Hi, my name is Christopher Jaciow. I’m a Polish actor living in London. My journey with acting begun when my music teacher, Maria Daszkiewicz and Polish literature teacher, Anna Pisarska cast me as Little Prince in The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. I was 8 years old and we managed to win a regional competition. At that point, I thought it was something cool, but that was it for a while.
indieactivity: How did you become an actor?
Christopher: I remember seeing Star Wars: A New Hope for the first time and that moment when Darth Vader enters through the door of Tantive IV (I am a nerd by the way). That was couple of years after The Little Prince and I thought what is that?! How do you get to do this, basically I want to do that! (points at screen). After that, I was always in something that involved performing. I did plays or had my own bands, some of which were very theatrical. Then I decided to commit to acting full time, moved from Poland to London with £50 in my pocket. Looked for work to support myself and started doing courses and any kind of acting work that came along, etc. Don’t tell me it can’t be done attitude kind of.
Posters and photos #Hurricane #Squadron303 release date.https://t.co/Tajvdtd11Q #casting by the Hubbards #Director David Blair @chris_jaciow #featurefilm #history #WW2 #Polish pic.twitter.com/nnI8oi0qnB
— ShackAttack YA (@ShackAttackYA) April 25, 2018
indieactivity: What acting technique do you use?
Christopher: Subconsciously, I tend to use method acting, so Stanislavsky, but I mix Strasberg, Adler and Meisner to create my own little bigos (it is a Polish stew by the way). To learn that, I had to do courses, read books and research myself. Knowing what is wrong with you is very helpful (wink, wink)
indieactivity: What wrong impressions do actors hold about acting?
Christopher: I would say that acting is not about you. It is about your character, other characters, the crowd, the machines that record you, the props you hold, etc. That person you are, bring a percentage of him or her, your experiences, the rest leave outside or sitting on a chair, they can come back when they shout cut or during the intermission.
indieactivity: Do you take courses to improve your craft?
Christopher: I do, yes. When you are poor, there are great free courses you can find. Whatever it is, as long as you can play/work with others. There is an abundance of material on the internet which is helpful. Also, if you keep your eyes and ears open, there are so many, people, things and places that can improve you as a performer. Just have an open and healthy mind.
Christopher Jaciow as Dzidek in Hurricane (Squadron 303) The story of a group of brave Poles who fought in the skies over England in WW2
indieactivity: What acting books do you read?
Christopher: Classics are good, An Actor Prepares – Constantin Stanislavsky for one, funny enough someone stole it from me when I was sitting in a restaurant, but I hope they will read it and learn something.
indieactivity: How do you keep fit as an actor?
Christopher: Physically, gym is good, running is good too and swimming. I am very boring, don’t drink often, do not smoke. In general, just get up and move = results. Mental part of the question is harder, for me at least. Trust me, depression can get to you. This is not the easiest path in the world. Well you have to fight that shadow, imagine it being some funny cartoon monster if it helps. Surround yourself with good people. Go to performances, see movies, play a video game, listen to music and maybe the shadow will go away. And very important, any kind of work definitely helps a ton.
indieactivity: How do you prepare for a role?
Christopher: I create a folder and read the script a couple of times (magic markers are your friend). I collect pictures of anything connected to the character, try to outline the physical transformation. Oh, there is this exercise I do, where you learn lines and then walk, each time there is a punctuation mark you walk into a different direction. Helps with the lines if something unexpected happens.
indieactivity: How do you create a character from a script into a person?
Christopher: I tend to see the character while reading the script. Then there is a question how the character looks, breathes, walks, etc. Then just adjust, learn lines, sleep, wake up, learn lines, adjust. Go outside and talk to strangers as the character. Oh and last minute adjustments are good too, if something doesn’t work, any time is good to fix it.
Bern Collaço, Glen Carroll, Nick Donald, Dante Briggins, Jair Burgos, Christopher Jaciow, Tyrone Love, Ross Moneypenny, Tobias James-Samuels, David M. Santana, Andrew Mackinnon, Steve Doyle, and Chris Adams in Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi (2017)
indieactivity: How do you stay fresh on a production set?
Christopher: Drink fluids, since healthy body, healthy soul. Sometimes it is good to talk to someone, sometimes it is ok to be a recluse and be with yourself. I try to trust myself with the judgement which one is the right option at a given time.
indieactivity: Describe a memorable character you played?
Christopher: I did this interactive play, called “You Me Bum Bum Train” in 2012. The characters name was Jason Foley and he was a drug dealer. The thing is the character had to be improvised every time we did the show, since I made a choice to to play it of the members of the crowd. So Jason Foley was aggressive, next time he was quiet, then shouting at his girlfriend and so on. All of it was in constant motion and I never knew what I will have to be next time. It may sound very schizophrenic, but it was such great fun.
indieactivity: Explain one creative choice you took on set?
Christopher: I remember once we did this scene between a husband and a wife in bed and the director came over and she said it was good. But I felt in her mind it was not “it”, there was something to improve upon, if you know what I mean. So the next one, before the dialogue I started to hum and sing to the wife and then went with the dialogue. Such a simple thing improved on the dynamic and we all enjoyed the outcome. Giving people options is a good thing, trusting your gut too.
indieactivity: What do you want most from a director?
Christopher: To have a safe environment to perform. Once you have that, sky is the limit.
indieactivity: What actors do you long to work with?
Christopher: Heath Ledger, in the after life.
indieactivity: Why?
Christopher: First time I saw Heath Ledger in “10 Things I hate about you”, I thought he was someone special. It was around year 2000, I was 16 at the time. Such a talent.
indieactivity: What advice would you give to actors?
Christopher: Live your life the best way you can, don’t hurt others. Find your passion and just do it. Get balls of steel.
indieactivity: Briefly write about your career?
Christopher: Jason Foley in You Me Bum Bum Train. I mentioned this play already, I guess it just opened me more to unpredictability and how to deal with it, how to have a character who changes but stays the same. Pretty memorable.
Wojtus in Night Bus, directed by Simon Baker. The buzz the movie got in media took me by surprise. It was the directors passion project. So much heart in that one.
Hurricane, directed by David Blair. I am currently working on a feature film about World War 2. I can not say much about it, since it is quite secretive at this point. But the opportunity to play a real, heroic person is such an honour. I will do my best to do him justice.
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