The famous actor Richard Sammel, now playing in the new movie Inglourious Bastards directed by Quentin Tarantino, is currently at the Alter Ego workshop week to give acting classes. Although his fully booked agenda he found time for the project in Denmark. StampMedia had an interview with him about his passion for acting and his other goals in life.
You are a fully booked actor, what made you join the Alter Ego project?
I’m an artist, not a moneymaker. It is for me of the utmost importance to be happy. Money and succes don’t make me happy. It is for that reason that I came to Denmark. The togetherness, the different languages that are involved in this project make me feel happy. I love the combination of disciplines, languages and countries. I couldn’t refuse this rich experience.
Artists have a mission in life to improve the world (not in a moral way). It is my duty to make people discover things. Everybody has wishes and dreams inside themselves. Dare to realize them. I want my students to learn the meaning of commitment, so they can achieve their goals in life.
What is your goal in life?
I’m a very hungry person. I have the needs of an elephant therefore I have to eat like an elephant to be happy. I always want to go higher and deeper. I want to surprise myself. But my hunger is more than my capacity. One of the goals I currently have in mind is to study in America so I can be qualified for Amercian movies. I mostly played in French movies, but I hope that my role in the new movie of Quentin Tarantino will give the opportunity to play in other American movies.
Tell us more about your role in the movie Inglourious Bastards?
It is based on an old Italian movie: American guys going to Europe to haunt nazis. I play sergeant Werner Rachtman, one of the bad nazis in the movie. The Germans are the bad guys while the Americans are the good guys. I’m very happy to be part of the adventure. I like the artistic value in the movie. I don’t care if I’m the good guy or the bad guy. You just can’t refuse to work with Tarantino. He created a feeling of togetherness a month before the shooting. We partied every week, the whole crew was welcome, even those who took care of coffee and thea during the breaks. We were one big family before the shooting started. That’s what I like about Tarantino.
Why did you become an actor?
I’m interested in the secret of human behaviour. I first wanted to study psychology, the medical, illness side of the human being. But I discovered that human behaviour is an endless proces. It is bigger than the secret of life. You won’t find it in a life time.
In what language do you prefer to play?
Every language opens a new universe. I can speak four different languages; French, German, Italian and Spanisch. When I speak in French, it’s like playing a certain musical instrument. German is another instrument. I don’t want to choose between a piano or a guitar.
Alter Ego - Workshop Week | covered by StampMedia 