2024-03-09 08:59:06
The actor who associated his name with the golden age of Greek cinema reveals why he could not have been a politician and explains why his grandchildren are… four-legged!
He is one of the biggest Greek stars. Kostas Voutsas has tirelessly served his art for 63 years and has learned, as he says, to give life to his years and not years to his life. At this time, he is filming for the second part of the movie “Island” and promoted his role in “Lysistrata”. With this show, he will tour the region this summer with his colleagues, but above all his friends Thymios Karakatsanis, George Konstantinou, Vassilis Tsivilikas, George Partsalakis and Vasias Triphyllis. “In Aristophanes’ play women abstain from sex and companionship to persuade their men to stop the war. So we are now abstaining from everything to stop the troika from…drinking our blood” says the actor, pointing out how timeless the ancient author remains.
Q.: What is the greatest asset and what is the greatest flaw of the average Greek?
ANS.: His advantage is his endurance and his flaw is that he does not get up to hunt down those who rule us, take the money they stole from them and put it in the coffers of the state.
Q: If you were mayor or MP for a month what is the first thing you would do?
A.: I could not be a politician even for a day. I don’t need to steal anyway. But you don’t have time to change this crap in a month. For centuries we have been ruled by the vote, kickbacks and bribery. That’s why we got to this point.
Q: Which person from Greek history or mythology would you like to be and why?
ANS: What I am, Kostas Voutsas (laughs)!
Q: Did you go vote in the last election?
ANS.: I always go and unfortunately the rate of abstinence is so high. We must vote against those in power. No white! These work in favor of bipartisanship.
Q: What is your opinion on the IMF and the troika?
ANS: I do it on myself (laughs)!
Q: Are you for or against the smoking ban?
ANSWER: I have never smoked in my life, but I can’t forbid the other person either. If he is polite and civilized by entering a place where some people do not smoke, he will smoke fewer cigarettes. I hate cigars though. That’s why I’m in favor of the ban. Most people who smoke cigars are regular smokers!
Q: What’s the biggest sacrifice you’ve made for money and fame?
A.: I have not made such sacrifices. I say this after 63 years of work. Everything came easily to me. Even now that I am 80 years old I still work. Money always came easily into my hands. And this is thanks to Aliki Vougiouklakis, who greatly improved our actors. The basic salary was then 1,400 drachmas and I received a daily wage of 6,000.
Q.: Which news of this year did you watch with interest and which one did you turn off the TV?
ANS.: Strauss-Kahn on Lazopoulos’ show. I don’t turn off the TV, but when the politicians appear in the windows, my hand gets ankylosed from the smears.
Q: Which team do you support and when was the last time you went to the stadium?
A.: I went once and almost… choked because I have asthma. I haven’t been back since. I see the crap of Greek football on TV. Or rather I prefer to watch foreign football. There are two teams I love: AEK and PAOK. I’m a sports fan, not a fan.
Q: What is your relationship with animals? Do you host a pet?
A: I love them. But I don’t host because I’m often away and it would be a sin for the animal. My daughters have dogs and they bring them to me sometimes, I keep them for a few days and then when they take them back the house is empty. They are my grandchildren (laughs)!
Q.: Traveling to which part of the planet is a lifelong dream for you?
ANS.: There is no other country like Greece! When God divided the world he gave the French France, the English England and so on. Ending up where he was rubbing his hands he saw some that had run out.
“You forgot us” they told him. “Who are you?” he asks. “The Greeks” answer him. “And where have you been?” he asks again. “We were playing backgammon” they answer. “Anyway, you take my summer house” said God and gave us Greece. But we still play backgammon!
Q: What do you love most about your art?
ANS.: The theater. It is the actor’s cradle.
Q: What is your relationship with the Internet?
ANS.: I play in the series “The Fairy and the Boy” on mychannel.gr with my daughter Theodora. In fact, it has a lot of traffic. That’s how I got into the Internet, which is the future of our work.
Q: If you won the Joker where would you spend your money first?
A.: I would give my children most of it and spend the rest with my wives!
Q: If you had a time machine, what era would you want to live in?
A.: In all of them, but maybe a little more in the 60s, when I also made my films.
Ten little secrets
-He studied at the 26th primary school in Thessaloniki.
-When he was a kid, he sold cigarettes on the street to earn a living.
– In the army, they were constantly making fun of him.
-His favorite haunts are Tops in Kolonaki and the Villa Mercedes club.
-He loves the movie “Taxi Driver” and Robert De Niro is one of his favorite actors.
-The most beautiful woman in cinema in his opinion is Uma Thurman.
-He prefers to eat fish and his favorite drink is red wine.
-He has acted in Onirama video clips.
-He avoids moving on foot, because the love of the world is so great that it stops him every five meters, and he is always late in reaching his destination.
-He has two houses in Mykonos, where he goes on vacation every year.
ILIAS MARAVEGIAS
{{-PCOUNT-}}46{{-PCOUNT-}}