How did the nickname or stage name Raego come about?
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To start with my story, at 16 I weighed 130 kilos and was never good at any sport. That means I was always looking for myself. Everyone at that age is looking for themselves, they think that they would like to excel in some way. I think it’s also an age where it’s somewhat expected. And then I went on an exchange to America and came back platonically in love with a girl named Meghan. I thought I could become a singer, for example, and I remember my dad telling me to try. And one of those names that came to mind as I ran was Raego.
Have you ever met Meghan?
Yes, we met. I think we met after about 10 years and we were both already elsewhere. It’s nice and you realize that on the one hand old love doesn’t rust, but on the other hand it was very beautiful that we became friends. So that platonic love turned into a friendship and I’m glad I had that role model and that motivation because I wanted to become a singer mainly for her to see me on the stages. And for her to, for example, change her mind and say to herself: “Okay, well, that’s the guy I’d like to be with.”
The path to self-love
Tonight on ČT2, a documentary in which you act will be shown. It’s called A body in my head and is mainly about bullying because of appearance. Did you hesitate to accept the offer, participate and confess there?
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I hesitated for the first time, because when the producer Veronika Slámová came to me with Dáša Smržová, who was filming my 13th chamber, it seemed like an absolutely crazy idea that I should undress in front of the camera. There’s a scene where I take my clothes off and show my scars, which I’ve almost never shown before. I have to admit that I thought it was a very crazy idea.
It’s fantastic in that it opens the way to understanding people who suffer from some kind of lack, because each of us – whether we look at our belly or look in the mirror – will tell us that there is something we don’t like about ourselves. This document should pave the way to self-love a little. Learn to love yourself.
We bit into the book Believe, go and you can do it. The reason why you started writing it was the 13th Chamber on Czech Television. Is the book very personal?
The book is very personal because there I talk about things like bullying, which is actually the theme of the movie A body in my head. The bullying accompanied me from the second grade to the 17th year of my life.
Breaking point
What kind was it? Because the bullying wasn’t just verbal – I read that, for example, boys stabbed you in the back with a compass.
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She is psychic first. This means that you feel somehow isolated from your surroundings. I think that bullying is evil, that it shouldn’t work at all. This film, which could perhaps be broadcast in elementary schools, could be a game-changer. It could be the so-called breaking point, which sets a limit when the bullying is too much.
When the bullying escalated to a physical level and there were racist insults and physical attacks, I decided to just ask for help. I had a great class teacher at the time, whom I salute. And he arranged order and somehow dealt with the boys, so it was great. I think everyone should ask for help in this regard.
The film The Body in My Head opens up a lot of stories of people who have decided that they want to share some of their troubles, especially with their bodies.
At the film A body in my head opens a lot of stories of people who have decided that they want to share some of their suffering, especially with their body and that they don’t like it. Only a small percentage of people match the physical beauty that we see in various shows, reality shows and the like, and the discussion between us should be about accepting ourselves more as people, because technology is somehow distancing us.
We need to seek solace in technology and tell ourselves that the mobile phone, when I turn it on in the morning and see some motivational quote, makes me feel good, but it will never replace the human support and human friendship that should be there. And I hope this documentary changes that.
After all, you are also trying to do that with that book Believe, go and you can do it. The second part has already been released. So is this a sequel?
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Yes, the second part has already been released. The big problem nowadays is that criticism, various clickbaits have been monetized… They say that passion is the fuel of social media, and it’s awfully easy to write a comment under someone’s photo and offend someone. But we have to realize that there is an awful lot of work behind that person’s story and that each of us is undergoing a transformation or a journey and the like. We should judge each other less and understand each other more.
How did Raego get the role in the Danish series DNA? What a movie he had A body in my head response at the festival in Karlovy Vary? And how many people have “Believe, Go and You Can” tattooed on their body? Listen to the full interview!
