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I was
born in Bucharest, in the morning of the 27th of January.
I am, therefore, an Aquarius, and according to the Chinese zodiac I
am … a good sign!
The picture
on the right shows me wearing the hairdo that I hate the most but
that I had to bravely bear because it was my mother’s favourite!
She called it “headphones” and I hated it because it made my ears
hot, I couldn’t hear right and, due to the fact that my hair was
thick and my neck too thin, after a while the scruff of my neck hurt
because of the “headphones’” weight.
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I was sent
to ballet classes at around 5 or 6. I was enthusiastic in the
beginning, but because I was anemic and couldn’t bear the rather
tough schedule, I gave up the ballerina career rather shortly.
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Actually, I didn’t want to become an actress either.
I wanted to be
a flight attendant. I collected postcards and while watching them I
imagined how nice it would have been if I had been there.
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I don’t
think I would recognize any of my kindergarten colleagues if I met
them in the street, and that is why I salute all of them that may
visit this site and recognize themselves in this picture! And
especially Filip, together with whom I formed a very cute couple. As
we were the smallest in the group, we were always left behind
everybody, we held hands and stumbled one over the other while I
would keep calling him “Falip” and he would keep calling me
“Beanca”.
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I got along
well with almost all my classmates in school. I wish I could see them
all again, but until such a meeting would be organized, I am happy
with this photo. I accidentally meet some of them once in a while. I
affectionately salute the rest of them.
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I learned
to
play guitar in school and in high school I was always on the stage,
at the quarter-end shows. I used to listen to Mircea Baniciu’s
record on and on (I was very much in love with him!) until I could
decipher the chords and learned the lyrics of the songs. After that I
played them at high school shows.
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I liked folk music and I also sang
the songs of Mircea Vintila, Stefan Hrusca and the songs of the
Cenaclul Flacara. I have always regretted not having taken piano
lessons and not having taken music seriously.
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As
the
high school’s profile was economics, girls were predominant. Until
the 11th grade there were only three boys in our class
(there was even a fight for one of them at some point between two
girls) and after that only one was left. The high school years were
the best for me and I will always be pleased to remember my
classmates, my teachers and even the high school uniform and the
individual number that I hated at that time.
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I owe
my brother Marian the access to the fashion world. He was an evening
student and worked as a model. I was in the 12th grade
when, going to see him in a show, I was noticed by one of the CONFEX
designers. She saw me, she liked me and she took me! The first show I
participated in was in Sibiu, as a part of one of the largest events
in the field, and CAER countries took part.
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I was the youngest there
with absolutely no experience whatsoever, and this is why I will
never forget the well-known Costel, who had taken me under his
protective wing and who, later on, took care of my hair for years.
A lot of
fashion shows followed, and the first designers for whom I worked
were Radu Visan and Irina David.
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My mother
guided me towards the movie world. Her parents did not let her become
an actress and so she wanted to fulfill this dream through me. I was
14 when I first auditioned. I don’t remember what it was all about,
but I was noticed and encouraged to follow that path.
One of the
auditions that I remember was for the movie Kira Kiralina and the
only thing I remember is that these photos were made somewhere near
the Radio House.
The
audition
which ended in my obtaining my first contract with a movie house was
that after which, instead of playing in a movie, as I initially
understood from the ad in the newspaper (found, of course, by my
mother) I ended up posing for a campaign promoting the Romanian sea
shore abroad.
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The first
movie I played in was “The Fourth Fence Next to the Landing Stage”
directed by Cristiana Nicolae. I was in high school when, further to
an ad in the newspaper, my mother (who stayed up all night to cut and
sew two dresses for me to choose from) took me by the hand and got me
to the audition. Even though they liked me I was not cast. Shortly
after that I ran into the set secretary who told me to come to the
Student Lake Beach to at least see a movie set. Of course I went and
this was a good move, because, when she saw me, the director
remembered me and cast me in a part that offered freedom to
improvise. With my miniscule skin-colour bathing suit, I almost got
thrown out of the movie because of “somebody” who watched that
there were no indecent cues or scenes. Luckily I also had another
bathing suit with me, which did not create such problems and I was
allowed to continue shooting. This was my cinema debut. Stefan Banica
Jr. played one of the main characters. He had just been admitted at
the university and already was a small star. His enthusiasm and the
movie set atmosphere conquered me. I made up my mind to give up the
Economic Studies Academy and try my luck at the Institute of Drama
and Cinematographic Art. So, after the movie was over, I took
Stefan’s advice and studied with the actor Petre Gheorghiu. I kept
everything secret until just a few months before the entrance
examination.
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After the
first failure I was determined to give up acting and try tourism,
what I wanted to do initially (naively thinking that in this way I
could travel around the world). Yet, I auditioned for “A Sun’s
Smile” and received a supporting part. It was a musical and because
it was not known whether the actors cast would be able to sing, the
music was recorded first and it was to be followed by play-back. The
lead actress had a bad period. She could not keep away from her
personal problems and concentrate on the movie, and especially on the
play-back. It seems that, in the meanwhile, director Elisabeta Bostan
had noticed me singing and dancing around so that, over night, she
decided to offer me the leading part.
From that moment on I became
addicted to the camera and the atmosphere on the filming sets! I had
the courage and tried again entering the Academy, after studying with
actress Micheta Juvara. There were over two hundred contestants for
four places so you can imagine my joy when I saw myself on the last
of those four places!
I was still
on the set of “A Sun’s Smile” when I received a supporting part
in “A Sunday in the Family”, directed by Francisc Munteanu. I
played alongside with Ioana Craciunescu and George Mihaita, with whom
I had filmed “A Sun’s Smile”.
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In order to
be able to stay in Bucharest and have my own money, I followed
evening classes (until 1990) and worked as a model for CONFEX-APACA.
At that time, there were only 30 models throughout the country. There
were no modeling agencies and no training available. I learned to
walk on the catwalk, pose and put on makeup by myself. This was not
easy because my work was not well tolerated by some teachers and even
by some colleagues.
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I
participated in the first fashion show organized after the
revolution, at the National Theatre. A few years later, while in
Germany, I was astonished to discover in somebody’s home, in a
newspaper a picture of me from that show, probably made by a German
photographer who had been in our country at that time.
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Immediately
after the revolution, further to the viewers’ requests to have new
speakers, I was sent by actor and professor Florin Zamfirescu,
together with a few other students, to audition at the National
Television. Shortly after that, I was called one evening to replace
the speaker on channel 2, who, for some reason, could not come. I was
filmed live! It seems that I did very well, because not long after
that I was chosen to present live Saturday afternoon with Cristian
Topescu, Liviu Tudor Samuila and Corina Voicu.
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After the
Saturday show, I was selected to work at different entertainment
shows, among which, my favourites were those made by Ovidiu Dumitru,
where I sang and danced with Razvan Ionescu and Mitica Popescu. I
miss them a lot and I wish that this type of entertainment were
considered again because I am convinced it would be successful. Isn’t
it so? At least this is what people tell me when they meet me and
stop me in the street, asking me why people no longer make such
shows.
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Further to
some insistently broadcasted promos, where a blonde girl invited you
to participate in the “Princess of Beauty” contest, my mother had
her way and convinced me to enlist in the competition. I had never
participated in any contest of the kind at that time, not even in a
high school beauty contest, and I would have never done it if it
hadn’t been for my mother’s insistences.
Besides my mother and a
good friend, Oana Manu, who gave me the fabric for the dress, nobody
knew anything about it! It seems that my mother had a good intuition
because I won the title, to her joy, my astonishment and the surprise
of all those who found out that I participated in that competition. I
was so happy that I could not sleep all night.
After that I had many
sleepless nights because I was angry on the organizers. They only
gave me the prize (a Dacia 1300) one year later and after several
tries, discussions and even threats that I would sue them. This
happened again with the second prize, a trip to London, where I
finally arrived also only after one year.
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Another TV
show produced by Ovidiu Dumitru that I hosted, together with Razvan
Popa, was called “Three Out of Ten for a Show” and was filmed at
the sea side. Among others, Liliana and Manuela Fedorca participated
in that show.
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I also
hosted the 1992 and 1994 editions of the Golden Stag Festival. I
auditioned for the first edition and in 1994, I had just returned
from Germany for a visit and I was invited to host the Festival. I
was very nervous and I was successful (even if in the beginning I put
my foot in it, thing that made me feel so ashamed), I met worldwide
personalities … in short, it was nice.
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While I was
a student I played in movies, student movies, I hosted TV shows,
fashion shows and other shows, I was in love and considered myself to
be very lucky.
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Ten years
after graduation, I met with all my former colleagues, almost the
complete formation as on the first day at the Academy, except Dan
Zamfirescu and Ionel Glont who did not come. We were young, beautiful
and talented, but unfortunately, a sacrificed generation.
As opposed
to the high school, with some exceptions the academy years were very
disappointing and frustrating for me from the beginning to the end. I
even wanted to repeat the second year in order to escape the terror
of one teacher (she terrorized me especially and in that period I
ended up weighing only 64 kilos). But the revolution came and to our
relief, and especially mine, she was replaced. Even so, I graduated
with the same bad taste in my mouth as when I entered. Maybe I will
tell that story another time. The truth is that this is the reason
why I pulled away from theatre. But, who knows, maybe one day I will
somehow rediscover the joy of playing on stage?!?!!!…
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992 was a
very eventful year. I graduated (with “Romeo and Juliet”), I
hosted the Golden Stag, I got married, I went on a honey moon, then I
returned in the country for a movie where I received the leading
role, but which I had to give up due to a rash on the face which
appeared after a cosmetic treatment! And I left the country, to the
astonishment of those who did not understand how I could leave when I
was riding the high horses. But what could I do… I was blindly in
love. I got back my sight later on…
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