Almost everyone here knows the legendary film Vesničko má středisková. In the same way, most people remember his main character, the mentally retarded Otík with “horse” teeth and headphones, who likes to eat rolls and doesn’t say much. The popular Hungarian actor János Bán portrayed the driver Ota Rákosník in a unique way in the cult film. How is he doing today and what does he do?
As a child, he did not want to be an actor
Popular actor János Bán was born on October 4, 1955 in Ráb (Győr). As a child, he liked sports and was more interested in technical subjects. At first, there was no indication that he would embark on an artistic career. He first graduated from a high school of chemical engineering, where he was a member of the basketball team. But then there was a fundamental change in his study preferences, because he decided to study at the Academy of Dramatic Arts in Budapest. After graduating, he played in several Hungarian theaters between 1975 and 1983. His film debut was the psychological drama Every Wednesday (1979), in which he played the role of a lonely young man from a broken family who is searching for his way in life.
Like almost every person, János Bán also experienced a difficult period in his life. It came at a time when he had two young children and withdrew all his savings to provide for them. In addition, he was dealing with serious personal problems. It got so far that he ended up completely penniless on the street and at one point lived as a homeless person for several months. Fortunately, he managed to bounce back from the bottom and stand on his own two feet again.
The role of Father changed his life
The actor’s exceptional talent was noticed by the famous director Jiří Menzel when János performed in Prague and played the role of a country simpleton. Menzel had known János since 1979, when they met during the filming of the film Every Wednesday, and he also remembered him from some plays. When Menzel was looking for a representative of the weak-minded Otík for his new film Vesničko má středisková (1985), he decided to approach János. As it turned out, it was a great choice. It seemed that the role of Otík was “tailor-made” for the actor. The audience fell in love with this peculiar character in his performance and the quotes from one of the most popular Czechoslovak film comedies became popular.
János approached Otík very responsibly from the very beginning, he even visited and observed mentally disabled children in order to imitate their facial expressions and speech as faithfully as possible. But that wasn’t all. He thought that Otík would look more authentic if he had an overbite and big teeth, so he had a special prosthesis made for this purpose. The author of the script, Zdeněk Svěrák, and Jiří Menzel were not at all enthusiastic about it at first, but in the end they gave him the “horse’s” teeth. The actors not only added “beauty”, but also helped him hide his Hungarian accent, which was to the benefit of the cause, although Otík didn’t say much in the film. After filming, János Bán kept the prosthesis as a souvenir.
The film was nominated for an Oscar in the foreign language film category in 1987. This was a huge success, which the actor was pleasantly surprised by. In the same year, János Bán won the best actor award at the Paris Film Festival. And so, thanks to Otík, he became a famous and sought-after actor. Other job offers just kept pouring in, and that’s basically how it is to this day. As János himself admitted, the character of Otík changed his life forever and helped him to a successful career.
The artistic life of János Bán is very varied. Since 1983, he has been permanently engaged in the theater in Budapest, but he has never shied away from other proposals for collaboration. So far, he has portrayed a large number of diverse characters in the theater and in film and has repeatedly proven that he is a great actor who is not afraid of any challenge. He also received several important awards for his acting performances. He is one of the most popular and sought-after artists in Hungary, but he also managed to “break through” in Hollywood. He played a police officer in the 1988 film Red Heat with Arnold Schwarzenegger.
And how is “Otík” today?
Currently, he still performs in the theater and has also become a teacher. At the university, he passes on his experience to future actors and actresses. Among other things, he teaches pantomime here. In addition to work matters, he tries to use every free moment to pursue his hobbies and spend time in the countryside near Balaton, where he has a house. His four children (three sons and one daughter), with whom he has a very good relationship, sometimes come to see him there. He even acted in a play with his son Bálint Bán, who is also an actor.
I spend most of my time in my village house by Lake Balaton. I would go crazy in Budapest. I only go there for the show. I have hobbies that are useful. I grow vegetables, fruit, burn brandy, make wine. My children always ask: Dad, are you preparing for war? They mock me. But a few weeks ago, I told them: Look around, what’s going on and they didn’t laugh anymore.
János Bán in an interview for aplausin.cz
To this day, he fondly remembers the filming of the famous comedy Vesničko má středisková, as well as all those who participated in its creation. He is only sorry that many of them are no longer with us…
Questionnaire
Do you like the movie Village has a center?
A total of 476 readers voted.
2024-01-20 06:43:17
#Otík #závozník #Vesničko #má #středisková #representative #János #Bán #lived #time #homeless #person #List #Medium
