The actor takes a pose
Oona Airola’s life is like a grandiose tango.
Why such a position?
“I cycle both to work and on stage in a performance. So the bike has become a familiar friend again this summer.”
What is the best thing about acting?
“Always collaborating with new interesting people.”
What has been your most memorable role or moment on stage?
“Blood Roses at the Kom Theatre 2018, directed by Lauri Maijala. The whole show was great, and it was great to do. It had a great ensemble, and the performance was important to me because of its theme.”
What lessons for life have you learned from the stage?
“I learned something new from each piece. At least I keep in mind that everything is ephemeral when doing this work.”
If you were a song, what song would you be?
“Probably a tango by Astor Piazzolla , which has a lot of changing parts. There would be grandiose parts and lulls in perfect harmony.”
What would Oona Airola’s talk show be like?
“There would probably be strangers whose work or skills I know nothing about. They would talk about their profession, and we could philosophize life together from different perspectives. Sometimes in this profession you can only bubble up badly among your own professional group, and that is sometimes annoying.”
How was your last job-related feedback?
“A colleague of mine asked me during rehearsals if I had considered directing or dreamed of it. I asked him why, and he said that he had noticed that I often observed the bigger picture in training. I recognize it and think out loud to him that I don’t know if it’s a good or a bad thing, because my observations when said out loud might sometimes annoy the director. Hopefully not badly. From the director’s point of view, an actor who staggers off the stage can be heavy. But with most of the instructors, this has become a dialogic way of working in a good way.”
What would you like to know that you don’t know yet?
“Dance a sport well. Maybe some kind of partner dance. Even the tango, because it’s so great.”
What would you like to take with you to the deserted stage?
“A good co-star.”
Continue the sentences:
“When I get angry… I’m going from pretty much zero to a hundred.”
“It would be impossible to say… that something is impossible.”
“In a café always… I sit down so that I can see as many people as possible. Observing people is wonderful.”
Text Ida Virkkunen Photo Timo Porthan