By: Azad Karimi
I think each actor each musician each performing arts person in all kinds of ways, painting theater music everything when he is creating art in culture then he always doing a movement.
Interview
Luxembourg-Portuguese Actor Nilton Martins
By Azad Karimi
... I choose, what I really want to do, What I really liked always I tried to do my best.
Nilton believes and says the above sentences. As the author of this introduction, I believe that he is an independent human being and has reached the stage of awareness, knowledge, and will in the decision. This is very important because I have seen many people in my life and in the last few years of my life, that they have passed many years since their lives, but they are always confused because they are incapable of making decisions.
There are two basic steps we need to create an action that stems from the will to make a decision. The first step is to have a strong will to make a decision, that is, a firm determination, the second step is to have the common sense to implement this decision correctly and completely. It's because of the responsibility of humans to take the risk, if the outcome of his action is not good, he should also accept the consequences.
The human action is coming from the events around him-her in the present and her mental background. Therefore, people who have failed experiences and bad mental backgrounds often can not make the right decisions. You need to pay attention to the weight of a person's responsibility to understand what the consequences of his decisions are for himself-herself and possibly his-her dependents.
This comment by Nilton was very interesting to me, which is why I focused on it. In the end, I would like to dedicate a song by a great and precious woman from Kurdistan to Nilton, in order to appreciate his point of view.
Aishe Jibraaili, known as Aishe Shan (Ayşe Şan), is one of the superstars of classical music in Kurdistan. She fought with unparalleled courage many years ago to record her voice as a female singer in Kurdistan and proved herself. She faced two major dangers, social traditions and the banning of the Kurdish language in Turkey. She suffered a lot, but many women inspired by her and went after Kurdish music. She decided, willed, and took practical steps for what she thought was right. I respect her as a human being because she is a myth for her nation... A myth that fought against local traditions and state fascism and won and was immortalized.
I would like to thank my dear friend Nilton who accepted my invitation for this interview...By the "Kurdish language" song by Aisha Shan I wish him success and happiness.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_rD2lVtIn6g
Thank you!
Vestland-Norway
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1- Please present yourself: Name, education, Civil status and...
.My name is Nilton Martins I am 38 years old but most people say I look a little bit younger depending on how I look at that moment and I am an actor that’s my main profession. Um, the main activity I started acting in Paris 12 years ago EICAR (école internationale de création Audiovisuelle et de réalisation) international school mostly for filming but we also did theater so I play on stage as well and that was from 2003 to 2008 I lived in Paris then I came back to Luxemburg so 12 years and that’s my main work. I do a few things around but that’s my main work so acting, stage, camera, commercial, and also voice-over or dubbing for some movies as well.I am from Luxemburg, I was born in Luxemburg, but my parents are Portuguese. I have a double nationality. I speak five languages, English, German, Luxembourgian, Portuguese understand Italian and Spanish as well. I have always lived in Luxemburg. I have family in Portugal, but have only been there to visit family. Also, I have worked there a little bit. France, Germany, Switzerland, depending on the activity and everything.My main education before acting was working for a bank or secretary stuff, the things you see in banks or secretary stuff so that’s the main thing I did but only for the security, and later I started my real life.
2-What is your artistic speciality?
.I think that’s the main word, artistic because I do a lot of this. I wrote for the stage, I played on stage, I directed on stage. I want to direct a movie next year, that is in my plans. And I think artistic I am also... I do not play an instrument unfortunately-but I can mix as a DJ. I play that's the main thing I do, my artistic specialty is playing. Movies, stage, music, art is the main word within all I do.
3- When and how did you become interested in this field of art?
.I think I was 12 when I started thinking of being an actor because I was really surprised about 1 actor and 1 role he played and that was Tom Hanks in Forrest Gump. I remember my father had a lot of VHS at home so cassette recorder and I watched a lot of movies and I think one movie that gave me the idea of being an actor and that movie is rocky. Even though that movie is older, I was born in 82 uh and I think I saw the movie when I was 10 so 92, and also godfather and some old mafia films my father had in his collection. But really the one film that really changed my mind was Forrest Gump because I was so deep inside this movie and this character and I said to myself and my family that I want to be an actor so that was the thing that I wanted to get into these films and also because I didn’t know what I wanted to do when I was older. I had one rule that I wanted to have different things going on in my life when I was in when I would be an adult so not working because I saw it with my parents, not working every day on the same thing at the same place with the same people. I wanted some changes and that’s why I chose the field. One of the good fields I choose I hope.
4- Who was your motivator?
.As I already told you it was Tom Hanks an actor, but I think my motivators were also some of the teachers I had in Luxemburg name here, who was also an actor, a brilliant actor and of course my parents, my sister, and some friends around me so I think everything in life uh happens for a purpose and I think that’s motivation itself and so I think my main motivation was these things together, so my teachers in Paris, my colleagues in Paris, and everything like that so I the motivator I think is all the things around and that’s the motivation to get what you want.
5- What was your parent’s reaction?
.Oh that’s funny, uh, my father is an artist as well he plays guitar, piano, he was in a group, but, he never did it 100 % professionally because he had work he couldn’t do it 100% professionally but he learned by doing, so guitar piano, everything like that. I think he plays 4 or 5 instruments. He was the guy who was not 100% sure about it because I think he’s not sure of his only son going 100% in that direction maybe he wanted, because he wanted me to choose an instrument and he tried to force me to learn guitar or piano but I was not too amused by it so my father was not all okay with it, but he told me if you want to do it okay you want to do it because uh I was 16 uh already when I really really told them I want to do that and yeah and in Luxemburg between 16 and 18 when you are 18 you do what you want. So it was that and then I thought okay I wait 2 years and I do what I want so my mother was 200% with me my father was of course, but my mother was easier, she was always saying ok if you want to I am with you but my father it was a little different. I think if you understand that relationship between father and son and mother and son.
6- When did you become such a professional artist-actor?
.As I told you 12 years ago I started/I finished my school in Paris I had 2 plays in Paris 3 years later and then I came back to Luxemburg I did my first professional movie and uh things coming really fast because I did a really big role in a professional feature film, uh and yeah I have two or three pieces plays that here as well so the start was really fast then the years after were a little slower and it’s always like that not always like that, but you have some years that are slower or some years that are busier and that’s how it was for me , so. Yeah 12 years ago I was thankful because of the activity.
7- Are you thankful and happy because of your activities as a Theatre-TV-Cinema actor?
.Of course, I am thankful I have a rule, always do the things you love and always do the things you wanna do because my things in my head are we are really a short time on this planet, I’m not depressive or anything like that but, even I will get 60, 70, or 80 years old right now I am 38 but the time is short the time is going fast and I think that the time you have on this earth as a human being, even I’m not being doing it every day but I think that’s the main thing because I am thankful about it because I choose what I really wanted to do what I really liked and I always tried to do my best. That’s why I think Rocky if you want to see some sentences from Rocky, from the 1st one to the last one you will see that Stallone says in the movie are quite the things I have in my mind as well.
8- How do you see the view? about art, culture, theatre, dramatic performing?
.That’s quite interesting I think now with the Covid-19 stuff and how everyone is at home we saw the importance of art culture, less theater, but the culture and art as well, at home. Because the people are consuming music, films, maybe reading as well maybe doing some other art and art is really a big world but I think we saw now in 2020 that art culture, theater movie, dramatic performing this is really important around for everyone. cause it gives us not only joy but it gives us a lot of different feelings, joy happiness laughing but also thinking also some if we see a dramatic movie or performance in a theater play, then you think about things you think about laugh about your family about friends about everything so my point of view is now at this point because our planet is not going so well in a lot of stuff it’s really important to have art, culture and everything because it’s always needed.
9- Can you become one part of the cultural movement for motivation in youth or new generations in your country and so on?
.I think each actor each musician each performing arts person in all kinds of ways, painting theater music everything when he is creating art in culture then he always doing a movement. I’m not a big political guy, I have this or this idea in some kind of political direction but it’s quite difficult. I think being a politician is quite an art as well, so it’s not easy. It’s not easy because you have some ideas in one direction and you have some people thinking in the other direction and that’s the same in art and culture. Think creating a culture in all kinds of ways, in theater, movies, is kind of giving the people some ideas to go in a movement or a motivation and of course for the young people and the next generation so. I think the good thing about movies when you do a movie you are coming into history because this movie, on the internet, on a DVD, on a blue ray and people can see you in 100 years and someone will see that movie and you are creating art, and you are maybe not there anymore, and that’s the thing.
10- How can you help our world become a better place to live?
.I think each actor each musician each performing arts person in all kinds of ways, painting theater music everything when he is creating art in culture then he always doing a movement. I’m not a big political guy, I have this or this idea in some kind of political direction but it’s quite difficult. I think being a politician is quite an art as well, so it’s not easy. It’s not easy because you have some ideas in one direction and you have some people thinking in the other direction and that’s the same in art and culture. Think creating a culture in all kinds of ways, in theater, movies, is kind of giving the people some ideas to go in a movement or a motivation and of course for the young people and the next generation so. I think the good thing about movies when you do a movie you are coming into history because this movie, on the internet, on a DVD, on a blue ray and people can see you in 100 years and someone will see that movie and you are creating art, and you are maybe not there anymore, and that’s the thing.
11- Have you more words to say or suggest for our readers?
.Yeah! I think I already told you everything so take the time you need, use the time because the time is quite not big, the time we are living on this planet, the readers, you, me. Because the average people are getting 70 80 90 years old. I hope for everyone to get as old as possible, but the time is short and this time, use it, to do, to do the best for yourself for your family for your friends, for the things you like and enjoy like, because it is not easy in 2020 and I hope for the next years that it is getting better and create art and maybe people even say to you that thing or that thing is not good. Don’t listen to them and try again and again because it’s your choice and you have to choose what you want to do and not another one for you.
http://www.niltonmartins.com/?fbclid=IwAR0IUUp2zl1q6IarArbAVdib6pK6JuOtwNzrM_Zw9ScVp1uN69GcGEi2mkw
Notes:
Many thanks to my dear friend Laura Miller for turning this audio interview into a written interview.
