Balkans Must Escape ‘Cycle of Suffering’ – Serbian Actor

The first was Nikola Rakocevic, in 2014. In its time, European Shooting Stars has brought such now famous world stars as Rachel Weisz, Franka Potente, Daniel Craig, and others to Berlin.

But Maric says he does not think that world fame automatically awaits him.

"I'm not getting too excited. Hollywood will not be ruined without me," he jokes.

"Actually, I'm looking forward to seeing what comes next and trying to accommodate myself to this whole experience - the experience of Dovlatov, the experience of last year's premiere in Berlin and the experience of European Shooting Stars 2019."

His international success started with his lead role in Alexei German's film Dovlatov, from 2018, about the Russian writer Sergei Dovlatov, which was coproduced by companies from Serbia, Poland and Russia.

He explains that the working process on that film, and working processes in general, is what matters most to him.

Awards are just an accompanying event, which may or may not happen.

'We should make films together':

Milan Maric during the press conference for for 'Dovlatov' at the 68th annual Berlin International Film Festival (Berlinale), in Berlin, Germany, 2018. Photo: EPA-EFE/HAYOUNG JEON

When talking about the potential international career that could follower wider recognition in Berlin, Maric remains skeptical:

"They certainly will not transfer Los Angeles to Belgrade; eventually, they may say, 'Come to Los Angeles to live', and that is normal. But I cannot forever play tough guys from the Balkans because of the language. Language is a terribly inconvenient thing."

He says that film workers and actors should first seek success here, in their own region.

But he admits this...