Dana Vávrová
(Elsbeth)
Vávrová was born in Prague in 1967. She began acting as a child, and landed the lead in the German television series, "Ein Stück Himmel," for which she won numerous awards. While working on this series, she met Joseph Vilsmaier , who was the director of photography, and the two married. As a director, Vilsmaier cast Vávrová in his award-winning film, AUTUMN MILK (1988) and RAMA DAMA (1990).
Vávrová does not want to single out any of her acting roles because each has had a major impact on her life and her career. "Elsbeth is very close to me. There are parallels to my own life. She is a muse to Elias, much as I would like to be for my husband. Therein also lies the difference: Elsbeth cannot collaborate creatively with Elias or inspire him, but that works in my life with Joseph Vilsmaier . Elsbeth radiates a simplicity and a positive naiveté that I have long lost. My friends have to understand that I always say what I am thinking and feeling. This guides Elsbeth in the same way, so that I - as a woman of the 20th century - can relate to her completely."
Joseph Vilsmaier says of Dana Vávrová, "People always think, sure, he casts his own wife. That's ridiculous. I choose Dana Vávrová because she is an exceptional actress, who quite magnificently manages to look inside a character. Yes, she almost transforms herself. Which, by the way, is difficult because at home for weeks after we finished shooting she continued to be Elsbeth, not Dana."
Last Modified 05-September-1996
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