Winner: Best Comedy - March 2022 Edition
INTERVIEW
David Tilšer, thank you for speaking to us and congratulations on your performance in Love Me Now… Please.
This movie can be seen as a mind-blowing cinematic voyage at a cross between Pedro Almodóvar and Woody Allen. Would you say this is where the inspiration came from?
Yes, it's possible. When I talked to Devon, he said he was mainly inspired by Blades of Glory and Nacho Libre. But I believe he was also inspired by classics like Woody Allen's films and I like that idea.
Of course it is hard to miss the toilet bowl scene that might look like it’s straight out of Danny Boyle’s Trainspotting and sounds like a tribute to British comedy-drama! How did you approach this scene from an acting point of view?
My preparation consisted in analyzing the characters and what my goal was in the scene —how long I've known my friends, how I relate to them and so on. Anyway, the most important thing is to know the goal of the character in the scene. And in this scene my goal was to get an understanding, or advice on what to do next as a character.
The use of « respectfully » and tongue-in-cheek PC language in the movie is hilarious. Do you see politically correct language as a hurdle to communications?
Absolutely. Political correctness can cause communication problems. It can make a lot of people afraid to express their true feelings, and that's not good.
Todd and other characters in this movie express themselves in fluent English, but with a strong foreign accent. Does this add to the drama or to the comedy effect? Does this show what it is like to be an alien in America or a foreigner in another country?
I think it actually helped the comedy. Some expressions can sound funnier with an accent than without. Another thing this movie should show is that lead roles aren't just for native speakers, which is still common. Even actors with accents deserve their place, and often an accent can help a character. In the case of Todd's character, I think the accent definitely helped.
Do you relate mental illness with the Covid 19 pandemic?
Of course, some mental illnesses may have something to do with Covid 19. Covid 19 was very hard on our psyches. Hopefully Covid will slowly go away, and we can soon forget about it and live our lives to the full.
David, you spent two years with Goose on a String Theatre, which is very successful around Europe. How does theatre compare to cinema? Tell us about your upcoming projects.
Theater and film are different. The camera doesn't like theatrical acting. It's important to be natural in front of the camera. Not to overplay. That is the key for good filming acting. And about my upcoming project, I would love to make my own film. I'm already working on it, I don't want to give any more details yet, but I'm sure you now have something to look forward to! I'm writing a script right now. Wish me luck.
Short statement describing your vision of the post-covid cinema, do you think there will be notable changes?
In my opinion, Covid has only accelerated what the modern age is moving towards. Cinema is no longer trendy and there is a general decline in interest in long films in the cinema.
Just look at what's most popular and that's primarily series on streaming services.
They're shorter than movies, which suits modern society today and they don't need to go to the cinema for them.
Cinemas will always be around, but there will never be as much interest in them as there used to be. It's a different time and different opportunities. Streaming services will be bigger and bigger. That's my prediction for post-Covid cinema.
BIO
David Tilšer
ACTOR
David Tilšer is an actor from Prague, Czech Republic. He is fluent in Czech and English language. He started acting at a young age in acting school Studio Racek in Brno, Czech Republic.
David is known for his lead roles in three award-winning short films: Coming Back which won the Audience Award at the European Short Film Festival in Berlin, Out Of Reach which won The Best Film at the Multifest in Prague and Love Me Now...Please which won "Best Comedy" in March at the Cannes World Film Festival - Remember the Future.
David starred also in the Czech TV shows, Temný Kraj and Slunecná where he plays alongside established Czech actors, Lukás Vaculík and Otakar Brousek ml.
David showed his comedic talent in the commercials for Techloop where he played the CEO of a startup company. The series of commercials were well-received by the audience.
David spent two years with Goose on a String Theatre which occupies a unique place on the map of European theatre and is very successful around Europe.
David is very experienced with Meisner and substitution acting techniques. He has attended many MasterClasses by Hollywood coaches Tom Logan and Bernand Hiller.
His main acting teacher is Prague acting coach Ivo Consi with whom he has been working on his acting regularly for more than three years.
Apart from acting, David does a lot of sport activities. He mainly focuses on soccer and running.
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Interview: Isabelle Rouault-Röhlich