He played in Glob Theater and Royal Court Theatre, touched by many dreamed Hollywood, and his favorite house is near Drina, in vicinity of his birthplace of Loznica. Actor Dragan Micanovic, interpreter of classics – played Sophocles’ Creon, and with his interpretation of Shakespeare and Moliere really confirms the issue of mutual love … The actor and writers found themselves under the stage lights. In the whirlwind of Shakespeare and Moliere game, which, as he said, is not “an easy privilege at all”, he still dreams about King Lear …
We are with Micanovic besides the scene of the Yugoslav Drama Theater. The title of the champion of this institution resulted by playing Hamlet, Romeo, Portie, Theobald, Trigorin, Alcest, Don Juan … His acting is the magic that wraps everything around him, and he simply explains: “You have to find the truth for your character, create it for audience. If audience recognizes a lie and can’t be associated with a figure, all magic falls into the water. ” Micanovic does not neglect the film and belongs to a group of those engaged intellectuals who always have the patience to speak of a tense social reality. They always say something new.
photo: JDP
Is the work on classics, and your roles in the Yugoslav Drama Theater are mainly these, far the most striking challenge if it is issue of contemporary reading?
– Classics were my interest since my student days. I was fortunate enough to start career with Shakespeare, Moliere, and I keep track of it all the time. I enjoy working on classics, because all those pieces correspond to contemporary times. They are simply written for all the ages. When puzzles set, something that was written a few centuries ago, in some sentences so much resembles the up-to-date events, then I’m lucky enough to be involved in it.
Regarding the Moliere’s Fake Patient, did the audience recognize its contemporary actuality? How do you experience the main hero’s illness?
I think so yes, for sure. Especially because some of the Molier’s words are so actual to the audience now-days, so they express plenty of laughter. We wanted to develop several levels of his illness, what is he unfortunately sick of and why he asks for the help and doctor’s advice. One level is Patients hypochondria, that was somehow the least interesting to me. Much more interesting to me was the motive of the doctor’s call, for which the Patient longs for so much, in order to marry his daughter for that title, for the title that is very actual. As we know, now-days, in Serbia, various farms are sold in order to get PhD degree (cheating-no work) … so it’s a story, at least. Not to mention the politicians who prefer to buy these titles. Then, a special level of the story that has really intrigued me so much, and this is the mental structure of the person who imagined the illness. That bothered me the most. He was so obsessed with it, so self-centered, so selfish, indifferent, are the characteristic s of a modern, cruel contemporary capitalist.
photo: JDP
Film Alongside of me has been the second wave of popularity after broadcasting on television. That is truly socially engaged story. You had a small but important role. How close is the fate/ personality/misunderstanding of the artist you have played?
It’s a very small part, but it’s very nice because I like Steven Filipovic very much. I’ve already played in his previous movie Haircut. I like to talk and work with him. But just when we made that movie, when we shot the scene related to the artist who provokes with his paintings, I think that at that moment, the exhibition of young painters in Novi Sad was prohibited. It is so bizarre to prohibit the exhibition of young people in the 21st century, that was so unreal to me, and, again that is the current story we are talking about. It is unbelievable how Stevan Filipovic’s film corresponds to the little role I had in this movie.
On the other hand, how do you experience younger generations, more precisely the environment in which the young generations grow up?
Younger generations are always in every society a new hope for achieving better results than the previous generations. Hope to learn about on mistakes and not to repeat them. I have two girls, one currently completes high school, becoming let’s say, politically grown up and got the first call to vote and, that is already a generation I believe in. In fact, I want them to believe that it will be better for them in this country. The only thing I can do is to hope, but all the indicators, the real parameters around me tell me I should not be optimistic, but I have to, because I would like them to live in better country. It only remains to me to I hope.
You’ve been filming abroad, working with foreign directors and actors. What do you see as a key difference in relation to work, say, compared to this environment?
That is the question of organization. The only huge difference between work on domestic and foreign series is the organization. Preparations in production, before shooting, recording itself and postproduction are somehow on much higher the level, and all the rest for us actors is the same – defend the character, play as best as possible and evoke the character that is yours. In organizing, marketing is the main difference because they have much greater production than we do. It all comes down to the money, unfortunately. Everything is very precise and accurate, and the watch has to be respected, and this is always a bit flexible here with us.
We leave Dragan Micanovic in the ambiance he has been playing for decades – the Yugoslav Drama Theater. One of the capital projects that subject to its creation, which is of general importance for the culture of this country, is the series of Nemanjici – a sure cause of our next meeting.
autor: Anica Vasić