Česky
You are one of the most famous Czech actors. Do you watch films as a hobby or do you prefer to relax after filming in other ways?I love cinema and films. Especially the ones that help me or even make me nervous. I'm 64 years old now, I live in some kind of conviction and I still want to ask myself - isn't it all different?
That's why I like American dramatic cinema, like Clint Eastwood's films. I rank Gran Torino almost highest because it's the story of an old guy who has it all figured out at the beginning. But in the course of the film, he changes his mind. I also like Eastwood's personal story. He started out as a tough guy in westerns, but he did a 180 and now he makes films about not betraying yourself, about love, about important things. His characters often have to make a crucial decision, whether to keep quiet in a situation, even though they will regret it for the rest of their lives, or whether to find the courage to say "enough".
Have you ever had to make a similar decision?
For example, we had a girl in our pub. Nice, but quiet and not very bright. And over time, almost logically, she became the laughing stock of her generally more popular and feisty colleagues and must have felt unhappy. And to this day I am ashamed that I didn't do something about it, come into the kitchen and say to the others, "Why are you doing this? Are you feeling better? Is she working badly, is she bad? Try to imagine yourself in her place."
But the second story is more positive, where I found the courage. A group of dads in camouflage came to the garden with their children. Obviously they were heading out for a hike, but instead they started pouring beer into each other, talking in a very macho way, occasionally foul-mouthed. And the kids sat by, puzzled, sipping their coffees, and the beautiful day passed. When it had gone on too long, I took a breath, headed over to them and, surprisingly firmly, told them they wouldn't get another beer, to pay and go, because I - once a Boy Scout - didn't want to watch this and wouldn't. Yeah, Hanak, a little Czech Eastwood.
Now let's get to your health. How did you get to the hospital in Beroun, and what do you think of it?
Of course, it didn't escape me when discussions started about taking the hospital into private hands. I expected that people would even take to the streets and demonstrate all over the river with slogans that we will not let our country be stolen and our beautiful hospital stolen. Which, by the way, was in absolutely terrible condition, but "ours".
So I wonder what it looks like now that the ownership has changed. It's an absolutely fundamental change. You can't see a bit of chipped tile there, everything is continually repaired and maintained, which shows that there must be a proper steward who takes good care of the property. I'll need the planned Mental Rehabilitation Center soon myself. For me, as someone who played on the main tanks of the Red Army as a child, it is complete science fiction to go into a Siemens MRI where they project the sky over my head. By the way, I have a brand new knee and the two-week rehab at RNB was just sensational. I know the Beroun and Hořovice hospitals quite well already - and any time in the future I will go there calm and without fear. I also look forward to seeing the flag of beloved Greece flying in front of the main building.
What are your plans for the future, for example, are you planning to write a book?
I used to write columns for Lidové noviny for two years, which were published in book form, and I'm still writing for the Cellar, and now I'm writing for Roman Holý of Monkey Bussiness. I definitely enjoy writing, it's a nice escape, but there is no plan for another book yet.
With the pub I discovered a completely new field of activity - the rescue of an ancient building (a wagon from 1948, ed.). It's also creative, albeit in a different field than I was used to. I have managed to do more things in my life than I could ever have dreamed of. I'm actually overstaying my welcome and everything I do now is actually bonuses. That's where my good mood comes from.
