#curtiz

How did you end up in Hungary?

I come from a little fishing village in Northern Ireland. I visited Budapest for the first time in 93, just after the regime change. I was traveling with friends and I was captivated by the city's beauty and culture. Then I ended up meeting a Hungarian girl in Dublin, even though there weren't many Hungarians living there at the time. I immediately started learning Hungarian and it wasn't long before we moved to Budapest. That was 15 years ago.

You're a writer, screenwriter, and actor, but in what order?

Actually I call myself a "filmmaker", that covers everything. I must have been around 6 or 7 when I asked Santa for a typewriter for Christmas. My mother was a tv editor, she's still writing novels to this day, so writing came naturally to me. I wrote my first play as a schoolkid. My grandfather and great-grandfather were fishermen, so was my father. My grandfather was a great storyteller, he created a tradition in the family. My affinity for directing probably comes from my father, since he was captain of his fishing boat.

How did you end up making movies?

I was 20 when my younger sister asked me to accompany her to an audition. Unfortunately she didn't get chosen, but I did. It was a Hollywood indie production (The Secret of Roan Inish) based on an old Irish tale about a seal-girl who turns into a beautiful human girl and must stay with you forever if you steal her skin... It was a great experience, that's where I met legendary cinematographer Haskell Wexler and director John Sayler, both of whom impressed me with their work. It was also there that I learned that a director can also be soft-spoken and nice, he had a huge impact on me. From then on my goal was to work in the film industry.

Is being nice that important?

Yes. Besides going to auditions as an actor and writing screenplays, I also work as a communication trainer. When my daughters ask me about my work, I tell them I teach people how to be nice to each other.

In contrast, you play quite the controversial character in Curtiz...

I admit that I find it more exciting to play villains. What I found interesting in this role is that despite seeming like a real American hero in the beginning who takes the poor girl under his wing, my character causes an unpleasant surprise in the end. I really hope the movie will be a hit. Casablanca is a classic, and it's really interesting that the movie was directed by a Hungarian. (The movie's about the making of Casablanca.) Not to mention that it's bilingual and black-and-white, which really creates a period atmosphere. It was a pleasure to work in such a familial environment, with so many talented people.

Are you more of a writer or more of an actor?

I enjoy acting, I like focusing on a single character, but that's only one part of filmmaking. Writing, however, is a lengthy process, it can take years to finish a project. I've been writing a sci-fi story for 5-6 years, for which I've been studying the work of Hungarian Harvard professor Albert-László Barabási. I think science is a part of culture, I'd like my movies to be educational.

You've also starred in a Hungarian series... and you've even written one?

There are a lot of opportunities here in Budapest. Of course I tend to get mostly English language offers. Shooting the AMC show The Terror was a great experience, but I also played an aging Swedish rock star on the Hungarian show 200 első randi (200 first dates). I can safely say the latter was the longest and hardest script of my life, because I had to speak Hungarian. [laughs] I wrote a pilot for RTL's contest called "A hentes" (The Butcher), starring Imre Csuja, Eszter Földes, and Éva Kerekes in the main roles. It's a noir thriller, I hope it premieres on tv soon.

You also star in some Hollywood productions...

I feel very lucky. I played Charlize Theron's driver in Atomic Blonde, and I recently starred in the Netflix show The Witcher. Swords, magical creatures... some say it could be a worthy successor of Game of Thrones. I like watching the pros work, I always learn a lot from them. My experience as a director often gives me an advantage in auditions. For instance, I deviated from the script at my Witcher audition and the director really liked it.

What can we know about your personal life?

I married Zsófi Lévai a year ago. We have very similar interests. She's a fashion designer focusing on the intersection of science, technology, and fashion. We really complement each other, she helps me a lot whenever I'm doing research for my writing. Also, her family is a huge motivating factor in my language learning. Sunday lunches are really difficult, between having to decipher my father-in-law's sophisticated speech and my brother-in-law's local slang. My daughters are 5 and 7 years old, at school and pre-school they just shrug and go: "Nah, Dad doesn't speak Hungarian" even though I've been trying even harder to learn since they were born. [laughs]

Where do you feel most at home?

I like living here. Whenever I travel for work and the city comes into view on the plane ride back, I'm filled with this familiar feeling that this is home. My daughters are here, this is where I've lived the most. My parents visit me often, my mother likes looking for inspiration for her novels in Budapest.

Any hobbies?