ELISA Lasowski loves to dance. She has danced opposite David Bowie, she has danced in the Palace of Versailles, and she is the granddaughter of a tap-dancing Polish soldier. Perhaps it’s in the blood.
The actress, and face of Loewe Solo, talks to Glass about her first artistic love, using fashion as a tool, and the joy of working under female directors.
Elisa Lasowski. Photograph: Benjamin Tietge
In your Loewe TV spot, you talk about individuality and being incomparable. With that being said, is there anyone that particularly influences your personal style?
Up until not all that many years ago, I had zero understanding of how something you wear could shape someone’s perception of you. For me, it was all about what’s in the head and heart. It sounds naive coming from someone who chose to work in a performative field but it’s true. So I wore, and still wear, whatever I felt like, but I didn’t [initially] understand style at all. I knew I liked costumes and dressing up but that was about it. Then a friend who works in fashion taught me and I learnt to use it as a tool.
Elisa Lasowski. Photograph: Benjamin Tietge
Generally, I feel good in clothes that allow me to move…and I love Loewe because there’s something inherently laid back about it…and that’s how I feel real. If I was to look for inspiration I’d be more likely to look at people in the music industry, as dress-wise there exists in [music], overall, a greater sense of expression, I think. The film industry remains very conservative in this for the most part. I received an invite for a red carpet recently and the dress code was called creative chic, encouraging guests to be ‘freer’…HA what? It was a well intentioned attempt but…no…freedom doesn’t fit into a code.
The campaign also showcases your prowess as a dancer, something we’ve seen before in Les Voix Volées. Can you talk about your love of dance, and did it come before you became involved in the cinema?
I trained a lot growing up, yes, and every time I dance I’m reminded that it’s my first love. My grandfather was a dancer. He fought with the Polish army during the Second World War and tap danced for his comrades after battle. I love going out dancing, if I get inspired by the music I’ll be the last one standing. It releases the life force. I love dancing with all my heart.
Elisa Lasowski. Photograph: Benjamin Tietge
Would you consider a role in a musical in the future?
A dramatic scene that suddenly breaks into a song? Anytime! But it would have to be one that doesn’t take itself too seriously.
Now that Versailles is over, what will you miss most about the show?
The sets…they were truly spectacular. I have this thing for sets in general- to me, they are the most magical element of the film making process because they are the most immediate in the sensation they give you. The world you are working to create is right there in front of you. I love the craft of the art department. If I am on a job and the director or part of the script somehow feel off-key, the sets always make up for the loss of connection. They remind me of why it is that I love to do what I do.
Elisa Lasowski. Photograph: Benjamin Tietge
What would you say that you’ve taken away from the experience of reimagining such a fascinating period of French history?
You get to learn a lot about a subject working this way. Actors’ knowledge of things tend to be very eclectic, you randomly get thrown into a very specific world and suddenly you find yourself knowing a lot about it, it’s very enriching.
Elisa Lasowski. Photograph: Benjamin Tietge
You’ve been on some huge productions so far in your acting career- Versailles, Game of Thrones, The Timber – can you share with us what it is like to work on such large sets?
It’s intimidating at first. I guess no two experiences are ever the same, but when sets are bigger, they tend to be less intimate. You don’t work any differently, you learn to adjust to the scale.
Elisa Lasowski. Photograph: Benjamin Tietge
You’re a multi-linguist and have taken on French and English speaking roles. Would you say you prefer acting in French or English?
I’ve been bilingual since I was seven years old, so, in a way, it doesn’t matter, but for some reason, of late, I would say I prefer acting in French. But it isn’t to do with the language itself, it’s the fact that in most of the English-speaking parts I’ve had in the last four years or so, I’ve had to act in a different accent, one that isn’t my own. And that’s an amazing exercise but one extra challenge in achieving flow. So it’s not always the most freeing.
Elisa Lasowski. Photograph: Benjamin Tietge
In a previous interview, you said you were fascinated with regional accents. Do you have a favourite from those you’ve encountered while filming around the world?
Favourite? No, I adore all accents, I don’t discriminate. But having grown up in Holland, I am a Dutch accent master…I can’t say the skill is particularly useful to me though.…but hey. Unless Mike Myers does an Austin Powers come back and I could play his sidekick.
I played Albanian in a film called Hyena. My coach Eri tested my sound on her Albanian friends and although they couldn’t quite locate the exact region of (my accent] they thought I was Albanian too. That made me super proud. Although I only had 10 days to prep I was in a context where the job could be done accurately, and that makes me really happy. As a general rule though, it’s pretty standard for actors to have a thing for accents, it’s just another costume.
Elisa Lasowski. Photograph: Benjamin Tietge
You’ve had parts in a really interesting selection of music videos, appearing for The Bullitts and David Bowie, and often speak of your love of music. Are we likely to hear anything music from Elisa Lasowski in the near future?
Those were very special projects to be involved in. Funnily enough in Run and Hide, The Bullitts and Jay Electronica track I did the video for years prior to being in Blackstar, there is a sample from Bowie’s song Quicksand. These kind of through lines are good. As for my own stuff…not yet.
Elisa Lasowski. Photograph: Benjamin Tietge
What are the biggest challenges you’ve faced in your career?
Until you get a very good lead [role] in something, the kind of character people look up to; are intrigued by; or one that is likeable, a hero or anti-hero… but one that is desirable in some way…in a film that turns out to be good, and does very well at festivals and does very well at awards ceremonies and that you’re good in, of course…[until this happens] you’re going to struggle to open doors. That’s just the way it is. And that’s a lot of elements that need to come together for it to work.
[Maybe] you’re in something that does well, and opens doors, where people’s perception of you and of your character is positive [and] then you’re in something that could turn out to be less good, in a character that defines you in a certain way and you gotta break people’s perception of that so you can move on to the next. It sometimes feels like you can never see the end of it, but these are the challenges we face.
Elisa Lasowski. Photograph: Benjamin Tietge
It all depends on the kind of diversities in your career you are looking for, of course, but when it comes to perceptions, one could argue that being known as one specific thing (so there’s a hook) is a useful thing in show business and art in general…and yet for an actor it’s important to shift perceptions because you don’t want to end up being typecast, so it’s a fine balance.
Being successful in this industry can take a long time, a huge amount of luck, strategising, and an enormous amount of resilience. Being good and improving your skill is super important, particularly if you’re looking for longevity and you take pride in mastery…but, as we know, it’s not the only way to find success.
Elisa Lasowski. Photograph: Benjamin Tietge
What are your greatest achievements (so far) of your career?
I rarely take the time to reflect in this way because I’m not where I want to be yet, I still have so much work to do! But I’m very happy to have worked with great artists so far. The career of an actor is something you build by association, you know: what you choose to lend yourself to. So however big or small the parts, to have had the opportunities to be involved in projects [led] by David Cronenberg, Shane Meadows, David Bowie, Jonathan Anderson, recently Anne Fontaine, and to have worked with some truly amazing actors and photographers, that inspires me very much.
Elisa Lasowski. Photograph: Benjamin TietgeDo you have any exciting film projects in the pipeline that you’re allowed to talk about?
I worked on a film called Sympathy for the Devil set in 1992 during the siege in Sarajevo, playing a war journalist inspired by CNN’s Christiane Amanpour, for whom I have a very big admiration. It will come out later this year. And I just finished filming something in Paris last week.
Elisa Lasowski. Photograph: Benjamin Tietge
Are there any directors you especially admire and hope to work within the future?
There are many I admire … but at the moment I would love to work with more female directors. I am massively generalising of course, so I say this within reason, but in my experience so far it truly is a profoundly different feeling being in the gaze of a woman, and given the world we live in, it really feels so good.
Elisa Lasowski. Photograph: Benjamin TietgeI also believe, as I continue to generalise, that there are human beings – directors – who love other human beings, and that is why they have an interest in filming them. And then there are those who have a more ambiguous relationship to fellow humans … As an actor, you are the recipient of those feelings and at this moment in time, I prefer the former.
It isn’t about the niceness, of course, but something to do with respect. And that’s what I care for these days. The industry is harsh enough as it is. I’ve turned down two jobs recently. The projects were big but the parts were just the same old female cliches and that releases in me a kind of murderous rage…you know what I mean? I’m currently redefining what kind of art I want to serve, and it feels good.
by Charlie Navin-Holder
All photographs: Benjamin Tietge
All clothes Elisa’s own
