In communism, we had it easier. I pray for world peace, says legendary actress Lenka Termerová.
The Czech Lion winner arrived on the red carpet accompanied by her husband. What does she think about contemporary cinema? Does she watch Netflix? And how does she perceive the current geopolitical situation? We discussed not only these topics before the start of the gala evening.
She comes from Hradec Králové and inherited her artistic gene from her father, who was an artist. Her mother worked as an accountant. While many of her peers in high school were unsure about what they would do in life, she had a clear vision of her future career path already in grammar school. Thus, she continued on to study at the Prague DAMU. During her studies, she guest-starred at the Prague Zdeněk Nejedlý Theater and the Drama Club.
Television Roles
She has a remarkably diverse range of theater roles behind her. In collaboration with director Jan Kačer, she performed a number of major roles in a varied repertoire at the Divadlo Petra Bezruče – such as Hamlet, The Seagull, The Brothers Karamazov, Lovers from the Kiosk, and others. However, she became famous thanks to her roles on television. She spent over 20 years in the acting ensemble of the iconic Ypsilonka.
She first appeared on camera in 1968 in the adaptation of Kundera's novel The Joke. She entered the viewers' awareness thanks to the role of the Czech teacher Nováková in the series Life at the Castle (1995). However, her true popularity came with the character of Jiřina Rubešová in the successful TV series Family Ties (2004-2006) and Very Fragile Relationships (2007-2008).
Throughout her career, she has been nominated for the Czech Lion only once. However, this nomination brought her victory in 2008. She won the statuette for Best Supporting Actress in the drama directed by Michaela Pavlátová Děti noci, where she starred alongside Jiří Mádl, Marta Issová, Igor Chmela , and Jan Dolanský.
Currently, she can be seen in a new film by Zdeněk Svěrák titled Pět švestek, which was filmed in secrecy.
Good evening, how are you today, and what are you looking forward to the most?
Thank you, I'm doing well and I'm looking forward to all the movies, especially to see if my favorites will win.
And who is your favorite?
I can't tell you that, I'll tell you afterward if they win.
You have been in the film industry for a long time. How do you perceive the development of cinematography?
Do you mean world cinematography or Czech cinematography?
Czech and world.
I think world cinema is very interesting. At least I've seen beautiful films, I've seen Milost and I felt its value. And then I was satisfied for a while.
As for Czech films, some are nice, some are not, but I think maybe fewer should be made and more thought should be put into them sometimes.
That's exactly what I wanted to ask you, because creators are sometimes criticized for making too many comedies. Shouldn't we reduce this genre and make more horror or sci-fi films?
It's hard to say, comedies are needed too. Look, Some Like It Hot is a comedy and it's lasted a hundred years and it's still wonderful. When a comedy is good, it's great. And when a horror film is good, it's also great. These are like different colors.
And what about you and modern platforms like Netflix and other streaming services? Do you watch them?
I watch them. I have to say that I do. I watch TV, but I watch those movies.
What has caught your interest there lately?
I can't remember what it's called right now. We watched something really interesting. A lot of things. I'll tell you next time.
It's said that there is a very strong young generation of actors now, like Oskar Hes, Petr Uhlík and others. What do you think about that?
I think they are exceptional. And they are great not only as actors but also as people.
Do you think today's actors have it easier with the development of platforms like Netflix, or harder due to greater competition?
I don't know. Honestly, I really don't know if they have it harder than we did. We definitely had it easier because during communism there was television with two channels, far fewer people, and there was Barrandov.
Today the scope is so vast that on one hand, there are more opportunities, and on the other, it's harder to break through. So it's hard to say.
And one last question – what do you think about the current geopolitical situation, with wars in Ukraine and the Middle East?
Don't even mention it, really don't. I pray. Recently I was talking to an artist, and I told her that I pray for world peace. I've really come to that, something we always used to laugh at.
It's sad that it only takes a few people who are not right, and they lead the whole world to terrible things. We witness it every day. It's a sadness.
Thank you so much for the interview and enjoy the evening.
Thank you too, have a nice day.
