Serija „Robin Hud“ snimana je na brojnim lokacijama širom Srbije, u živopisnim srpskim krajolicima i prirodnim lepotama
The series “Robin Hood” was filmed in numerous locations locations throughout Serbia, in picturesque Serbian landscapes and natural beauty
SEAN BEAN, ACTOR Serbia enchanted me Belgrade has that kind of energy that means it can’t be compared with any other city. Your hospitality is genuine and I felt at home during the shooting of Robin Hood in Serbia
tually emotional: finding a balance be- tween the brutality of the system and the humaneness of the man represent- ing it. That required finetuning from scene to scene. The Serbian crew helped me a lot in that, as they were incredibly committed and ready to experiment. I think we ultimately created the kind of Sheriff that audiences have never seen before: powerful yet fragile, dangerous yet deeply human. Your career has led you all over the world. To what extent is acting actually a way of life that requires constant travel and adaptation? - Travel is an unavoidable part of the job. Those travels are sometimes ex- hausting and sometimes beautiful, and usually both. But they shape a man and you learn how to be flexible, to find your way in a culture that’s new to you, to re- spect the customs of others. The no- madic nature of the job felt romantic to me when I was younger, but now - with age - I’m more selective of the pro- jects I choose, as I want to work where I feel inspired and safe. Serbia was one of those rare destinations where I imme- diately felt like it was the right place for this story. Do your experiences differ when it comes to travel for work and leisure? - Absolutely! When you travel private- ly, you allow yourself to move at a slow- er pace, to wander and talk with peo- ple. When you’re on a set, everything is done according to a plan and the dy- namics of the shoot. But it often occurs that a city remains in your heart precise- ly because of work. When you look back, what motivates you today when it comes to taking on a project? - The search for a good story. After so many years in the business, you realise that special effects, production size and brand popularity all fade. And all that remains are the characters and what you have to say through them. That’s why the Sheriff of Nottingham was a chal- lenge for me: he has within him dark- ness, pain and irony. I like characters that aren’t simple.
I t might seem to you that everything about Sherwood Forest’s legendary hero has already been said and that a new Robin Hood isn’t neces- sary, but that isn’t the case, of course, as this story is always interesting. And that’s especially so if you consid- er that the brilliant Sean Bean plays the villainous Sheriff of Nottingham, which starts airing soon on the Ep- ic Drama channel! This star of Game of Thrones, The Lord of the Rings and numerous other classic films spent most of the shoot in Serbia, where he created a completely original charac- ter out of this traditional English vil- lain, who he insists is far more com- plex than he seems... Speaking for Elevate, he also told us about his experiences of the Ser- bian mentality, food and the actors with whom he worked, but also about his life as an actor who travels the world... How did you respond to receiving the offer to portray the Sheriff of Nottingham in the new version of Robin Hood? - I was honestly very excited, because Robin Hood is part of British cultural heritage, representing something that you watch in all possible versions dur- ing childhood. The idea of playing the sheriff, a character who’s mostly been portrayed only as a villain, seemed to me to be a challenge that I couldn’t miss out on. He’s not a caricature in this version; he isn’t just a power- ful man with evil intentions. He’s a man with history, traumas, contradic- tions. What attracted me was that the writers didn’t shy away from giving him depth. This role compelled me to think, and for me that’s always a sign that I should accept a role.
The series was shot in Serbia. What impressions did our country have on you? - Serbia totally enchanted me. And I’m not saying that for the sake of form. I really enjoyed every day. The nature is incredibly diverse and the people are warm, direct and honest. I shoot outside of the UK a lot, but I’ve rarely felt as wel- come as I did in Belgrade. Your hospi- tality is the real thing. At the cafés they view you as a friend and not as a celebri- ty. That’s refreshing. How does the new Robin Hood series differ from all previous versions of this legend? - This is Robin Hood for our times. The story is more mature, darker and more emotionally precise. There are no exclu- sively good and bad characters. The peo- ple are complex, ambivalent, and have their own reasons. I think that’s precise- ly what audiences want today: realistic characters in a historical setting. This se- ries has action, of course, but the em- phasis is on relationships, the psycholo- gy of power, and how power influences a person. That was the most interesting aspect to me. What was the biggest challenge for you? - The biggest challenge was for me to provide the character with the layer- ing he deserves. The Sheriff of Notting- ham is often reduced to the archetype of a tyrant, but it was important for me to show why he became the kind of man he is. All power has a price, every deci- sion leaves its mark, and I wanted the audience to feel that inner tension. The physical part of filming also wasn’t in- significant: costumes, battle scenes, work in the field, location changes etc. That all requires a lot of energy and pa- tience. But the biggest challenge was ac-
Interview » Intervju | 27
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