How did you come to act in the film Testimony?

My involvement in the film started in the summer of 2007, when I was in Warsaw in connection with some other assignment. The producer approached me with an offer to take the role in a film about John Paul II. My role involved two filming weeks - one in Cracow and one in Rome. At the time, I was making another film in Russia and Israel, but I managed to find almost two free weeks and precisely on the dates when filming had been scheduled. One date corresponded with the filming days in Cracow, the other with those in Rome. That seemed like destiny.

Do you believe in destiny?

Yes, I do.

What was interesting in this offer?

I've been learning all my life and I love getting to know new things. I was as familiar with John Paul II's life as everyone else, because he was a figure known to the whole world. I had read about him and heard a lot. But I didn't know any details from his biography, I had no knowledge of his Cracow period. His life makes a wonderful story. It is a heroic story evolving on many levels. I was particularly impressed by the fact that the producers decided to portray not only the Cracow period, but also what happened in Rome. And I don't mean Rome itself, but also the Vatican. And the Sistine Chapel. It was a great experience and an honour to contribute to the reconstruction of all these scenes.

Was there anything new that you learnt about the Pope?

When you come to know his story, you begin to realise the integrity of his biography and its deep humanism. I wasn't brought up in a communist country and I only read about the system. If you place John Paul II in the context of the times when he grew up and lived, you can see his extraordinary heroism and determination even more clearly.

You had a private audience with Cardinal Dziwisz. How do you remember the Cardinal?

I had a most memorable meeting with Cardinal Dziwisz . He's known to be a great figure of the Catholic Church, but when you have a chance to talk to him face to face, you can also get to know him as a human being. In some sense, Cardinal Dziwisz was always standing in the shadows, he was the Pope's secretary. But his portrayal of the Pope is much more detailed than others, because he had time to get to know the Pope really well. He saw it all through his own eyes. He had the privilege to look at the Pope from various angles.

How do you see the role of the Pope's acting talents in attracting millions of people?

At one point in his life, Karol Wojtyła wanted to become an actor. He had the talent and charisma for acting. But what he was and what he did as a Pope goes far beyond the ordinary stage appeal of an actor. In his case, that was much deeper. An actor's life generally involves some superficiality and playing roles. When the role ends, the actor returns to his normal life, he is himself again. But the Pope was always consistent and clear in what he was for all those years. Moreover, he had an incredible power of influence that still lives on. When you are in Cracow or Rome and talk to people, you can still feel his presence, even though he's no longer with us. People still talk about him.

What are your impressions from filming in the Sistine Chapel?

Working in front of the camera in the Sistine Chapel was a great privilege for me. No film crew with a professional actor had ever obtained permission to shoot there. Obviously, that's why I felt a tremendous responsibility. I didn't want to throw myself into sightseeing, but at the same time I couldn't miss this opportunity. It was quite incredible. I had visited the Sistine Chapel, but always with thousands of other people. As we were left alone in the chapel for several hours and had additional lighting, I could have a much closer look at the frescos than any other tourist. These moments are still vivid for me and I will always remember this experience.

And what do you remember from filming in Cracow?

In Cracow we were shooting on location in several places - also in places that never admit any cameras. Once more I felt honoured being able to work in places unavailable to other film crews. I can remember when on a beautiful, sunny day we were on the set in the snowy landscape of the Błonia meadow. I imagined the vast empty space that was once filled by crowds of believers at the meeting with John Paul II.

How do you remember your visit in Poland?

The great advantage of an actor's life is that it enables you to work in different locations and visit incredible places. Even though you're not a typical tourist then, you still retain some of the curiosity of a tourist. An actor has the privilege to see places typical tourists have no access to. When you work in a foreign country, you can talk to local people, which gives you additional perspective. This is how it was in Poland too. I spent only a couple of days here though and I'd like to come back for a longer visit.

In your career, you've had a chance to work with lots of film crews from many countries. How did you get along with the Polish crew?

The Polish crew was the worst one I've ever come across (laughter). No, of course, I'm only joking. Seriously, working with the Polish crew was a real pleasure for me. We generally speak the same language, the language of film, although with different accents. And thank God for that! Every film set is the same in that respect. When you start work, you are all strangers, but at the end of the day you are usually in the company of friends. You feel happy and relieved because you've completed the project, but on the other hand you feel sad, because it's time to say goodbye.