Hello, Andrea Osvárt! Get To Know Fashion Street’s Amazing Ambassador

There is no other Hungarian actress, who is immediately recognised by her trademark short blonde hair than Andrea Osvárt. And there are not many, either, who can hold their own in three different countries in this profession. Born in Tamási, a small Hungarian town, this little girl, after decades of hard work, grew up to be an international actress, model, and producer known from Los Angeles, to Italy, to the United Kingdom, not to mention her success at home here in Hungary. We are delighted to announce that this year, as the ambassador of Fashion Street, Andrea will represent the values of Fashion Street at fashion events, in addition to our artistic, cultural, and culinary programs. We caught Andrea for an introductory chat before her next trip abroad.

FS: If I’m not mistaken, you’re rehearsing Latin texts at the moment.

AO: Yes, I’m preparing for an audition in an Italian production at the moment, which is why I’m traveling to Rome tonight. It’s very difficult, I have to learn eight full pages of Latin, but I’m superstitious so I won’t say anything else about this job.

Where did your connection to Italy come from?

I went to a bilingual high school in Pécs, Hungary, where we studied a few subjects in Italian and then I graduated with an advanced language certificate in Italian. After high school I enrolled in Eötvös Loránd University’s Faculty of Humanities to study Italian language and literature, from where in my final year I travelled to Rome. As an actress, my world opened up in Rome: in this Western culture you don’t need to be trained in acting to act professionally; if you are the most compelling in the casting, the job is yours. Later, I took acting classes in Rome and Los Angeles, but that was to develop my confidence and body awareness.

You have more than one or two titles: an actress, a model, a producer, and now you’re becoming our ambassador. Which one of these is closest to your heart?

Acting has always been my heart of hearts. But I often have to wait for the right offer to come along, sometimes over half a year. These slow periods often get actors down, the waiting can be mind-numbing. There is never any security in this profession. I look at the film industry as being similar to getting a new job three times a year. So, considering I’ve had forty roles in my life I’ve also been to forty job interviews and had forty different workplaces. I think you have to be a strong person to live through this kind of precarity.

Do you consider yourself to be a strong person?

Sometimes too strong even. I often feel that it has had a negative effect on my life, especially on my romantic relationships. I need to find a man at least as strong as I am, a person who’s seen and experienced the world, next to whom I feel safe. I’m a self-made person, I left the countryside when I was a teenager and have been travelling abroad for work ever since. I changed my caste too, so to say, I’ve grown from being a provincial girl to a successful woman. The person who wants to be with me has to have accomplished at least as much as I have. I used to feel that if I was a weaker woman it would have been easier to find a partner, but those who have become strong cannot go back to being weak. So I realised that I didn’t need to pretend to be weak in a relationship just so the man I’m with can feel stronger. I have to have somebody who is stronger than me. It’s true that in the past men couldn’t handle my personality: I offer an unusual lifestyle in my relationships, so similarly I need an unusual partner. But that is in the past: I am in a happy relationship now. It seems, I have finally found this unusual, exceptionally strong man.

What makes you truly happy?

Creating. When I feel that we have really made, created something. When we create magic. Making films has always been about that for me. We turn fantasy into reality, which makes it palpable.

How do you get into a character or role?

This always changes, but the one thing that’s always constant is that I listen to my feelings, my instincts. If a character is difficult I sometimes make myself sick trying to fit into my role – for example once I played a mother who murdered her child. I had to get into character with the help of a teacher, working through incredibly demanding exercises.

Difficult roles like these require harder work, complete transformations and an element of craziness, but a good performance can be incredibly cathartic. Often there is no need for that kind of preparation though, it’s enough to trust that I was chosen because they thought I was right for the role and I can perform as I usually would.

How do you relax in this rush?

With sleep, lots of sleep. Eight hours of sleep is the absolute bare minimum for me. I’m not a party girl: I like being alone, I often meditate, exercise, do yoga, and I’m usually recharged after doing quiet things.

What does it mean for you to be the ambassador of Fashion Street?

I’m very proud of this request! I love Budapest, Deák Ferenc Street, and its surrounding area means the world to me.

When I was young I always wanted for people to be proud of me in my home country and to have a role like this. Now I can represent something special and truly Hungarian.

I’m so proud and delighted to be able to show off the Western standards that Budapest has reached through Fashion Street, and really push the fantastic opportunities that this city offers.

How do you like to dress?

During the week I like to dress sporty yet classy. That said, I really like dressing as a diva occasionally too! These are roles that I like dipping into, but I’m not really like that in my everyday life, I don’t immediately run out to the shops if I hear that the new collection of a famous brand has just come out.

What do you find to be the most valuable characteristic in a person?

Courage and honesty, and this is what I try to live by too. In the past, following successful performances, the audience would shout ‘Bravo, bravo!’ which translated from Latin literally means ‘Brave, brave!’ . Actors are brave people, they dare to stand in front of others and potentially become targets for attacks and critique.

At the end of the day I’m fine with that, I believe that actors are a brave species.

Can you show us your bucket list? Are there any unfulfilled desires left on it?

I still have a lot left on my bucket list: I want to go swimming with dolphins, whale watching, go on adventures to Egypt or Australia. In my professional life I’d like to direct and produce my own film, but I think this will have to wait a while. I don’t know how good I’ll be on the other side of the camera, but I’m sure that I have something in my soul that I haven’t yet shared. I’m just looking for its true form.

(This article originally appeared in Fashion Street Magazine SS2019. Text by Zsófia Tillinger)