MO: Do you feel any pressure when it comes to your next steps?
BB: I don’t feel outside pressure, because no one is pressuring me in any way. But I do feel it inside. It’s probably because Corpus Christi had such a massive impact on people, so all of my next roles will be compared to that performance. It’s not anything unusual. It would probably be a bit easier for me to handle Corpus Christi’s success if it had happened a bit more… gradually. But I guess one could argue that it was a role I was working towards gradually my whole life.
But the truth is, no one really expected the film to do so well. Nobody could believe it until the very last moment. Of course, from the moment we were allowed to compete for the Oscar nomination, from the moment [Corpus Christi] became the Polish candidate for the prize, we did our best to represent the film well – but in a relaxed way, with the awareness that we were already grateful, it was already amazing and more had happened than we could’ve even imagined.
I was already happy when I found out that the movie would premiere in Venice [at the 76th Venice Film Festival]. And it turned out that literally, the whole avalanche was waiting for us. So it was quite a surprising success, but today, it’s all over, and it’s time to take on something else.
MO: How do you think your return to reality will look?
BB: The thought of living in Warsaw, the everyday and my dog during this whole ordeal was very stabilising. In January, I came back to Poland for a few days to play in The Debt (Dług) at the Nowy Theatre in Kraków and to receive a Polityka Passport award (ed.: a very prestigious cultural award given by Polityka weekly).
This short visit home didn’t let me unstick myself from the other parallel life I was leading. Acting in Kraków, I was so happy to meet with people who experienced what we were doing every day in such a lively way. It was incredibly helpful to have this small stop, a slowing down of sorts amidst all of the craziness. Now it’s easier to go back.
I’m flying to Poland in a few hours, and it’s back to the stage: first, Mother Joan of the Angels at the Nowy Theatre; then, in March, we resume performances of Cinderella at the Stary Theatre in Kraków. So I am going back to plays, which I was performing in a long while ago, and my hair grew back…
MO: Do you think about the fact that you may no longer be able to take a walk with your dog without being recognised?
BB: I haven’t thought about it… But, now that you’ve asked, I do feel a little shiver of anxiety. Like I said, my face was an emblem of the film because it was constantly on screen. I guess one can remember it. We’ll see how my tram trip to rehearsals goes. I wonder if anything will change. Whilst it’s still winter, I can hide behind my scarf. But maybe no one will care. You never know.