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PEOPLE & ARTS Saturday 29 december 2018

A star-making role for Joanna Kulig in ‘Cold War’

By LINDSEY BAHR meetings. She’s met Brad
Associated Press Pitt, Timothee Chalamet,
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Quincy Jones and Lady
name Joanna Kulig might Gaga at various awards
not ring a bell for the majori- events. Steven Spielberg
ty of American moviegoers, wanted to meet with her.
but that could all change And she’s already filmed a
in the coming weeks with part in the Amazon adap-
the theatrical expansion tation of “Hanna.”
of “Cold War.” The Polish “I’m open,” Kulig said of
drama from “Ida” director her plans going forward. “I
Pawel Pawlikowski about like new experiences in life
a singer, Zula (Kulig) and and new cultures.”
a musician, Wiktor (Tomasz Pawlikowski thinks she
Kot), “doomed” to love could be destined for big-
one another has made ger roles in Hollywood films
Kulig someone-to-watch too, provided she has the
on the international stage. right material and director.
With a timeless movie star (“It’s not like actors just turn
quality that only comes up and do something,” he
along every so often, Kulig said.)
has been compared to ev- “The good thing is she’s
eryone from Jennifer Law- got her head screwed on
rence to “Jules and Jim”- In this Dec. 3, 2018 photo, Joanna Kulig, a cast member in the Polish film “Cold War,” poses for a the right way. She’s not
era Jeanne Moreau. portrait at the The London West Hollywood hotel in West Hollywood, Calif. a young girl just starting. I
Kulig, 36, had enjoyed rela- Associated Press think she’ll make the right
tive success working in film through the decades. your own world,” she said. ed, everyone is asleep in choices. She’s got poten-
and television in Poland, in Kulig likened their romance “Because when you’re an Poland when it’s daytime tial. She has a unique per-
projects like “Elles” with Ju- to that of Marilyn Monroe actor, it’s this wonderful in California. sonality. It’s rare to come
liette Binoche, and in “Ida,” and Arthur Miller, and its job, but like you are in one Now she’s back on the West across someone so origi-
where she played a pop universal appeal to “Casa- subject for a long time. It’s Coast again, although this nal and genuine,” he said.
star. But when “Cold War” blanca.” a very big psychological time it’s hardly a vacation. “She’s a very truthful, spon-
premiered at the Cannes “He was intellectual, more process ... You have to find She’s bouncing around be- taneous and in the mo-
Film Festival earlier this year educated, very warm and your own place and come tween press engagements, ment person. She lights up.
(and an “eight-minute calm, and Zula was quite back to your own life.” “Cold War” screenings and And she doesn’t lie which is
standing ovation”), Kulig like Marilyn Monroe like a And, importantly, she add- awards events and industry strange for an actor.”q
found herself in a spotlight wounded bird, like sensitive
that has yet to dim. and emotional but at the
“For me it’s very exciting. same time distracted be-
I’m very happy about Pol- cause of her difficult child-
ish films and more and hood,” she said.
more people from the Pawlikowski said he made
states can learn about Pol- Kulig watch Lauren Bacall
ish film, Polish culture — this to get the “timing and de-
is one thing — but another, livery down.”
this is very new situation “The Zula character is quite
and very new for me how nasty at times and quite
film works,” Kulig said re- sarcastic and Joanna
cently in Los Angeles. “We doesn’t have that in her
did Cannes, it was some- character,” he said.
thing very big. There was a “Joanna won the award
big standing ovation and for the best actress at the
Julianne Moore and Beni- Cairo Film Festival. The lo-
cio del Toro, they cried and cal audiences adored her,
they said, ‘Thank you for but they were furious at me
this.’ I was surprised, you for having made the film
know? I’d never been in a in black and white,” Paw-
situation like that.” likowski said. “They said,
“Cold War” has struck a ‘She’s so beautiful! Why
chord around the world. would you have made the
Achingly beautiful, tantaliz- film in black and white?’”
ingly brief (at 88 minutes), The film proved so emo-
the film is a musical odys- tionally taxing on Kulig that
sey as Zula, an ambitious once it was complete she
and talented girl from the and her husband escaped
wrong side of the tracks in- to California for a month,
tent on survival, and Wiktor, exploring the coast and
an urbane musician who is the national parks in a rent-
taken by Zula’s feral cha- ed car.
risma, chase one another “It was great. You travel,
across the eastern bloc it’s empty, you can be in