Ana Bergman: Retrofuturism Refined

Talentovana glumica, plesačica i model, Ana Bergman otkriva svoje iskustvo i perspektivu u svetu umetnosti. Kroz razgovor, deli svoj put, počevši od detinjstva provedenog u samoći do svetskog uspeha. Sa strašću za umetnost koja se oseća u svakom odgovoru, Ana govori o uticaju baleta na svoj pristup glumi i modelingu, kao i o značaju Meisnerove tehnike u oblikovanju njenog glumačkog stila. Govoreći o internacionalnim iskustvima u modelingu i filmskim projektima, Ana deli svoje misli o kulturi i modi. Kroz ovaj inspirativni intervju, otkrivamo Aninu duboku predanost umetnosti, njene buduće projekte i želju da pomeri granice svoje karijere.

Podelite sa našim čitaocima nešto više o vašem odrastanju i onome što vas je prvobitno privuklo izvođačkim umetnostima, posebno plesu?

Moje detinjstvo bilo je vrlo izolovano, moji roditelji i bake i deke su bili veoma zauzeti i veći deo vremena provodila sam sa dadiljom, a kasnije sam bila sama. Iskreno se ne sećam da sam imala druge dece oko sebe sve do odlaska u školu, ali čak i tamo bila sam veoma stidljivo i tiho dete i nisam volela mnogo da pričam. Biti okružen ljudima bilo je veoma neprijatno za mene dugo vremena, ali sam naučila kako da se nosim s tim sada i izmislila neku vrstu metode da zaštitim svog unutrašnjeg malog introvertu. Dakle, pretpostavljam da je imati toliko vremena tete-a-tete sa sobom u veoma ranom stadijumu razvoja mog karaktera i ličnosti, vežbanje mašte svakodnevno i kasnije čitanje mnogo knjiga, učinilo da stavim sve to u izvođenja kao jedino prirodno rešenje. I takođe, imajući u vidu da nisam mnogo volela da pričam, ples je delovao kao pravi oblik komunikacije.

Kako je vaše iskustvo u baletu uticalo na vaš pristup izvođenju uopšte? Da li primećujete da elementi vašeg baletskog obučavanja utiču na vašu glumu ili modeling?

Balet znači disciplinu i to je nešto što osećam da imam u svom pristupu svakoj vrsti izvođenja. Veoma sam temeljan, detaljan, volim da duboko proniknem u stvari, učim, istražujem. Očigledno, pošto je telo jedan od glavnih alata u modelingu, baletsko obučavanje mi mnogo pomaže da ga koristim na najefikasniji način dok poziram i zaista pričam priču telom. I u glumi iskustvo u plesu igra vrlo suštinsku ulogu za mene, budući da sam tako povezana sa svojim telom, pomaže mi da komuniciram priču, kanališem emocije i stvaram snažno i definisano ponašanje. Razvila sam tako jaku vezu i poverenje sa svojim telom, da mi ponekad sugeriše najbolje, što bi nazvali, umetničke izbore.

Pomenuli ste da i dalje praktikujete balet i ples na štiklama. Kako se ove prakse uklapaju u vašu svakodnevnu rutinu, i šta vam one donose u životu lično i profesionalno?

Da, radim baletski trening ili plesne vežbe gotovo svaki dan ako sam u svom redovnom rasporedu. Za mene je to najbolji trening jer mrzim teretane. Profesionalno, održava moj glavni alat – telo u prilično dobrom stanju, i naravno, imajući ples kao dodatnu veštinu za glumca je ogroman plus. A lično, ples je toliko veliki i važan deo mog života, to je moja strast, radost, religija, meditacija, terapija, izlaz, ljubavni jezik… to je zaista jedino što me održava normalnom i uvek mi pomaže da se vratim sebi i ostanem čvrsto sa obe noge na zemlji. Kad proživljavam neke turbulencije u životu, volim da idem u studio, puštam muziku i gubim se u plesu ili, kako bih rekla, zapravo se pronalazim… i dok sam tamo, svet van zidova studija ne postoji, delovi muzike postaju moj srčani ritam, i moje telo je potpuno sinhronizovano sa mojom dušom. Osećam se najviše svojom kad plešem, postoji nešto toliko visceralno ispravno i animalistički prirodno za mene da oslobodim i izrazim emocije i osećaje kroz plesne pokrete.

Modelirali ste na različitim lokacijama od Kine do Južne Afrike, kako vam ova međunarodna iskustva obogaćuju perspektivu o modi i kulturi?

Putovanje i poseta različitim delovima sveta svakako je jedan od aspekata modelinga za koje sam veoma zahvalna. I zaista je proširilo moje znanje o kulturama i modi uopšte, psihologiji i mentalitetu ljudi, otvorilo mi oči za određene stvari i generalno je bila dobra škola života. I ako govorimo o široj slici, takođe me je naučilo da je ljubaznost jezik koji ljudi razumeju svuda, poštovanje i dobar stav su valuta koja se prihvata u svakoj zemlji i pristojnost i iskrenost su nešto što ne izlazi iz mode u sledećoj sezoni na bilo kom tržištu.

Koja fotosesija je bila najupečatljivija u kojoj ste učestvovali, i zašto vam je posebno ostala u sećanju?

Oh, imam toliko dobrih i ludih sećanja sa setova, ali ono što mi prvo pada na pamet je moja sesija sa Gregom Gormanom pre nekoliko godina. Kada sam bila tinejdžerka, otišla sam na njegovu izložbu u Moskvi i bila sam potpuno očarana njegovim crno-belom portretima. I sada stojim ispred Gregovih objektiva u njegovom kućnom studiju na brdima, njegovi buldozi francuske rase – ja imam posebno mesto u srcu za francuske buldoge – trčkaraju oko mene, igram se s njima između snimanja, a zatim ručamo i pričamo kao stari prijatelji. Bio je to divan dan i definitivno moj trenutak “ispunjenje detinjih snova”.

Kako su vaša obuka u Meisner tehnici i drugi studiji scena u Baron Brown Studiju oblikovali vašu glumačku karijeru?

To je bilo tako divno i slatko vreme (osmeh). Dvogodišnji program u Baron Brownu bio je moje prvo glumačko obučavanje ikada i osnova i srž mojih dramskih veština. To je bilo duboko transformišuće, duševno promenljivo i životno iskustvo. I sve što sam naučila do sada, vezujem za tu osnovu. I želim da se zaustavim trenutak i izrazim svoju zahvalnost i poštovanje osnivačici studija, Joanne Baron i mojim učiteljima DW Brownu, Ellaine Williams i Lisi Milillo za nošenje legata gospodina Meisnera i očuvanje i distribuciju na najčistiji način. Nakon što sam završila na Baron Brownu, imala sam sreće da studiram kod takvih legendarnih učitelja kao što su Howard Fine, Larry Moss, Diana Castle, Aaron Speiser i Kay Aston. Svi ti briljantni učitelji ostavili su veliki uticaj na moju umetnost, pomogli mi da usavršim svoje veštine, oštrenje mojih alata, usavršavanje zanata i iskreno učinili me boljim ljudskom bićem.

Možete li prodiskutovati o vašim ulogama u Diznijevom “Just Roll With It” i “Waiting For Charlotte Corday”? Koji su bili izazovi i vrhunci ovih projekata?

“Waiting For Charlotte Corday” bio je moj prvi film ikada, pa iskreno nisam imala pojma šta radim i sve je bilo novo i uzbudljivo i jedan veliki vrhunac! Čak se ne sećam nikakvih izazova… pa, možda jedan, što nije bio izazov već više zadatak koji je zahtevao precizno izvršenje. Postoji scena u filmu u kojoj se vozim u malom kabrioletu, da vidim svog ljubavnika i kamera je bila postavljena na haubi tačno ispred mene. Nisam imala skoro nikakvu vidljivost ispred sebe, pokušavajući da se ne sudaram i vozim što je moguće glađe kako ne bih ispustila kameru, a istovremeno da budem u pravom emocionalnom stanju. Dakle, zabrinutost i nelagoda mog lika prema svom ljubavniku koju vidite u toj sceni, zapravo je moja preokupacija da se ne sudarim automobilom (smeh), tako da je sve lepo funkcionisalo! A “Just Roll With It” bio je moj prvi studijski projekat u SAD-u, moja prva višekameraška TV serija i takođe moj prvi audition na koji sam otišla i moj prvi i zapravo poslednji koji je bio uživo. Dakle, definitivno mi je ostao u sećanju. Bila sam prilično nervozna! A dok sam bila na setu, rečeno mi je da moram da iskočim iz otvora unazad (radnja se odvijala na dirigiblu), I da će mi koordinator za akciju održati kurs kako da to sigurno uradim I snimim. I ja kažem “naravno, nema problema”, ali u sebi vrištim. (smeh). Prošlo je dobro, uradila sam to nekoliko puta i svi su bili srećni!

Nominacija za najbolju sporednu glumicu na Milanskom filmskom festivalu za “”Waiting For Charlotte Corday” mora da je bio značajan trenutak. Možete li opisati svoje iskustvo rada na ovom filmu i kako ste pristupili svojoj ulozi?

Nominacija je svakako bila veliko i prijatno iznenađenje za mene, bio je to moj prvi film ikada i nisam uopšte očekivala! A iskustvo rada na njemu bilo je tako dobro i činilo se tako lako i razigrano, jer nisam znala šta da očekujem i samo sam uživala u procesu i zabavljala se, bukvalno kao dete koje se igra. Gledajući sada unazad, shvatam kako sam se opustila, uopšte nisam bila nervozna, već radoznala i slobodna. Sada kada znam mnogo više o filmskoj industriji i šta sve može da krene naopako, mnogo sam nervoznija i ponekad previše u svojoj glavi. Takođe smo snimali dobar deo filma u Kapadokiji, Turska, jedno od najlepših mesta na kojima sam ikada bila i verovatno nikada ne bih posetila da nije bilo projekta. I da budem iskrena, nisam radila nikakavu pripremu karaktera za tu ulogu, prvo nisam ni znala šta je to u to vreme (smeh), a drugo, to je bila savršena prva uloga za mene – moj lik takođe je bio model, bila je nema, tako da sam izbegla najveći izazov za neiskusne glumce, memorisanje tekstova i izgovaranje tuđih reči, i zaljubila se u pogrešnog momka, takođe nešto što mi nije strano (smeh). Dakle, u osnovi, pristupila sam ulozi tako što sam bila svoja, iako sam malo naučila neki znakovni jezik za nekoliko scena. Ostatak komunikacije bio je kroz izraze lica i govor tela, što je nešto što radim u modelingu i plesu, tako da mi je to bilo poznato. Oh, takođe, I njeno ime bilo je Anastasia.

Inspirativne ličnosti: Ko su vaši uzori u plesu, modelingu i glumi? Kako su uticali na vaše karijerne izbore?

Postoji mnogo ljudi koji me inspirišu, muškarci i žene. U glumi bih pomenula Marlona Branda, Ritu Hayworth, Lauren Bacall, Stevea McQueena. Volim estetiku 40-ih i 50-ih godina uopšte i crpim mnogo inspiracije iz tih vremena. Za mene su filmovi tog doba tako sirovi i naivni u dobrom smislu te reči, takav očajni romantizam i to se jako dobro uklapa sa mojom umetnošću i humanosti. Kao bilo koji cinik, ja sam beznadežno romantična (smeh). U modelingu mi se veoma dopada Laetitia Casta, ona je suština žene za mene, i njen imidž je tako bezvremen. Takođe, Erin Wasson se izdvaja po meni. A njena kampanja za Gucci 2021. je jedan od mojih favorita svih vremena. Meni savršeno dočarava suštinu ranih 2000-ih godina koja je mnogo formirala moj ukus, kada su seks i zabava bili dozvoljeni, a industrija nije bila tako hladna. I naravno, era 90-ih godina u modnoj industriji je beskrajni izvor inspiracije. U plesu očigledno imam ogromno poštovanje prema divnim ruskim zvezdama baleta poput Rudolfa Nureyeva, Mikhaila Baryshnikova, Anne Pavlove, Galine Ulanove i mnogih drugih. Od modernih koreografa veoma mi se sviđa vizija Matthewa Bourna i Tine Landon, koja je pravila koreografiju za svaku veliku zvezdu, od Janet Jackson do Rickya Martina. Njena plesna sekvencija za duet Michaela i Jenet Jackson “Scream” je ikonična. Takođe mi se svidelo kako je opisala svoj stil kao kombinaciju atletike i senzualnosti, i to je nešto što uvek pokušavam da prenesem svojim plesom i ono što tražim u koreografijama. Francuski kabare i scena burleske s početka veka veoma su uticale na moj plesni stil. Još od mladosti bila sam očarana kabare plesačima i svim tim perjem, dramom i korsetima! Možete pretpostaviti da sam kada sam prvi put došla u Pariz, odmah otišla u Crazy Horse (smeh). Ali takođe se inspirišem ljudima koji nisu javno poznati, jednako sam fascinirana osobom na mom času glume ili plesa, kao što sam oduševljen Brando-ovom izvedbom u “The Last Tango in Paris”.

Za koje buduće projekte ste najviše uzbuđeni, i kojim pravcem biste želeli da vodite svoju karijeru u narednim godinama?

Imam 4 filma u planu za ovu godinu, dva od njih uključuju puno borbi i akrobacija i jedva čekam da svoje borilačke veštine podignem na sledeći nivo, imam malo iskustva u borilačkim veštinama i scenskoj borbi, ali za ove filmove ću morati da ih izoštrim i naporno treniram, što mi zvuči izuzetno privlačno. Takođe, dva filma koja smo snimali prošle godine izlaze ove jeseni, pa sam veoma uzbuđena da vidim te finalne rezove. Trenirala sam da plešem u đavoljem kabareu u jednom i da prebijem lika koji glumi profesionalnog dominatrixa u drugom, trebalo bi da bude zabavno gledati (smeh). Takođe, ja i moja kreativna partnerka Bria Massie se nadamo da ćemo početi sa snimanjem glavnog dela za projekat na kojem smo radili poslednje tri godine. To je dugometražni film pod nazivom “I Need You To Stay”, prelepa i srceparajuća ljubavna priča zasenjena BPD-om. Ja igram u njemu i jedna sam od producentkinja. Postoji toliko stigme o BPD-u u modernom svetu, a takođe je i tako pogrešno prikazana u holivudskim filmovima, pa je naš cilj da je predstavimo na iskren i višedimenzionalan način. Što se tiče modelinga, ima nekoliko fotografa sa kojima bih volela da snimam, i nekoliko časopisa su još na mom spisku želja. Veoma sam zainteresovana za produkciju u budućnosti. I želim da radim više projekata koji uključuju ples. Imam neke ideje za kratki plesni film, koji planiram da snimim i produciram ove godine.

English here:

Can you share a bit about your early life and what initially drew you to the performing arts, especially dance?

My early life was very secluded, my parents and grandparents were very busy and most of the time I spent with a nanny and later alone. I honestly don’t remember having other kids around me until I went to school, but even there I was a very shy and quite kid and didn’t like to talk a lot. Being around people was very uncomfortable for me for a long time, but I learned how to deal with it now and invented some sort of method to protect my inner little introvert. So, I guess, having so much time tete-a-tete with myself at a very early stage of developing my character and personality, exercising my imagination on a daily basis and later reading a lot made putting it all into performances the only natural thing to do. And also, given the fact that I was not big on talking, dancing felt as a right form of communication.

How has your background in ballet influenced your approach to performance in general? Do you find elements of your dance training influencing your acting or modeling?

Ballet equals discipline and this is something that I feel I have in my approach to any kind of performance. I’m very thorough, detailed, I love to get deep into things, learn, do research. Obviously with the body being one of the main tools in modeling, dance training helps me tremendously to use it in the most efficient way while posing and really tells a story with a body language. And in acting dance experience plays a very essential part for me as well, being so connected to my body helps me to communicate the narrative, channel emotions and create a strong and define behavior. I developed such a strong connection and trust with my body, that sometimes it suggests me the best, what they call, artistic choices.

You mentioned that you continue to practice ballet and dancing on heels. How do these practices fit into your daily routine, and what do they bring to your life personally and professionally?

Yes, I do ballet barre workout or dance practices almost every day if I’m on my regular schedule. For me this is the best workout because I hate gyms. Professionally it keeps my main tool – body in a pretty decent shape and of course having dancing as an extra skill for an actor is a huge plus. And personally, dancing is such a huge and important part of my life, it is my passion, joy, religion, meditation, therapy, outlet, love language…it is truly the only thing that keeps me sane and always helps me get back to myself and stay grounded. When I’m experiencing some turbulence in my life, I love going to the studio, turn on the music and get lost in dancing or I guess, actually get found in it…and while I’m there, the world outside the studio walls doesn’t exist, the music bits become my heartbeat, and my body is in total sync with my soul. I feel my most self when I dance, there is something so viscerally right and animalistically natural for me to release and express emotions and feelings through dance movements.

Having modeled in diverse locations from China to South Africa, how do these international experiences enrich your perspective on fashion and culture?

Travelling and visiting different parts of the world is certainly one of the aspects that I’m very grateful to modeling for. And it did expand my knowledge in cultures and fashion in general, people’s psychology and mentality, opened my eyes to certain things and overall has been a good school of life. And if we are talking about a bigger picture, it also taught me that kindness is a language that people understand everywhere, appreciation and good attitude is a currency that is accepted in every country and decency and honesty is something that doesn’t go out of fashion in the next season on any market.

What has been the most memorable photo shoot you’ve participated in, and why did it stand out to you?

Oh, I have so many good and crazy memories from sets but the one that comes to my mind right now is my shoot with Greg Gorman a couple of years ago. When I was a teenager, I went to his exhibition in Moscow and was completely captivated by his black and white portraits. And now I’m standing in front of Greg’s lenses is his home studio on the hills, his French bulldogs, and I have a very soft spot for Frenchies, are running around, I’m playing with them between takes and then we have lunch and chat like old friends. It was a wonderful day and definitely my “childhood dream came true” moment.

How has your training in the Meisner technique and other scene studies at Baron Brown Studio shaped your acting career?

It was such a beautiful and sweet time (smiling). Two-year program at Baron Brown was my first ever acting training and it is the foundation and the core of my drama skills. It was a deeply transformative, soul altering and life changing experience. And everything I learned after and have been learning till now, I’m stringing on this base. And I want to take a moment and express my gratitude and appreciation to the founder of the studio, Joanne Baron and my teachers DW Brown, Ellaine Williams and Lisa Milillo for carrying the legacy of Mr. Meisner and preserving and distributing it in the purest form. After I graduated from Baron Brown I was very lucky to study under such legendary teachers as Howard Fine, Larry Moss, Diana Castle, Aaron Speiser and Kay Aston. All these brilliant teachers made a huge impact on my artistry, helped me to finesse my skills, sharpen my tools, perfect the craft and honestly made me a better human being.

Can you discuss your roles in Disney’s “Just Roll With It” and “Waiting For Charlotte Corday”? What were the challenges and highlights of these projects?

“Waiting for Charlotte Corday” was my first movie ever, so honestly I had no idea what I was doing and everything was new and exciting and one big highlight! I don’t even remember any challenges..well, maybe one, which was not a challenge but more of a task that required a precise execution. There is a scene in a movie where I’m driving to see my lover in a small convertible and the camera was attached to the hood right in front of me. I had close to zero visibility in front of me, tried not to crash and drive as smooth as possible for not to drop the camera and also be in the right emotional state. So, the concern and unease of my character about her lover you see in that scene is actually me being preoccupied with not crashing the car (laughing), so it all worked out just nicely!  And “Just Roll With It” was my first studio project in the States, my first multi-camera tv series and also my first audition I went to and my first and actually last one that was in person, now it is all self-tapes. So, it definitely stands out for me. I was quite nervous! And while on set, I was told that I need to fall out of the porthole backwards (the action took place on a blimp), a stunt coordinator is going to give me a crash course how to do it safely and we are going to shoot it. And I’m like “sure, no problem” but in my head screaming “whaaaaat a fuuuuck!!” (laughing). It went well, I did it a couple of times and everyone was happy!

Being nominated for Best Supporting Actress at the Milan Film Festival for “Waiting For Charlotte Corday” must have been a significant moment. Could you describe your experience working on this film and how you approached your role?

Being nominated was certainly a big and pleasant surprise for me, it was my first movie ever and I didn’t expect it at all! And the experience of working on it was so good and felt so easy and playful, because I didn’t know what to expect and was just enjoying the process and having fun, literally a kid playing. Looking back on it now, I realize how relaxed I felt, not nervous at all but curious and free. Now when I know so much more about filmmaking and what can possibly go wrong, I am way more nervous and sometimes too much in my head. We were also filming a good chunk of the movie in Cappadocia, Turkey, one of the most gorgeous places I’ve ever been to and most likely would have never visited it if not for the project. And to be honest I didn’t do any character work on that role, first of all I didn’t even know what it was at that time (laughing) and secondly, it was the perfect first role for me – my character was also a model, she was mute, so I avoided the biggest challenge for unexperienced actors of memorizing the lines and saying not your words and she fell for a wrong guy, also something that is not alien to me (laughing). So, basically, I approached the role from being myself, though I did a little work of learning some sign language for a couple of scenes. The rest of communication was through face expressions and body language, which is something that I do in modeling and dancing, so that was familiar. Oh, and also her name was Anastasia too.

Inspirational Figures: Who are your role models in dance, modeling, and acting? How have they influenced your career choices?

There are a lot of people who inspire me, men and women. In acting I’d name Marlon Brando, Rita Hayworth, Lauren Bacall, Steve McQueen. I love the aesthetics of 40s and 50s in general and draw a lot of inspiration from those times. For me the movies of that era have such a raw and naïve in a good sense of this word feeling, such a desperate romantism and this resonates with my artistry and humanity very much. Like any cynic, I’m hopelessly romantic (laughing). In modeling I really like Laetitia Casta, she is the quintessence of a woman for me, and her image is so timeless. Also, Erin Wasson stands out for me. And her campaign for Gucci 2021 is one of my all-time favorites. To me it perfectly captures the very essence of early 2000s which formed my taste a lot, when sex and fun were allowed, and the industry was not so frigid. And of course, the 90s era in fashion industry is a bottomless source of inspiration. In dancing I obviously have huge reverence for wonderful Russian ballet stars like Rudolf Nureyev, Mikhail Baryshnikov, Anna Pavlova, Galina Ulanova and many others. From the modern choreographers I really like the vision of Matthew Bourn and Tina Landon who choreographed for every big star, from Janet Jackson to Ricky Martin. Her dance sequence for Michael and Janet Jackson’s Scream is iconic. I also loved how she described her style as a combination of athleticism and sensuality, and this is something that I always try to convey in my dancing and what I look for in choreographies. French cabaret and burlesque scene of the beginning of the century has influenced my dance style very much. Since the young age I was just mesmerized by cabaret dancers and all those feathers, drama and corsets! You can guess, that when I came to Paris for the first time, I went straight to Crazy Horse (laughing). But I also get inspired by people who are not publicly well known, I can be equally fascinated by someone in my acting or dance class, as I am by Brando’s performance in “The Last Tango in Paris”.

What upcoming projects are you most excited about, and what direction do you hope to take your career in the coming years?

I have 4 movies lined up for this year, two of them involve a lot of fighting and stunts and I’m beyond excited to take my combat skills to the next level, I have some martial arts and stage combat experience but for those I’ll need to sharpen them and train hard which sounds extremely appealing to me. Also, two movies that we shot last year are coming out this fall so a lot of anticipation to see these final cuts. I got to dance in devil’s cabaret in one and beat a shit out of a guy being professional dominatrix in the other one, should be a fun watch (laughing). Also, me and my creative partner Bria Massie are hoping to start principal photography for the project that we’ve been developing for the last three years. It is a feature film called “I Need You To Stay”, a beautiful and heartbreaking love story overshadowed by BPD. I am acting in it and being one of the producers. There is so much stigma about BPD in the modern world and also it has been so misrepresented in Hollywood movies so our goal is to represent in in the honest and multidimensional way. Modeling wise I have some photographers I’d want to shoot with and a few magazines are still on my bucket list. I am very much interested in producing more in the future. And I want to do more projects which incorporate dance. I have some ideas for a short dance movie, which I‘m planning to shoot and produce this year.

Photographer – Lika Brutyan
Style – Jennifer Féin
Model – Ana Bergman
Makeup – Tetiana Kazak
Hair – Toni Burns
Stylist assistant – Muamera Pulic