival
, is a very particular and obsessive painter. He
has very well written dialogues that are drawn as if he were part of a vaudeville. His volcanic character makes him appear as someone out of any measure. Woody Allen, who knows well how to portray the world of creation, has included a lot of humor and irony in an artist with many shades and colors in his way of acting "
WOODY ALLEN CLOSE UP
"When you meet him you see that he is a guy who, on the surface, seems to be in a smooth and measured register. But you hear him speak and
you realize right away that intelligence is his most remarkable trait.
He is not supposed to speak much. with his actors. And that's the way it is. But if he does it that way, the best thing is to think that he has already bet on you. His confidence comes from afar, when he has chosen you as an actor in his project. In his explanations he says There is a lot of emphasis on the dynamics between the actors, to avoid individualities and that there are unnecessary silences.
When a shot is well done, the one who comes to tell you is his assistant.
And, in one of the ones we did, he told us that Allen had laughed a lot with what we had done about how well it had turned out "
FACE TO FACE ON THE FILM
"Solve all the doubts you have before the camera turns on. I was very surprised by his passion for comedy. You see him excited and it is a great pleasure.
It is wonderful when, after listening to his instructions, you see that everything turns out very Good.
That's fundamental when you're creating a scene. You as an actor can have a sense of rhythm, but a director is the one who inspires you, who gives you the right notes. And Allen is fully into what he does. "
From left
Right, Woody Allen, Wallace Shawn and Elena Anaya, on the set of the film.
THE PERSON BEFORE THE MYTH
"Woody Allen is a living icon. A guy who, if he wants to have a coffee in a bar, they have to cut the street. He has lived with it for years. Through my work I have met well-known people. But I have always known people, not what they represent as stars. With Allen it happens to me that I have seen his films and I admire him. And I understand that, if he is where he is, it is for something.
Woody Allen is the antithesis of a star. With him I have been able talk about things like dynamics in comedy, a subject that I am passionate about.
And he is a master in that field "
ALLEN IN SPANISH
"
I don't know if he knows Spanish. I understood myself with him in my English, which is not the best in the world.
And, if I didn't understand something, I would say 'Can you repeat that?'
and he clarified it for me and looked for other words for it, supported himself with gestures, with his eyes ... He is a crack with which I understood very well despite my bad English "
Sergi López was under the command of the Oscar-winning Guillermo del Toro in 'Pan's Labyrinth' (2006).
COMMENTS FROM FAMILY AND FRIENDS
"
As soon as the trailer for
Rifkin's Festival came out
, I decided to send it to my friends, my son and my mother
. The comment from most of them was" it looks very good. "It made me laugh, but it is that in those selected images already it airs a lot from Woody Allen's movies. So I hope you like it when you see it in full. "
COMPANION ELENA ANAYA
"Her role in this movie is a big deal. She had a huge job ahead of her and we were able to meet little outside the set. She is a great actress and a tireless worker who I saw at all times very close to Allen, reviewing each scene with him.
It seemed that they knew each other before ... Although, in cinema, what scores is when the camera rolls.
Nobody has the formula, but sometimes the best thing is to arrive relaxed at your scene, without having given it many turns in your head. One of the things I usually do before I start is talk to the technicians or take a walk to take away the importance of the moment and get to each scene well in order to enjoy it to the fullest. "
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