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Swedish-Australian guest Lukas Loughran was invited to participate in the panels of the FEST PRO segment of the 52nd International Festival FEST on the topic of casting. In recent years, the award-winning Swedish-Australian actor played, among other things, in the TV series ‘Krypton’,
the zombie apocalypse ‘Death Do Us Part’ (Zoo), ‘The Postcard Killings’, directed by Oscar winner Danis Tanović.
He won the Best Actor Award at the 2010 Los Angeles Film Awards, the 2017 European Film Award for Best Actor and was nominated for Best Actor at the Madrid International Film Festival in 2015. He is the main villain in the award-winning Netflix miniseries ‘The Billion Dollar Code’ and stars in the Sky's series ‘The Lazarus Project’. On the international cinema screen, he appears in the film ‘Hilma’, the latest feature film by Lasse Hallström.
";I am happy and honored to be able to share my experience. Because technology is opening new doors for us since we all have phones with small film makers in our pockets. It allows us actors to expand the market. I would like to encourage actors wherever they come from to take the opportunity and look for work not only in their country but all over the world"; said the actor.
What impression did you get after the FEST Pro panel?
I have the impression that there are many good film industry workers here, which is the reason why many foreign crews come to work here. These are great people from the film industry and great actors from the same cultural milieu, with a rich theatre and film offer. My impression is that there are many ambitious people here, who should be led to think that they should not only work in Serbia, but that they can work internationally. And since numerous foreign crews come to shoot films here, there is a great chance to be a part of those projects. In acting business, it has always been like that, I have to look for work. A lot of actors think that the problem is that they do not work enough, that it is because they do not get enough opportunities to work, but the truth is that we all have to look for opportunities to work. To find a job, to present ourselves. And I want to help anyone who is interested in how to present themselves better.
What is your secret, how to have a job all around the world?
It is not much of a secret, I try to be the best actor I can be, but also to constantly learn and improve my skill. I actually think I started doing more around the world when I became happy with myself, with who I am. A lot of actors try to be someone else because that is what acting is, taking on the role of someone. Interpreting a character is that, becoming someone else. However, to become someone else, you have to find yourself. It was necessary for me to be satisfied with myself, the way I move, the way I walk, my accents, the languages I speak. That makes me special. When you are proud of it and when you realize that you are unique and that you should show it, you can play every role in the right way.
What is good acting in your opinion?
Acting today means that you impose some of your expressions that are written in the script, that I can make that scenario suit me. When I weave a character into my capabilities, it becomes good fun, good acting. When I was younger, I thought it was better to fit into certain molds. If I have a shorter beard, shorter hair, they can fit me into what is required, they just need to see my talent as an actor. It does not work that way. The market is looking for a finished product, it is looking for
something special. I believe that everyone is special in their own way, different. However, people are afraid to show that they are different for fear of being judged. But that is what acting is: to lay bare your emotions, lay yourself bare and allow the audience to see into your soul and heart. Use those things that are inside you to touch the audience. However, that does not happen if you are not honest with yourself first. And that is my secret, which is not a secret at all. Therefore, to lay bare oneself in order to touch others, but this cannot be done without faith in the uniqueness of the inner being.
This is not your first time in Serbia?
I shot a film here in Belgrade in 2017, which is yet to be released, with Scott Adkins. I hope people here will want to see it because it was filmed here. I spent almost a month in Serbia and fell in love with Belgrade, Serbia and the people here. When I go to the first kiosk to buy something sweet and ask if anyone knows English, everyone says they do. However, they do not always know, yet everyone is willing to help, everyone is benevolent, kind. People are friendly and that makes Belgrade a hospitable place, with a rich, exciting history, but also a fatal one, especially from the nineties. I fell in love with Belgrade, the food and I met a lot of wonderful people from work and outside of it. These are good people making good films.
