Golden Globe nominated actress Joanna Pacula (“Gorky Park”) chatted with #Powerjournalist Markos Papadatos about her illustrious career in the entertainment industry.
Helen Keller once said: “The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched — they must be felt with the heart.” A person who embodies this wise quote is Joanna Pacula.
Background on Joanna Pacula
Pacula started as an actress and model in her native Poland, after studying acting at the Polish National Theater School in Warsaw. She started in the late ‘70s, and she appeared in numerous Polish films, TV movies and series.
When martial law was declared in Poland in December of 1981, Pacula happened to be in Paris and soon moved to the United States to work as a model first, and then as an actress.
Her first major role in Hollywood was in the classic film “Gorky Park” in 1983. She was featured in the lead role in the Holocaust-based TV movie “Escape from Sobibor” in 1987.
Pacula has acted in over 90 films and TV productions in the United States and across the globe.
Daily motivations as an actress
On her daily inspirations as an actress, Pacula said, “I am not inspired by anything specific. I’ve wanted to do this ever since I was a little girl. I was performing and doing all kinds of different creative things. There was never a question that this is what I wanted to do!”
‘Gorky Park’
On getting cast in her iconic role as Irina Asanova in “Gorky Park,” Pacula said, “That was a great surprise! I wasn’t really thinking about a career back then, but I did a screen test, and it went great because they picked me for the role.”
Golden Globe nomination
For her transcendent acting performance as the mysterious Soviet dissident, she garnered critical acclaim and a coveted 1984 Golden Globe nomination for “Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture.”
This murder-mystery and spy thriller was set in Moscow and she starred alongside William Hurt and Lee Marvin.
“I liked my character because she spoke the truth about what was going on during those days in Eastern Europe,” she said. “I was glad that this brave story was told.”
“When I got the Golden Globe nomination for that role, I had no idea what that meant,” she admitted. “It just was unexpected and a pleasant surprise. Everything back in those days was totally unexpected.”
Future plans
Regarding her future plans, Pacula shared, “Just like everybody else, I am try to make each day better than the previous one. I don’t make plans because life is going to tell you what to do.”
Pacula on her early work with Vogue
Pacula recalled her early modeling work with Vogue Magazine. “When you’re a young person, taking pictures is sort of fun,” she admitted. “I just had a good time, and I didn’t know if it was going to amount to anything. Regardless, it was a great deal of fun.”
Advice for young and aspiring actors and models
For young and emerging actors and models, she said, “I had that conversation with somebody not too long ago. You cannot really tell anybody what to do because there is no one way to do it.”
“There are a million ways, and sometimes, people get into this industry by accident or by luck,” she observed. “You need the basic things… you must have an agent and a couple of credits under your belt so they can promote you in some ways.”
“These days, it is a totally different world, and a whole different business. There are no audition, you have to do self-tapes,” she noted.
The digital age
Speaking of the digital age, Pacula noted that she has a strong disdain towards it. “I refuse to be a part of it,” she said. “I don’t do self-tapes, I don’t do Zooms, and I don’t do any of those things; I simply don’t believe in that.”
“Auditions need to be done in person,” she underscored. “You have to to meet the other person. If you want to play a character, you’ve got to hear that person, you’ve got to see how they move and sound. You can’t do that via a self-tape. Sometimes, people can cheat with self-tapes.”
Stage of her life
On the title of the current chapter of her life, she said with a sweet laugh, “I have not put a title on it yet.”
“The world is a bit strange right now to make plans. Eventually, I would live to go back to Europe and just retire there completely,” she foreshadowed.
Pacula on her favorite roles or the projects that stand out to her the most
When asked which roles or projects stand out to her the most, she responded, “I have had wonderful memories from pretty much every project I have ever worked on.”
“I have had the good fortune to work with some really nice and beautiful people, so I’ve had a lot of great memories from every project I have ever done even though every project is different where I’ve worked with different groups of people and I’ve had different experiences,” she elaborated.
Career-defining moments
On her career-defining moments, she shared, “Well, in the beginning of my career, my passport was stolen in New York. I was a tourist and I had put my purse on the back of a chair; when I got up, it was not there, and it was stolen in New York. So, to be honest, that decided for me, to stay in the United States.”
Favorite mottos to live by
She is a fan of the following Shakespearean motto from “Hamlet”: “To thine own self be true,” which means to act in accordance with your own core values, beliefs, and true nature. It is a call to live authentically, prioritize personal integrity, and avoid compromising your principles to please others or fit in.
“I believe in just being honest about things,” she said. “I loved Shakespearean plays. I used to be on stage.”
Key to longevity in the entertainment business
Regarding the key to longevity in the entertainment business, she said, “You need to be a person that people can rely on, so reliability is a huge factor. When you take a job, you show up, and you do the job.”
“You need to come prepared; you need to memorize your lines and know your craft. That’s important because your reputation is key,” she acknowledged.
“If you are professional in your work, if you come prepared, and if you give an honest performance, then people will want to hire you and work with you again, especially since a lot of actors come unprepared,” she explained.
Success
On her definition of the word success, she remarked, “There were so many moments that were wonderful working in this business. It is impossible to narrow it down to one thing. It has been a great business.”
“When you are working, when you travel, you meet people, you learn so many things, and you get to visit other countries and how people live and work in those places. That has been such a pleasure,” she elaborated.
“So, success, to me, is a collection of many wonderful moments along the way in my journey,” she added.
Message for her fans and supporters
For her dedicated fans and supporters, Pacula expressed, “Oh my goodness. I love and appreciate my fans so much! I get at least three letters from them a day. I hear from my fans who are from all over the world.”
“Their fan letters are so beautiful and I save them all,” she admitted. “The fans are so nice, and I really enjoy signing autographs for them sending them back to them via the mail. Very few actresses do that these days.”
“For whatever reason, many actors don’t sign anymore,” she said. “I just think it’s a wonderful thing, especially to have letters from fans from different countries.”
Particularly impressive about her fans is that they are multi-generational. “I did a lot of smaller films, and they play those films all over the globe. I love it when I hear from people that they enjoy my work,” she elaborated.
“Sometimes, you are lucky and you get the opportunity to be in a great movie, and people enjoy your work, and that’s wonderful,” she said.
“Also, I am getting a lot of letters to sign photos for different charities, so that they can auction them off, and that is great, especially when it comes to raising money for a good cause, and this way, the younger generation of fans gets to know my name. It is just wonderful that we can do that,” she concluded.
