WHEN I WAS A STUDENT WITH ACTOR NINO LEVI: “I WAS ALREADY HOOKED AND WITHOUT TELLING MY PARENTS, INSTEAD OF GRADUATING PSYCHOLOGY, I APPLIED TO FDU AND WAS ACCEPTED FROM THE FIRST”

He knew from a young age that he would be an actor. His love for acting was born from movies. Even as a child, he auditioned for the film “Mirko i Slavko,” but unfortunately, he wasn’t chosen. However, this didn’t dampen his interest in acting. Later, life led him to study other professions, such as psychology. But in the end, before graduation, he bravely decided to attend the Faculty of Dramatic Arts. With that, he fulfilled his childhood wish of becoming an actor, which he had written in the school journal.

Nino Levi, one of the most accomplished Macedonian theater, film, and television actors, recently announced his formal retirement after a remarkable 34-year career with his parent Macedonian National Theatre, during which he portrayed 70 diverse roles. Despite his retirement, Levi continues to breathe life into the stage through his enduring presence in the current repertoire. He says, “For me, there is no pension! I continue to work while my legs hold me. We, actors, are said to be able to act as long as we can remember and deliver a line!”

He applied to be an actor even as a child through an advertisement in “Mikiev zabavnik”

He was born in 1960 in Skopje, at a time when going to the cinema was a genuine pleasure, and the allure of movie magic held significant value.

“I have loved this profession since I was a child, probably from watching movies when we regularly went to the cinema,” recalls Levi. “I remember, then there was a call for child actors for the movie ‘Mirko I Slavko’ in the newspaper ‘Mikiev zabavnik.’ I immediately applied. Unfortunately, I was not selected. At that time, we wrote school journals. In them, we answered various questions. Among them, was the question about the future profession. My answer was – an actor.”

He completed his high school education at “Orce Nikolov.” At the end of each school year, the students celebrated with a stage performance called “Gimnazijada.”. His class consistently secured second place in the competition, as the top position was typically reserved for the class attended by the renowned Macedonian director Milcho Manchevski.

The “Council of Elders” directed him towards psychology studies

Levi recalls that after graduation, the “Council of Elders” – comprised of aunts, uncles, and other relatives – convened at their house to deliberate on his university enrollment. Even at that young age, he was certain of his aspiration to become an actor. However, it was challenging to assert this ambition within a family environment that predominantly valued philosophy.

“They asked me: ‘Where do you want to study?’ I told them FDU as if out of the blue. ‘What, you want to be an actor?’ they asked, surprised. My uncle was Jonche Josifovski, one of the founders of the Faculty of Philosophy. And then they started: ‘That is an insecure profession, actors are like this, like that,’ you already know what prejudices they had back then. I succumbed to the pressure and enrolled in psychology,” says the actor.

Member of the theater workshop at the Faculty of Philosophy

But life had another plan for him. As often happens, when there is a strong desire for something, Nino finds himself drawn to a new path. While attending lectures at the Faculty of Philosophy, a theater workshop formed under the guidance of Kiril Temkov and directed by Ljubisa Nikodinovski-Bis and Vlade Milchin.

“I said to myself – if I can’t study acting, at least I will do it as a hobby. And I joined,” Nino recounts.

In January 1980, their first play, “The Green Goose,” premiered and caused a sensation. It played to a packed audience at the Faculty of Philosophy, marking Nino’s inaugural performance before a live audience. With this success, they embarked on a tour across the former Yugoslavia, visiting cities like Maribor, Ljubljana, Nova Gorica, Zagreb, Shibenik, Mostar, Sarajevo, Novi Sad, Belgrade, Podgorica, and even reaching Italy, with performances in Capri, Naples, and Ischia. Subsequent plays, including “Zhivotinska Farma,” “Pepelashka vo Popraven Dom,” and others, followed suit.

Instead of completing his psychology degree, he enrolled at FDU

“In the spring of 1983, I became a graduate student in psychology, and it was already time to decide what to do next. I had four more psychology exams, the more difficult ones, and I had to deal with them seriously. But the urge to pursue acting got the better of me, and without informing my parents, I applied to FDU. Surprisingly, they accepted me right away,” says Levi.

The entrance exam resembled today’s standards. It required candidates to present a self-selected monologue, a recital set to the poem “Sternata” by Blazhe Koneski and perform a singing piece. Levi opted for a monologue from Chekhov’s one-act play “Tragedian in Spite of Himself” as part of his audition.

“Milcho Manchevski helped me prepare the monologue. I stayed at his house, and I recall how efficiently he woke me up to rehearse the lines. Despite my prior experience with the theater workshop, I felt extremely nervous during the audition. I even found myself repeating a line, I sort of brushed it off with an “I said so” demeanor. However, my joy knew no bounds when I learned that I was among the approximately 70 candidates accepted,” Levi reminisces.

Student days – the most exciting time in life

I was frequently asked about why I didn’t complete my psychology studies. At FDU, there simply wasn’t time for anything else. Our days were packed with university lectures covering theoretical courses in the mornings, followed by practical sessions involving stage movements, speech, and acting in the afternoons. Our class was truly exceptional: Noli, Suhi, Tihomir Stojanovski, Jordan Vitanov, Dubravka Kiselichki, Bube Bojkovski, Sasho Ognenovski, Sonja Jachevska, and others. Ljubisha Georgievski was our drama coach for the first three years, and we graduated in Slobodan Unkovski’s class,” Levi recalls.

Their graduation play was Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” and Nino played the role of Oberon.

“I was fortunate to learn from the greatest actors in our country’s theater scene and beyond – Milchin, Ljubisha, Unko, each with their unique sensibilities. From them, I acquired the foundational principles of acting. Moreover, every preparation for a new play served as a valuable lesson,” added Levi.

When they prepared for a play, there was no Sunday, holiday, or non-working day

He began his professional career at MNT in 1989, initially portraying minor roles. However, a significant generational shift occurred, and within a short span, ten young actors were admitted: Toni Mihajlovski, Nikola Ristanovski, Magdalena Rizova, Vlado Jovanovski, Vladimir Jachev, Vladimir Endrovski, Aleksandar Mikic, Jordan Simonov, Trajche Georgiev, Kili, and Igor Djambazov. This influx was accompanied by the emergence of young directors and playwrights such as Sasho Milenkovski, Aco Popovski, Dejan Dukovski, Srdjan Janikijevic, and Sinisha Evtimov.

“A wonderful theatrical atmosphere was created; we were young, full of energy and enthusiasm, echoing our acting guru K. Stanislavski’s philosophy of strong positive energy. We worked at turbo speed. When preparing a play, there were no holidays, Sundays, or non-working days for us. This period yielded long-standing productions like “Naroden Pratenik,” “Bure Barut,” “MME Koj Prv Pochna,” and others,” Levi recalls fondly.

He played 70 roles, each of which he cherishes as if they were his children

He made his screen debut in 1982 with the filming of “Banovic Strahinja,” starring Franko Nero and Dragan Nikolic. Levi recalls that when they were searching for extras, the entire neighborhood eagerly signed up. He was cast as a guard and had a line in the film.

Levi has portrayed over 70 roles, with 53 of them in his parent theater. He finds it challenging to pick a favorite play, as he views his roles akin to his children. However, if he were to single out a few, they would include “Perverzii” directed by Moni Damevski, which consistently filled the Drama Theatre every week. Additionally, “Cenzor,” “Somnitelno Lice,” “The Marriage of Figaro,” “Naroden Neprijatel,” and “Siljan Shtrkot Shanca” hold special significance. He also mentions his production debut in “Za Nas Pochnuva Zhivot,” directed by Dejan Projkovski and performed at the Drama Theater Skopje.

Zhaneta Zdravkovska