Jana Bernášková: Divorce and Happiness – Interview

We had coffee together and from the first moment we talked almost like two friends… Jana Bernášková she is incredibly nice, open and direct. And even though she gives the impression of an exemplary schoolgirl, it is said to be the exact opposite with her: she is an unguided missile that is almost impossible to catch. She likes to do things her way and can be wild, free-spirited and energetic. As she says: “Everyone waits for the princess to come, Barbie, but then I come – and the carousel turns.”

You just finished comedy Milion. It is about a grandfather, played by Jiří Lábus, who announces a competition for the first born grandchild in the family. He is supposed to get a million euros. Who did you play there?

Waitress, such a little girl. It’s not a big role, it’s small, but it’s comedic, funny. We actors absolutely love the roles of such types, because suddenly we are someone completely different. Even physiognomically. I have long artificial nails here, I always check and watch over them, there is also a bit of funny eroticism, I think I have small breasts, but it’s just fun.

Kid? How did they make them for you?

That’s what everyone asks me because I don’t normally have much cleavage. But it’s my patent, which I’d like to share, because maybe it can be useful to someone in normal life as well. Put on a classic push-up, stuff it nicely with something so that it gives you those buns on top. And then you put on another push-up one size bigger. This is how you can easily increase your breasts by two or three sizes. Of course, it’s not for civilian wear, but maybe once a year under prom dresses, why not.

You are an actress, you have theater roles and you are also cast in films. But it wasn’t always like this. When you were 24, you had a permanent job in a theater in Ostrava, but you pulled yourself together, went to Prague, where no one knew you, you had no roles…

She didn’t have to. So I made a living as a waitress – and you see, now I’ve put it to good use in that role. But I did everything possible. I sold clothes in a shopping center, with a friend I distributed leaflets on the street promoting some erotic club, I had all kinds of part-time jobs. It was quite sharp, but also absolutely brilliant.

Wasn’t it difficult to move from Ostrava, where you already had an acting name, to suddenly find yourself in the capital and be basically nobody? Didn’t you regret it?

I’m a shooter, a big shooter, even if I don’t look it. And I was also in love at the time and I was leaving for Prague with a friend, who later became the father of my daughter Justýna. And we knew that the beginning would be difficult, because, and few people realize this today, but back then there was no internet, no social networks, in fact, not even e-mails were sent much. The world was not as connected as it is today, so when we went from Ostrava to Prague, it was almost like going to another country. I really had to physically go around all the theaters, knock on a lot of doors, write and mail letters, applications and resumes.

So it was hard, but you were in love and there were two of you.

It got even more complicated because we broke up before we left. So then we got together again, because otherwise it wouldn’t be Justýnka, but I went to Prague alone. I told myself that I needed it, that I would go without it. And as I say, no Instagram, Facebook, internet… It took an awful long time, actually about a year, before anyone in the industry even found out that I was here.

So I was flying around looking for part-time jobs, I was terribly stressed, and of course I was afraid that I would never go back to acting. But then word got around that Bernášková from Ostrava was in Prague, and theater offers began to arrive. And then I auditioned for the series Ulice, I got the role – and that’s when it broke. I got back together with David (theater director David Drábek, with whom he has a daughter Justýna) and everything was beautiful and wonderful and wonderful. But it wouldn’t be me if I didn’t always complicate everything as much as possible.

I got pregnant. Well, not that it wasn’t planned, we wanted a child. But I didn’t expect it to happen so quickly. But actually, I wouldn’t say that I made it more complicated, rather I made it a little more adventurous. It was simply a time of new beginnings with everything. And as I say, everything can always be managed. And there will be thousands of series, hundreds of roles and offers, but a baby? That will be one, maybe two or three.

You managed it even with a baby…

Well, of course, immediately after giving birth, I won an audition for the TV series Horákovi and started filming. I always had Justýnka with me. After some time, I also returned to the theater and actually everything worked smoothly. And I have Justýnka, I am happy for her, she is a great child. There simply comes a period in life when there is a lot of work and when it is not enough, but I believe that there is some destiny, some things are given and those periods always have their meaning, they give you space to discover and learn new things, to try everything possible, to push your limits. And that’s really cool.

In your case, it’s books, for example – in addition to acting, you also threw yourself into writing. How did it happen?

That’s what fate is, and we can only decide whether to accept its challenges or not. My writing started even before the coronavirus lockdown, because I had already made my own personal lockdown before it. My dad went in for gallbladder surgery and came back with a diagnosis pancreatic cancer. At that point it was a clear verdict, we knew we only had a very limited time with him, so I canceled most of my work and went to take care of him.

My mom, his ex-wife, also helped me, which is also very nice, that even though they didn’t live together anymore, she didn’t leave him alone. In any case, it was a difficult period, and thanks to experimental treatment, Dad lived for about 15 months. And I, as I suppressed my work activities, there were times when I desperately needed some escape, something of my own… Because caring for an oncological patient is really demanding and, of course, I also had to take care of my children and my family.

So you’ve been running away from writing?

Actually yes. But I wrote just for myself, I never thought in my life that I could publish it. But then I blurted out in an interview that I was writing a book because I didn’t want to talk about my troubles with my dad and that I wasn’t really doing anything about it. And then I was at a book launch where people from the publishing house were there and they told me that they wanted to read my book. So I had them read the part I had, and suddenly, let me finish it quickly, they wanted to publish it. It was actually very fateful, because I myself would not have sent it anywhere, I would not have let anyone read it.

And today you already have four books to your credit. In the first How to Survive Your Husband, which was also filmed, the main character is an actress and bypasses completely crazy auditions to get a job. Have you ever completed one?

All those in the film were completed by me or my colleague.

So what was your worst audition ever?

Probably the one that’s also in the movie: where the heroine has to jump in a swimsuit. It was an audition for some mineral water or something, I can’t quite remember. But I really had to jump around in my swimsuit, it was terrible, embarrassing, the worst.

How did you react when you found yourself in such a situation?

Of course, I would prefer to pick myself up and go away, but at the time I couldn’t afford it. You need to pay bills for something, so you need a job. But I know that I thought to myself at the time that I must have gone completely crazy and where this could go.

But auditions for commercials are always terrible because there’s nothing, no props, you have to imagine everything, and it’s just awkward. So I scrubbed an imaginary toilet and said how great I am at fighting bacteria. I was stirring an imaginary goulash and I don’t know what. At that moment you think, well… I’m a grown man and this is my job: stir an imaginary stew and clean an imaginary toilet. But what can you do?

It’s no secret that your books are partly autobiographical. How much do you reveal yourself to the readers in them?

I would say that in every sentence, in every word. But when people ask me if I’m the main character, I say yes and no. There is a piece of me in every character, each of them has some characteristic of mine – good, bad, whatever. And those stories didn’t actually happen, but they are the result of my experiences, they are inspired by what I, my friends, colleagues have experienced. There is actually everything and nothing.

So, in a way, you let people into your privacy. The question arises as to how far you want to let the public in. Perhaps also in connection with social networks and the like.

I don’t really know where exactly this border is. But there are things I respect, for example my son doesn’t want to be shown on social media, so I don’t do it. He doesn’t want me to talk about him in the media, so I don’t. Maybe I seem very sharing that I show a lot, but in the end I think I protect my privacy.

It seems to me that there are things on your Instagram that are related to work, but nothing extra personal. For example, you post a nice photo from your vacation, you write that you’re having a good time, but nothing more.

You are right. Before, I was also more sharing on the networks, I let people into my privacy more. But after the divorce I changed it. Because on the basis of my social networks, an awful lot of articles started to appear about how Bernášková is sad, happy, like that or poppy. The boulevard was watching to see if there was one cup of coffee or two in my photo, if I had a heart on the coffee or not… From my Instagram posts, they put together a picture of my life. It started to stress me out, so I muted it and am more withdrawn.

You mentioned divorce. About a year ago, you broke up with your husband Rudolf Merkner, the father of your son, after fifteen years. And you both handled it gracefully and agreed to alternate custody, but a little unconventional…

My son and daughter Justýna live in our former shared apartment, and my ex-husband and I each have our own apartment, and we take turns with the children. Because we knew from the beginning that we wanted the children to stay together and to feel the consequences of our separation as little as possible. Because we broke up, we caused it, so why should they suffer the consequences. So it’s us parents who take turns, not them. We’re the ones who move things, we move every week.

And I must say that it is challenging, and we are adults – we have cars, we can buy forgotten things, we have the capacity to somehow organize it. And yet it is challenging and we are sometimes tired of it, but it motivates us that we are doing it for the children. That’s why I would appeal to all parents who are thinking about alternating current to consider it, because if it’s hard for us adults, how hard it must be for children. Of course, I know that our model is not for every family, if only because it is financially demanding. But that’s why I live in a very tiny studio apartment and I don’t even have a washing machine. But I feel young again, almost like when I lived while studying at Intro.

And what would I find in your “student” fridge?

Definitely mustard and ketchup, sometimes Highland and some hot dogs. And I always have canned beans and lecho at home. Just yesterday, I had a visitor and we were hungry, so my friend and I were warming up our lunch at one in the morning and we laughed that we were really ready for an intro.

Sausages, Vysočina, I would rather recommend a healthier diet. You give the impression of a model schoolgirl…

Well, not at all. I smoke, after the divorce I started again. Well, not cigarettes, but the fragrant vape. I also like to have a drink, but I can’t do much, unfortunately I vomit after drinking alcohol, so I have to watch myself. But yes, I am probably a big surprise for people. Everyone is waiting for the princess, Barbie, to come, but then I come – and the carousel turns.

My ex-husband always jokingly told me that I’m a white gypsy, incorrigible, uneducable, I can’t be controlled, I need to do everything my own way. There is often such wildness in me, as if elusiveness, and that can sometimes be a problem, for example in relationships.

I am in the sign of Pisces – and you can’t catch a fish right away, it always slips away. You mustn’t squeeze it too much, rather you have to wait for it to float into your arms. It’s just a bit complicated with me. For example, my ex-husband used to say, and I’m sorry it’s a bit rude… But he always said: You just need someone to fuck you a little, and then you’re satisfied. And so it is. I need some freedom in a relationship, but when I have it and feel it, I am fully there for the family.

You say that you are having a bit of a wilder period now, at least in the weeks when you don’t have children. So you are literally like a fish in water when you have that freedom.

That’s right. When I don’t have children, I go to concerts, meet friends, and enjoy new forms of my life. Then I have the kids for a week and I’m home again, cooking, checking assignments and enjoying it just the same.

And does Jana Bernášková have any unfulfilled dreams?

I enjoy making movies, so I would definitely be happy with a nice movie candy. And of course I love writing, but then again I’m a bit lonely in it, so then I need to escape among people. For example, to the theater, that’s also my passion. I play in a comedy like this, it’s great, but maybe it needs something more fundamental, I don’t know.

I don’t know, I’m really generally very satisfied now. I feel that everything is as it should be. Even though I’m alone, I don’t have a partner, I’m happy, I feel good. I sometimes go on dates, I observe the world, after the divorce I have already gained strength, I can now fully focus on life again – and actually it is extremely fun just to observe it.

Actually, I wouldn’t change anything, but maybe in a week I would tell you something completely different, after all, I am a white gypsy. But now I have my own little studio apartment, I wash the dishes in the bathroom, I don’t have a washing machine and in the evening I heat my dinner in the microwave, but I’m only two streets away from the children, which is essential, and I’m happy. And maybe I’ll find that boy in time, but I’m definitely not getting married anywhere.