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PRET TY IN PRAGUE
Versatile actress Klára Issová believes the
Czech capital belongs in front of the camera
AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2012
WIZZ MAGAZINE
23
WHEN KLÁRA ISSOVÁ WANTS TO BE INSPIRED,
she puts on her walking shoes and heads for the
highest point in her hometown of Prague.
“I love to go to the mystical hill of Petrin, from
where Libuše prophesied the area’s future,” the Czech
actress explains, referring to the eighth-century
mystical princess. “From there you can get a beautiful
view of the city, even without climbing the Petrin
lookout tower, a miniature copy of the Eiffel Tower in
Paris. Prague is a beautiful town – I have been deeply
touched by its magic and spirituality.”
If Prague is her muse, it’s one that has helped
Issová excel in films, on TV and on stage for nearly two
decades. Since bursting onto the scene as a 15-year-
old in director Saša Gedeon’s
Indiánské léto
(‘Indian
Summer ’), she’s shown remarkable versatility, tackling
drama, romance and comedy with equal aplomb, and
scooping a Czech Lion award. This year Issová will
again effortlessly move between genres as she stars
in
Zejtra naporad
(Tomorrow, Forever), an action/
romantic comedy, while also appearing in American TV
series
Missing
. Whether it’s a Czech film or a US series,
the actress opts for roles with substance.
“For me, it is not important whether I do a feature
film or a television production,” Issová says. “What’s
important is that the project contains a theme that I
am interested in exploring and whether it has a deeper
meaning for the audience too.”
Issová’s desire to tell stories that resonate with
people can be traced all the way back to her childhood.
Growing up in Prague, she loved performing and
started taking drama lessons at the age of six.
“I’ve always been very playful,” the 33-year old says.
“Discovering new possibilities and forms of dramatic
expression interest me even now.” In 1993 she enrolled
in the State Conservatory of Dramatic Arts in Prague.
Her teenage years at drama school not only left Issová
with considerable skills as an actress, but also with a
group of Czech colleagues who continue to play an
important role in her life.
“The best thing I gained at that school were the
friends in my class,” she says. “We have known each
other for the past 20 years and have always supported
each other. I am happy that this has not changed and I
still have my true friends that I can depend on.”
In 1995, while still at the Conservatory, Issová
was cast as Klára in
Indian Summer
, a drama in which
two mismatched cousins spend summer at their
grandmother ’s country home. The film was loved by
critics and audiences alike and earned the actress
Words Pierre de Villiers