Ema Mur: The Shapes of Life

Koliko trudnoća može biti moderna? Dolce&Gabbana, Versace i drugi vrhunski italijanski modni brendovi udružuju snage sa upečatljivom lepotom glumice i poslovne žene, Eme Mur, kako bi kreirali moćan cover statement. Trudnica može doživeti bezbroj neizvesnosti u vezi sa promenama kroz koje prolazi, ali moda je uvek tu da se oseća lepo u svakom trenutku.

Možete li nam otkriti kako je započelo vaše putovanje u svet glume i šta vas je inspirisalo da se bavite ovom profesijom?

Zvanično sam počela da glumim sa 5 godina u lokalnom pozorištu, iako sam od svoje treće godine išla u predškolsko u kostimima. Majka mi je Srpkinja, iz Beograda, a otac iz Hrvatske, a odrastajući u malom gradu u Hrvatskoj, u školi su me mnogo maltretirali zbog svojih korena. Gluma je bila kapija za izmenu moje sadašnjosti, a kada nisam glumila, maštala sam o svim likovima koje bih mogla da budem – posebno o onima koji bi pobedili te nasilnike. Kada sam napunila 18 godina, nisam planirala dalje da se bavim pozorištem jer sam počela da radim kao model i počela sam da putujem u inostranstvo, dobijajući mnogo velikih kampanja, a moj život se transformisao u ovo glamurozno, užurbano ludilo ispunjeno slavom. Jednu nedelju u Majamiju na snimanju reklame, zatim let u Meksiko na snimanje kampanje, zatim tri dana u Berlinu, mesec dana u Milanu… i lista se nastavlja i nastavlja. Zvuči neverovatno, i jeste na početku, ali na duži rok to znači živeti u koferu, a ja sam uvek više bila tip osobe koja voli rutinu, stabilnost. U svetu šoubiznisa upoznala sam agenta koji mi je predložio da radim audicije za TV i filmske uloge, tako da sam napustila modeling, vratila se u školu i nakon godinu dana počela da radim audicije. Moja kompanija je tada već dobro funkcionisala, tako da sam prvi put posle nekog vremena prestala sa užurbanim životnim stilom, preselila se u Rim i vratila svojoj prvoj strasti. Gluma me je uvek vraćala u život, podsećala na moje vrednosti i to je glavni razlog zašto volim tu profesiju. Smešno je kako vas tumačenje nekog drugog može naterati da zaboravite ili da vas bolje podseti ko ste zaista.

Postoje li hrvatski, srpski ili drugi internacionalni glumci koji su uticali na vaš rad ili ga inspirisali?

Ceo život sam volela legendarne filmske dive, posebno italijansku glumicu Virnu Lisi! Ona je, u mojim očima, bila oličenje elegancije, žestine i ljubaznosti i uvek sam se ugledala na nju. Međutim, moje pozorišne i glumačke kolege su me, više od ikoga, naučile disciplini i posvećenosti, naterale me da sagledam svet glume njihovim očima i svako od njih je imao jedinstven pristup tome. Jedan od mojih dragih prijatelja Aleksandar Petrov bio je jedna od najvećih inspiracija za mene i najneverovatniji glumac sa kojim sam ikada imala priliku da radim.

Vaše omiljene uloge ili likovi koje ste tumačili u svojoj glumačkoj karijeri?

Volela sam da igram Anku, u „Fosci Innocenti“. Bila je pomalo Bond devojka – sa izgledom koji ubija, bukvalno! Lepa strankinja koja tajno radi kao špijun. Bilo je zabavno tumačiti je, a deo svoje inspiracije sam preuzela od lika „Lare Kroft“! Jedino što mi je nedostajalo je šaka puna oružja, haha!

Druge uloge koje sam igrala su takođe bile zanimljive, ali moram da priznam – volim da igram lose devojke! Predstojala mi je audicija za gangsterski film sa Leonardom DiCapriem i Anne Hathaway, gde bih tumačila upravo takvu ulogu, ali sam tada tek saznala za trudnoću, tako da nisam stigla na audiciju. Moja trenutna uloga mi je bila važnija, bez ikakve sumnje, a ako je tako, biće i drugih prilika u budućnosti.

Igrate Ruskinju u The Palace, filmu Romana Polanskog. Kako je bilo sarađivati sa slavnim rediteljem?

Rad sa Romanom je bio sjajan. Postoji ta stigma o njemu i očigledno mnogo kontroverzi, ali na snimanju moje lično iskustvo je bilo da je sve bilo izuzetno profesionalno. Ponekad mi, kao ljudi, ne možemo dozvoliti da naše lično mišljenje zamagli naš profesionalizam ili da utičemo na neku vrstu suda o drugima. Naučila sam da svoje iskreno mišljenje zadržim za sebe davno u ovom poslu. Ipak, on je izvanredan umetnik sa tako jedinstvenim pristupom bioskopu. Intenzivni rad sa njim dva meseca bio je više edukativan nego godine u školi glume. Ima divan pristup gde set tretira kao pozorište – sve treba da bude savršeno postavljeno za scenu, do poslednjeg detalja, mi onda izvodimo naših deset sekundi bez publike satima, a kada on odluči da uključi kamere, sve snima u dva kadra. Prava umetnost filmskog stvaralaštva. On nije reditelj koji se oslanja na postprodukciju ili specijalne efekte, kod njega sve treba da bude što autentičnije.

Osim što ste manekenka i glumica, šta vas je podstaklo da se približite preduzetničkom svetu?

Manekenstvo i gluma su profesije sa ekstremnim usponima i padovima, kao što je posao freelencera uopšte. Nikada ne znate da li će sezona biti plodna ili ne. Toga sam bila svesna otkako sam počela da radim kao model, pa sam tome pristupila kao sporednoj gužvi koju sam koristila za prikupljanje kapitala za svoj prvi startap. Takođe, uvek sam želela da radim nešto gde mogu slobodno da izrazim sebe i svoje ideje. U šou-biznisu, vi ste uglavnom alat za nečiju viziju, što je odlično, ali u preduzetništvu zaista imate moć da svoje ideje, proizvode ili usluge prenesete ljudima na svoj, jedinstven način. Tako je rođen Ambinca, moj brend kupaćih kostima i odeće za plažu. Vremenom sam shvatila da želim više, pa trenutno radim na novom startapu koji će biti nešto sasvim drugo, ali uvek sam spremna za izazove pa ćemo videti kako će ići.

U čemu najviše uživate u kreativnom procesu glume i kako kroz svoje performanse pristupate umetnosti pripovedanja jedne priče?

Zavisi, ako radim sa rediteljima koji imaju sopstvenu viziju koju žele da ožive, pristupam tome kao… da upoznajem novog prijatelja. Proučavam lik, pokušavam da je upoznam, šta joj se sviđa, njeni strahovi, njeni motivatori. Teško je kada se lik veoma razlikuje od vaše ličnosti, posebno kada donosi odluke koje su direktno u suprotnosti sa vašim moralom i vrednostima, ali vas gluma uči da ne osuđujete, tako da je važno da budete ljubazni prema sebi kroz taj proces. Ako imam slobodu da donesem neku interpretaciju određenom liku, uvek stavim malo sebe unutra ili napravim lik kakav bih želela ja da budem kao osoba. Ako sam ponekad previše stidljiva da se zauzmem za sebe, ja napravim lik koji se ne izvinjava! Onda ga „testiram“ na setu i pomislim: „U redu, mogu i ja ovo da uradim u stvarnom životu! Nije TAKO strašno!” Ovaj proces mi je često pomogao da rastem i dao mi hrabrost da radim na sebi. Isto je i za glumu i za modeling, rekla bih. Za glumu je jednostavno potrebno više strpljenja, potrebno je više vremena, više pažnje za detalje, više posvećenosti.

Na ovogodišnjem filmskom festivalu u Veneciji najavili ste trudnoću. Da li ste spremni za ovu (životnu) ulogu?

Od trenutka kada sam prvi put videla svog muža bila sam spremna da provedem ostatak života sa njim, I podizanje dece je samo jedno od mnogih iskustava kroz koja prolazimo zajedno i zaista je neverovatno. Mislim da niko nikada nije spreman za to, ali iskreno na koliko ste stvari u životu bili spremni? Samo dajte sve od sebe i uživajte u procesu, jer je proces ono što je život, a ja sam tako zahvalna što mogu to da podelim sa svojom srodnom dušom.

Imate li neki savet za buduće glumice koje tek počinju svoju karijeru , kao i za druge buduće majke, koje u vama vide uzor?

Zauvek ćete biti u stanju učenja, rasta i lečenja. Ne morate biti „potpuno spremni“ da idete za tim snom, da se prijavite za taj posao, da dajete ili primate ljubav, ili da dođete do sledećeg nivoa. Važno je da budete hrabri i da nastavite za onim što čini vaše srce i dušu srećnim. Osećam da mnoge žene treba da čuju ovo – patnja nije dostignuće! Borba je stvarna, ali ako posedujete i svoje greške i svoje pobede, život će vas nagraditi najneočekivanijim, najlepšim preokretima. Sa ovim načinom razmišljanja, garantujem vam da nećete biti „savršena osoba“, „savršena majka“ ili „savršena“ bilo šta, ali ćete sigurno biti najautentičniji i najvoljeniji, i ništa loše ne može poteći iz mesta istinskog prihvatanja, ljubavi i iskrenosti.

English here:

How fashion-forward can a pregnancy be? Dolce&Gabbana, Versace, and other top Italian fashion brands join forces with the striking beauty of actress and businesswoman, Ema Mur, to create a powerful cover statement. A pregnant woman may experience countless uncertainties about the changes she undergoes, but fashion is always there to make her feel beautiful in every moment.

Can you tell us about your journey into acting and what inspired you to pursue this career?

I officially started acting at the age of 5 in a local theatre, although I have been going in costumes to pre-school since I was 3 years old. My mother is Serbian, from Belgrade, and my father is from Croatia, and growing up in a small town in Croatia, I used to be bullied a lot in school because of my roots. Acting was a gateway to alternate my present, and when I wasn’t acting, I was fantasizing about all the characters I could be-especially all the ones that would beat those bullies up. When I turned 18 I didn’t plan to pursue theatre further because I started working as a model and I started to travel internationally, getting a lot of big campaigns, and my life transformed into this glamorous, hectic, fame-filled frenzy. One week in Miami shooting a commercial, then flying to Mexico for a campaign shoot, then three days in Berlin, a month in Milan.. and the list goes on and on. It sounds amazing, and it is in the beginning, but in the long run it means living out of a suitcase, and I was always more a type of person who loves routines, stability. In the showbiz world I met an agent who proposed doing auditions for tv and movie roles, so I quit modelling, went back to school and after a year started doing auditions. My company was up and running well by then so for the first time after a while I stopped with the hectic lifestyle, moved to Rome, and focused back on my first passion. Acting always brought me back to life, reminded me of my values, and it’s the main reason I love that profession. Funny how interpreting someone else can either make you forget or remind you better of who you really are.

Are there any Croatian or international actors who have influenced or inspired your work?

All my life I loved iconic film divas, especially Italian actress Virna Lisi! She was, in my eyes, an epitome of elegance, fierceness and kindness and I always looked up to her. However, it was my theatre and acting colleagues who, more than anyone, taught me discipline and dedication, made me see the world of acting through their eyes, and each one of them had a unique approach to it. One of my dear friends Alexander Petrov has been one of the biggest inspirations for me and the most amazing actor I have ever had the chance to work with. 

What have been some of your favorite roles or characters you’ve portrayed in your acting career?

I loved playing Anka, in “Fosca Innocenti”. She was somewhat of a Bond girl- looks that kill, literally! A beautiful foreign woman secretly working as a spy. It was fun to interpret her, and I took some of my inspiration from the “Lara Croft” character! The only thing I was missing was a handful of guns, haha!
Other roles I did were also interesting, but I have to admit- I love playing the bad guy!
I had an upcoming audition for a gangster movie featuring Leonardo DiCaprio and Anne Hathaway, where I would interpret exactly a role like that, but I had just found out about my pregnancy then, so I never made the audition. My current role was more important to me, without any doubts, and if it’s meant to be there will be other opportunities in the future.

You play Russian Girl in The Palace, a film directed by Roman Polanski. What was it like to collaborate with the famous director?

Working with Roman has been great. There is this stigma about him and obviously a lot of controversy, but on the set my personal experience was that everything was extremely professional. Sometimes we, as people, cannot let our personal opinions cloud our professionalism or influence some kind of judgment about others. I learned to keep my honest opinions to myself a long time ago in this business. That said, he is a marvelous artist with such a unique approach to cinema. Working with him intensely for two months has been more educational than years in acting school. He has this wonderful approach where he treats the set like a theatre – everything needs to be set perfect for the scene, up till the last detail, we then perform our ten second scenes without audience for hours, and when he decides to turn on the cameras, he films everything in two takes. The true art of filmmaking. He is not a director who relies on post-production or special effects, everything needs to be as authentic as possible. 

Besides being a model and actress, what pushed you to approach the entrepreneurial world?

Modeling and acting are professions with extreme ups and downs, like beeing a freelancer in general. You never know if a period will be busy or not. I was aware of this since I started working as a model, so I approached it like a side hustle which I used to gather capital for my first startup. Also, I always wanted to do something where I can express myself and my ideas freely. In showbusiness, you’re mainly a tool for someone else’s vision, which is great, but in entrepreneurship, you really have the power to bring your ideas, products or services to the people in your own, unique way. That’s how Ambìnca, my swimwear and beachwear brand was born. With time I realized I wanted more so I’m currently working on a new startup which will be something completely different, but I’m always up for the challenge so we’ll see how it goes.

What do you enjoy most about the creative process of acting, and how do you approach the art of storytelling through your performances?

It depends, if I work with directors who have their own vision which they want to be brought to life, I approach it kind of like… meeting a new friend. I study the character, try to get to know her, what are her likes, her fears, her motivators. It’s hard when the character is very different to your personality, especially when they make choices which directly contradict your morals and values, but acting teaches you not to judge, so it’s important being kind on yourself through that process. If I have the freedom of bringing some interpretation to a certain character, I always put a bit of me inside or I make the character how I would want to be as a person. If I’m sometimes too shy to stand up for myself, I make the character unapologetic and loud! Then I “test” it on set, and I think “Okay I can do this in real life too! It’s not THAT scary!” This process often helped me grow and gave me the courage to work on myself. It is the same for both acting and modeling, I would say. With acting it simply takes more patience, it requires more time, more attention to detail, more dedication.

At this year’s film festival in Venice, you announced your pregnancy. Are you ready for this (life) role?

From the moment I first saw my husband I was ready to spend the rest of my life with him, raising children is just one of many experiences we are going through together and it’s truly amazing. I don’t think anyone is ever ready for that, but honestly how many things in life have you been ready for? You just try your best and enjoy the process, because the process is what life is all about, and I am just so grateful to be able to share that with my soulmate.

Do you have any advice for aspiring actresses who are just starting their journey, also for other expectant mothers, who might look up to you as a role model?

You will forever be in a state of learning, growing, and healing. You do not have to be “fully ready” to go after that dream, to apply for that job, to give or receive love, or to get to that next level. The important thing is to be brave and keep going after what makes your heart and soul happy. I feel like a lot of women need to hear this- suffering is not an achievement! The struggle is real, but if you own both your mistakes and your victories, life will reward you with the most unexpected, beautiful twists and turns. With this mindset, I guarantee you will not be the “perfect person”, a “perfect mother” or a “perfect” anything, but you sure will be the most authentic and loving you, and nothing bad can ever come from a place of true acceptance, love, and honesty.

TEAM:
Photo & creative direction: Irina Lis Costanzo @liscostanzo
Style: Andrea Amara @hamarand
Hair: Giovanni Iovino @giovanni28iovino
Mua: Vasile Longhi @vassyvassy_
Assistant of photographer: Dario Fiume
Assistant of stylist: Ilaria Maltezze, Mattia Marcassa Barbieri
Production: Ekaterina Antonovskaya @kate.producer
Location: ATMOSPHERA Studio Milano @atmosphera.studio.milano
Set designer: Ninel Galluccio @ninel_ga