Betty Arvanitis's brilliance comes from her power to wrinkle her image.
"How did Arvaniti grow up like this?;» comments a viewer. "It is impossible that she left her hair white, it will be a wig" he responds, more benevolent, her friend. "Whew, so it will be. What; Only we will grow;» replies the first one. Coming out of the theater on Kefallinia street, after the end of the show "Fonissa", this female poetry seemed indifferent. My mind was fixed on the last scene of the play, where Betty Arvanitis, playing the heroine of Papadiamantis and balancing on a wooden board, meets death "between divine and human justice". But when a week later she opened the door to her apartment in Lycabettus, Betty Arvanitis was herself: tall lean body, gray form, sports shoes, not a trace of make-up. And then, if i could, I would inform that woman that Betty Arvanitis is not growing. Polite and approachable, she welcomes me and leads me to the sunny patio of her house. As he prepares coffee, I notice that there are books and shells everywhere. "reasonable", think of, “her son, Alexis Stamatis, is a writer". Later, she will also solve my question about the shells: "I have been a swimming champion young. I swim for two hours non-stop. I don't do diving but it's okay to take out a shell and it's not a big deal".
Theater is an addiction; No. It is great love.
This year you are performing "Fonissa", a person who kills to rescue little girls from the cruel fate of women. Our age can give birth to "killers"; I do not believe that we are currently experiencing, in Europe at least, as much oppression as females. Quite the opposite. Sometimes one sees an overactivity of women and an imitation of male models. Now we have mastered many things.
But in the end, maybe we are trapped in thousands of roles and this is our new oppression; This works as a trap to an extent. Women and men are not the same, they are equal. The mistake is to imitate the other sex and not to conquer the liberties of your own. Okay, I'm not against, but why become a boxer and be a woman; Why waste so much power trying to outrun them where they won't take you; I am a big believer in women and their perspective. There is another patience, another piece of wisdom, they love man more, maybe because they give birth to him.
In "Slayer" for the needs of the role you transform into an old woman. How do you feel at that moment?; Freedom. Great freedom When an actress is trapped in her image, it is impossible for her to interpret anything else because she constantly has a mirror in front of her. It works narcissistically and hinders the depth of the role. If you say I'm nothing or rather if you say I'm crap you feel a tremendous freedom.
But this year you overdid it.Indeed, but i like it. When the pictures came out I really didn't recognize myself. But you can't play the "Slayer" and not look old. Anyway, I'm a big woman, I am not something else. This is the reality.
What is your relationship with time?; I can't say I'm happy growing up. But I also believe something else: that no one can lose alone, somewhere he has to win. Maybe in wisdom. Of course I'm not saying that you become wise. But you have to become something. Otherwise you just lose; Pity. I have set a goal to "exploit" the passage of time, not just take advantage of me. The fact that I've probably exhausted my vanity also plays a role. Don't talk too much, of course. I'm not a woman who goes around sloppy. And I dress up and paint and care about those things. However, you have to somehow understand this journey and I am interested in that. I'm still curious.
In recent years, if we exclude "The Cherry Orchard" you have a series of tough women. They are opposite roles that's why you choose them; No, they are important. Some roles for women of a certain age and older, they are not so good-natured, see you here. I'm interested in these women because I'm interested in their cracks. Of course, in "Fonissa" what is much more important than all this is the path to madness, this "raises her mind".
In general, however, you have always had the role of a lady since childhood, the serious. I never did the engine. Maybe my physique wasn't helping either. I never used to meow meow, the cute little girl. I was never represented by this type of woman not even in my life anyway.
From the films of the Greek cinema in which you starred, what taste has remained with you; They were made with love, with innocence and we generally had a great time. But you know what happens; I never thought it was something important. I have always done theater and a well-researched theater at that. But the cinema finally stays, the cinema, these movies. So I think that apart from very few cases of excellent films they are generally overpriced. But we had very good comedians. We were little pots. Ε, yes now, slowly, what can we say.
You see them today; Whole; No. I can't stand it. I generally don't watch TV
And you don't do TV either.I've done some things in the past that were interesting. No, I don't want to act on TV because the jobs are too sketchy. I believe that when you don't invest time, when you say I will do something in a week, it can't be good. I consider myself very lucky to be able to not do TV. Of course, I don't blame anyone who plays because I certainly understand the reasons why this happens. Of course some things are done that are good and I would gladly do them. On the other hand, I'm not so sure, because I am so devoted to the theater after all that I hardly have any time.
What do you think about the new Greek cinema?; For the latest hits we have at international festivals; I am a fan of the new Greek cinema. I believe it very much. In recent years I have been absent because I didn't happen to have any proposal that interested me. I think there are two or three people who are very worthwhile and I think something very good will come out of this story.
You have been married three times and divorced twice. What have you demystified in love?; Nothing. The only thing I can say is that love if it does not turn into love is stillborn. It cannot be valid as a passion forever. I think it has duration but also great potential for conversion.
You became a very young mother. It was the most important role in your life; I divide people between those who have children and those who don't. That kind of experience that another person is more important than you, it works to a very great extent deeply and against individualism, it shrinks your ego. Of course, when you have a child at a very young age, you gain some and you lose some. When you're young, you feel motherhood like a game. You don't really understand her. Later, of course, you come out victorious from the fact that you have a small age difference with your child. However, I think that women should have children at a mature age, around there at 30.
A mother-son relationship is more special than a mother-daughter relationship; I think it is, as respectively father daughter bond. There is this "eroticism" in the relationship.
And when this son grows up and the mother becomes a mother-in-law from a daughter-in-law, how does he deal with it?; Dot. The point is that when you love your son you love the one he loves. I, at least, love my son's wife very much.
You read your son's books before they are published; It is possible that I do not read them; We have a meaningful relationship, a relationship that says everything. I am strict with him. When I read his books before they are published I occasionally have observations. Then of course, I don't have any and I like them a lot. And he is strict with my work. He doesn't give me thumbs up at everything. Many times he has made comments to me that are very constructive indeed. Anyway, beyond the normal love I feel as a mother for my son, I appreciate him very much. I believe him.
I gather from what you say that you are not an oppressive mother who interferes in other people's lives.No. At all. Sometimes I push him into other things. I mean don't wear this thing like that. Put that on. Eat. These classics, I do and he laughs.
You understand the young people who are currently leaving our country;Extremely well. I understand that on a personal level. I would leave too, even though what I'm saying isn't right. At one point I even thought that I'm glad I'm not young.
Do you think that only politicians are to blame for the crisis or do you agree with the old saying we ate it together; No, we ate together is not true. But I believe and want to believe that we citizens also have a responsibility. What are we children who direct us; If we are children, let us suffer. We have all lived outside of reality to some degree. Anyway, I think the thing has gotten out of hand, it is no longer the politicians who rule but the markets. We made the monster without thinking.
Have you considered going into politics?; Never. This is not my terrain. Like no one told us to be actors and they beat us when we don't act well, nobody told these people to become politicians either. Talented people must enter. What to do;
You maintain a theater in Kypseli, an area with its problems. You think something is going wrong in the center; Fortunately, we haven't experienced anything bad. Sometimes when a black family passes by from outside and I hear the kid speak Greek I get emotional. Of course, Greece cannot raise so many people, but on the other hand, what is the fault of these people; I don't know, we live well with our environment.
How difficult it is to be an actor and manage a theater at the same time;I could never have done it without Vassilis Poulantzas, my husband. I'm not good at minutes at all and it's a great support to have someone who loves this job and participates so substantially to the point of doing translations.
But it is difficult to work together with your partner; No. Only when we work together do we not fight. We may argue because we have different opinions on some issues, but we have no disagreements at work. Perhaps, because we want the same things I believe.
The theater fits into the crisis; I think so. Theater endures and this is proven every day. However, I believe that strict choices will now be made, because people will not have money to go every day.
For the audience, what do you have to say?; I believe that every audience gets the show they deserve. There are times when you may be tired, to have a thousand things on your mind and go on stage and put on an amazing show because you had a good audience. The new guys especially are amazing. They are so open to accept and also to reject. They don't have that apron: on Saturday we will go to the theater, we will do our best, we will sit, we will be bored and think about how to go to the tavern afterwards.
You are repulsed; Theatrical and non-theatrical; I have lost some roles because their age has passed, but beyond that I cannot say that I am wronged. In any case, each role accumulates on top of the other and the experiences accumulate. In my life I would like to have taken more trips that weren't because of theater. But maybe I didn't want it that much after all, because it was in my hand.
What do you think is the best age for a woman?; Forty because she has overcome insecurities while still being desirable. He knows what he wants most.
As a young woman, you had insecurities; Of course, like all people. I didn't quite have a sense of self of my potential. I experienced the age crisis in 30. I thought I grew up too much. Totally crazy, now that i think about it. My mom used to tell me that, that life is long and I didn't believe it. Then I understood. I mean, there is a lot of scope for a woman. We don't age as fast as we think when we're young.