“Before the performance, I need half an hour to caress the stage,” says actor Jānis Paukštello. He is said to have been lucky with Raini in the theater and could play Jázep even now. About providence in life and the power of prayer and why you feel like a stranger in movies, a conversation with Jānis Paukštello At the crossroads of an era.
Christmas is also a time of faith, forgiveness and prayer. “And only prayer is the strongest of us” – that’s what Imants Ziedonis once wrote, and this poem of his has been preserved in the voice library of Latvian Radio in the voice of actor Jānis Paukštello. Jānis Paukštello himself has also spoken a lot about prayer and forgiveness, but as his lifelong hero Jázeps says: “Neither time nor fate erases pain”.
Masculine strength and depth, also fragility and spiritual subtlety, and most importantly, humanity. This is how people have described Jānis Paukštello at different times. Arvīds Lasmanis from the movie “My friend – a serious person”, Jāzeps from the show “Jāzeps and his brothers”, or Raimonds Paula’s performance of “Cielavinų”. These are the first works that come to mind when thinking about Jānis Paukštello. A lot has been done. By entering the actor’s name in the Latvian Radio sound library search engine, you can find around 700 different archive items. Jānis Paukštello responded to the call for a conversation at Christmas.
For 30 years, it has been a tradition in many families to watch the film “Christmas jampadracis” directed by Varas Braslas on TV, where Jānis Paukštello is the head of the Cīrulīši family, Valdemārs. Or do you watch your movies?
Jānis Paukštello: With me, there is a very strange attitude when looking at myself in films directly. I think it is some other person. Do not know why. In Streich’s “The Unserious Man”, one episode had to be re-filmed, he said: Jāni, come and see what hasn’t been done. I looked and then said – don’t show me more, I believe you, tell me what to do. It’s quite strange to look at myself on the screen and listen to myself when I sing. I must have seen every movie maybe once. I accept, but I don’t look.
And in my family, I have not particularly taken care of the fact that their father is a special person,
I have always brought up such an attitude that my father is the same person as the others, only he has a profession that is in front of everyone’s eyes. It imposes a lot of responsibilities and complicates life a bit, because you are always in front of a magnifying glass, and anyone can look at you. Someone can look at you and you don’t know what he thinks about you.
All that complex is inside of me and I have a great respect for the stage, different feelings overwhelm me when I go on stage, especially when I’m in the center. I’m not pretending, that’s what it is, that special place. It is not like an altar in a church, but bigger, more significant. A place that confuses me a little, always has.
This Valdemārs in “Christmas jampadracī” is harsh by nature, but during the holidays he softens, smiling and singing by the Christmas tree. What about Jānis Paukštello?
Jānis Paukštello: Well, yes, on Christmas I am Catholic, I go to church and pray every rite and every evening. Well, the Christmas tree, elementary Christmas carols, and pies, peas, which my children don’t quite like, but they also have to eat a couple of spoonfuls. It’s the best moment. I’m a little sad at Midsummer, at Christmas, if there’s still snow, then everything changes in me.
What is John sad about?
Jānis Paukštello: Because the day is getting shorter, and all the lushness of the grass and the lushness of nature has matured, nature is ready to give the next continuation in autumn. Then I don’t know why I’m a little sad.
Jānis Paukštello has once again returned to the stage of the Daile Theater with the play “Cūsku vārmi”, created together with Kārli Arnoldus Avota.
Jānis Paukštello: The truth is that I have not returned, I am back at the theater. I have never been to any other theater. Maybe I have looked at Anna Eižvertiņa, what it is like when there are no resources, nothing, and then you go there and see that your theater is simply a gift given by god to the actor.
How did it feel to be back in the theater again?
Jānis Paukštello: Juris Žagars offered me to participate in the Daile canon.
I could, of course, do what I do, go to my concerts in Latvia, make something new and also sing. But then I realized that I will have no other option but this one when I can do what I want.
And my good angel – my friend Juris Vaivods, with whom I have a very good relationship, in terms of work, he helped me so much with singing and with his musical presence in everything else, and he helped me. We also had others – Poruk, who, however, matches my soul so well, and then at one point we decided on “Words of Snakes”. Because it was a proven option back in the mid-80s. Ziedonis told me. He created such a cycle “Mans Rainis” in the hall. And he said: “Jani, I want you to speak for 25 minutes without any directors”. We had worked with him on “Master and Servant”, on “Poem about milk” and on “Tik and so”. I rarely talk about it – I have a very good relationship with Ziedonis, we have talked about the world, he has presented his worldview to me and this has only benefited my work in the theater and everything I do.
In the program, a fragment from Jázep’s monologue is played and Jānis Paukštello repeats them word for word.
Jānis Paukštello: If I were given two weeks, I could play Joseph in peace. That’s why there are “Snake Words”.
(..)
What were the thoughts, emotions in the first performance, walking again to the audience in the theater?
Jānis Paukštello: It is beyond the mind. First, the audience was very close. It is not that I had finished my career as an actor. I sing and I can tell you how it goes – I also say something serious. But that so close… and so many familiar people were watching…
In fact, if there is something serious, I don’t let anyone in half an hour before, I love that stage. Like Paul [Raimonds], when he goes before every concert he loves that piano, he loves that stage. He goes to every concert at least 40 minutes before. Me too, I don’t let anyone in, I don’t let anyone in “Jäsepa”, now I also go to caress that small stage, sit alone, look at those empty seats.
Yes, I pray before every show from the days of “Joseph” and after it is mandatory. Because everyone prays before, and when it’s over, they forget. But if something did not work out for you, you must tell Providence that you had the opportunity to do such a thing.
It was a strange reunion with the audience. Extremely strange. The first show was a bit nervous, but the second one already left when it was possible to open, without any stress. It’s not stress anymore, the internal tremolo, about which Pavul said – if you don’t have it inside, then you’re not an actor.
I can’t tell you how it is after seven years so close and with a serious program. That you know it’s a big piece and it’s such a big intensity – to talk like that and for so long. But I was sure that everything would be settled by the dialogue between Joseph, Potivar and Jacob. And Karl is just fantastic.
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2023-12-23 23:07:45
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