Lonna Jones: Hi, i’m Lonna and i'm here with the famous stage and film actress, Pola Negri! We don't really get to see your personal life so could you tell us about where you’re from?
Pola: Yes, of course! I was born in Congress, Poland on January 3rd, 1897.Most people don't know that i was actually born with the name, Barbara Apolonia Chalupiec. It later got changed to Pola Negri. I am also the only child that survived out of my mother’s three children.
My mother’s name is Eleonora Kielczewska. She came from impoverished polish nobility. My father is Juraj Chalupec. He was an itinerant slovakian tinsmith from Nelusa. My father got arrested by Russian authorities due to revolutionary activities.He got sent to Siberia and my mother and i moved to Warsaw, where we lived in poverty.(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pola_Negri
Lonna Jones: So did those events or any other events in your early life cause you to want to pursue the arts?
Pola: My early life did influence my interest in the arts. Actually moving to Warsaw inspired me to get interested in the arts. Like i said, after my father got arrested, i moved to Warsaw with my mother.
In Warsaw i got accepted into their Imperial Ballet Academy. I worked so hard there because i really enjoyed dance. I put so much effort into my dancing that i got solo roles. One of my roles was in the Saint-Le`on Coppenilia. (https://sssnewsandnotes.wordpress.com/2013/05/12/pola-negri)
Lonna Jones:We know you got to where you are in your career by the help of others, so what role did mentors play in helping you with your career?
Pola Negri: Yes. Mentors played a really big part. Cadmirde Hulewicz was one of the people who helped me. He saw me dancing at the Warsaw Imperial Ballet Academy. He liked how i danced and took notice in my talent. He was also really close to my mother so he financed my stay at a sanatorium so i could recover from tuberculosis.
At the sanatorium, i discovered the poet, Ada Negri. I really enjoyed it. I decided to read poetry for an audience and my feedback was positive. That inspired me to pursue acting. So, i worked with my french tutor so i could audition for the Warsaw Imperial Academy of Dramatic Arts. My audition went well and my guardians finally agreed to let me become an actress. (http://www.polanegri.com/bio.htm)
Lonna Jones: I see you’re multitalented. So, how was the arts industry when you joined it?
Pola Negri: The arts industry was less popular when it first got introduced. During the silent and golden eras of Hollywood and European film is when careers started to take off, including mine. I achieved worldwide fame during those eras.(https://articulosparapensar.wordpress.com/2013/03/23/love-of-an-actress-pola-negri/)
Also, people started acquiring new talents and the arts started mixing together to create amazing performances. For example i was an actress in theater and vaudeville. Sometimes acting roles required dance background.
Lonna Jones: A Lot of cultural, economic and political situations occurred during your fame. How did those situations affect your work?
Pola Negri: Ah that reminds me of when I was one of the stars in the film, Madame Dubarry in 1919. This film actually got rid of the post-World War I ban on German films in America.This began an international demand for German films that was so strong. It looked as if Berlin overshadowed Hollywood as the film capital of the world.
Someone from Hollywood was so upset that they tried to buy out their European competition. Ernst Lubitsch and i were the first people they wanted to buy out. Interests in Hollywood started a war over my services and Paramount Pictures ended up winning, so i went with them.(http://www.polanegri.com/home_pola.html)
Lonna Jones: Wow.What are some of your biggest accomplishments?
Pola Negri: Two of my most successful films that i starred in were Forbidden Paradise and Hotel Imperial. I was actually one of the firsts in movies. By that accomplishment, i popularized European films in the United States.
I helped other international film artists get roles in Hollywood. People also know me for my fashion sense. I made lots of trends popular that people still use today.
Lonna Jones: What events really made that big turning point in your life and art?
Pola Negri: I feel like being accepted into the Warsaw Academy of Dramatic Arts changed everything. When i started being a stage actress, I became popular. When i was seventeen i became a stage star in Poland.That really changed my life for the better.
My mother and I started going through poverty again around that time. That's when i turned to film, so that would never happen to us again. After the war ended, my career became established.(http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0624470/bio?ref_=nm_ov_bio_sm)
Lonna Jones: What struggles did you have to go through in order to be an artist?
Pola Negri: Well, some people turned away from me after i was accused of throwing myself on Rudolph Valentino’s coffin. Some fans thought that i was just doing it because i'm in public which caused me to lose fans. The Hays Office stopped allowing me to portray vamp roles that made me famous. (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0624470/bio?ref_=nm_ov_bio_sm)
The ending of my dancing career was also a big struggle for me. When i got tuberculosis it really set me back. It caused my dancing career to end when i was thirteen years old.( http://www.nytimes.com/1987/08/03/movies/pola-negri-a-vamp-of-the-silent-screen-dies-at-88.html?pagewanted=all)
Lonna Jones: Could you tell me a personal story that illustrates how you became successful in the arts?
Pola Negri: Yes, when i became successful in Polish films, i moved to Germany. In Germany i starred in successful films that were international. Those films got me work in Hollywood. When i got a contract with a Hollywood studio, i later moved to the United States in the year, nineteen twenty two.
I became a star in Hollywood quick because of my style of fashion. I had a vampish look and wore bright red lipstick, while i wore exoctic clothing. That's when i got a lot of attention from my male co-stars. (giggles) (http://www.queensofvintage.com/pola-negri-the-last-vamp/)
Lonna Jones: So my final question is, how did your work in the arts impact the industry?
Pola Negri: By being one of the first international film artists i helped other artists to become international film artists in Hollywood. I also showed people that they can be good at more than one art form. They can be an actress, singer, dancer, and author just like me.
My fashion sense also inspired other artists to dress like me or have the same vampish style as me. My work showed other people in the arts industry that even if i go through struggles, i can overcome them and still be the best.(http://www.queensofvintage.com/pola-negri-the-last-vamp/) (tp://www.nytimes.com/1987/08/03/movies/pola-negri-a-vamp-of-the-silent-screen-dies-at-88.html?pagewanted=all)
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