Renos Haralambidis has been an actor and director for more than three decades. He has starred in old-time classic television series, successful commercials, films and emblematic theatrical performances.
- Reno, I would like to thank you for accepting to do this interview and to ask you how you feel about the movie "Cheap Cigarettes" becoming a musical on the alternative stage of the National Opera House.
It is my pleasure that you give me an opportunity to communicate more directly with the Greeks of the Greek community. It is a great honor for me that the National Opera chose a film that I wrote and directed, to stage it as a musical on the alternative stage. It is the first time it has made such an artistic attempt since its establishment.
- At its first view several years ago, the film did not receive the best reviews; what do you think went wrong then and what has changed today?
I do not have a definite answer. Probably that time was looking for other things. At the time when Greece was entering the big consumer party in the late '90s, I decided to talk about romanticism. Misplaced. I paid dearly for it.
- Do you have faith in yourself that you can change things and lead them in the direction you want?
I built my faith in myself without having delusions. There are things that I can change and things that I cannot change but I can simply influence them. However, I feel neither omnipotent nor “a wing in the wind”.
- Which collaborations are strongly etched in your memory? And which collaborations did you regret?
At the Art Theater, playing Shakespeare's "Julius Caesar" and touring Italy, I acquired my most vividly engraved memory. I do not regret the works that I have done because even if many times the result was not good, I gave the best I could at that time and under those conditions.
- Have you made all your dreams come true? And what are the ones you have not accomplished yet?
The majority of my goals have been achieved. Now I set new goals in the context of my maturity.
- I am sure that many must have asked you this question: why didn’t you create a family? And said that shared joy is a double joy if you had a relationship. But do families and relationships often hold people back from creating freely?
Dimitris Horn in the classic film of the Greek cinema "I KALPIKI LYRA" said that the artist should not get married. This has a strong dose of truth. But things are also subjective. Everyone has his or her own personal route.
- You are one of the few Greek actors who is grounded in reality without having the arrogance of the artist. How difficult is this for someone to manage?
I became famous at an old age and after hard work. I went up all the stairs. From an extra actor to a protagonist. This made me have very good contact with reality.
- In recent years, there have been remarkable television and film works in Greece that can be comparable to foreign standards. What is your opinion?
Greece no longer belongs to the third world in terms of production. A new era has begun and Greece will make great leaps. Greek creators have found themselves.
- Do you think that life is moments and how do you experience them?
I believe that in the end, the moments are not enough. The flow is important.
- What was your experience entering the political arena a few years ago?
I am one of those people who do not want to be a spectator. It is better to be trampled by a bull in the arena than to watch from the arena’s stand. It’s the same with politics. When Greece was in the center of the absolute storm, I decided to take a position. I do not regret it.
- Had you noticed that there was violence in the art world all these years?
I had nothing to do with these business circles. We had never worked together. I had stayed away from all that.
- Artistically, what do you expect from yourself in the future?
I'm dedicated to my new film "NIGHT BROADCASTER" which I hope will be completed in 2022.
Translation: Helen Sergiou
