SARAJEVO, August 20 (FENA) – Hollywood star Meg Ryan arrived in Sarajevo last night, where she will receive the Honorary Heart of Sarajevo award at this year’s edition of SFF in recognition of her outstanding contribution to film art. Today, as part of the Sarajevo Film Festival, she held a Masterclass at the Bosnian Cultural Center (BKC) in Sarajevo, and the moderator of the event was Bosnian director Danis Tanović, whose film “My Late Summer” opened the festival.
Danis Tanović welcomed the Hollywood star in BKC who was greeted by thunderous applause from the audience and her fellow film workers when she went on stage.
At the beginning of the conversation, Meg stated that she has known Danis for more than twenty years, that he has invited her to SFF many times and finally she got a chance to come to Sarajevo and fulfill her promise.
When asked about her first experiences on stage and acting, Meg talked about her childhood and how she didn’t really feel comfortable being on stage and under the spotlight, and she told an anecdote about when she had to go on stage at school to receive an award.
”In elementary school, I received an award and had to go on stage, give a speech, and thank everyone. So, of course, I prepared too much. I wrote a seven-page speech, I was so nervous and confused, so my mother had to get on stage and get me out of that situation,” said Ryan.
Speaking about the beginning of her career, she said that she worked as a student journalist and at the same time auditioned for roles.
”I didn’t have any formal acting education and I learned from other actors and by working closely with them. My first role was in the soap opera “As the World Turns”, which had been broadcast for several decades at the time, and it was great to be a part of people’s lives and in their homes,” she said.
When asked to compare acting on the stage and in film, Meg singled out her experience as a beginner on the stage and that she enjoyed discovering the artistic and technical aspects of acting.
”It is a great value to be unfamiliar with things. When you discover everything along the way and enter that world. You are not then able to see the bigger picture, but what is wonderful is that you are part of a team that creates something together,” said Ryan.
She also spoke about her experience as a director which she started a few years ago, and about the last film she directed and starred in with David Duchovny (What Happens Later, 2023).
”I wanted to better understand the filmmaking process itself. The idea for this film with David came about during Covid. In the film, you see that magical environment and two people at the airport who see each other after 20 years and talk about their relationship trying to figure out what went wrong. It helped me to see our limitations as artists but also as directors, with all the things that caused us problems, with all kinds of difficulties,” she explained.
She added that it was wonderful working with David Duchovny because he is an actor who is also a writer and screenwriter and is very skilled with words, and that cannot be said for many actors.
At the end of the conversation, she singled out as an important thing that filmmakers are also a kind of community, they help each other and share information and experiences.
”These are also some of the biggest benefits of film festivals, and that’s why it’s great to meet your colleagues, be part of the festival jury, share stories and get to know the filmmakers a little better,” said Meg Ryan after finishing one of the Masterclasses held as part of this year’s SFF.
