A conversation with Eugeniusz Witek – entertainer, actor, radio and television presenter, popular not only in Silesia, awarded the title Leader by vocation in the most prestigious category of The 21st century Leader. During the interview, the artist explains what heart energy and inner engineering are.
You are an artist, entrepreneur and also a social activist. Simply put – a versatile man. Were you born a leader or did you become one?
First of all, thank you very much for the nomination, I am pleasantly surprised. Versatile is a very apt description of my personality, but sometimes it somehow makes me worried. Some say that if one can do everything, they can do nothing. I comfort my mind with the thought that when someone can do something from the heart, there is beauty in it. A phenomenon then occurs, where suddenly you are able to think of what you are thinking. From then on, life can really be pleasant and finally result in living beautifully among others.
How did you manage to find your way to yourself within this turmoil?
Searching for the path to self is an ongoing process that starts at birth, we just aren’t always aware of it. When we discover we are ready for transformation, then we may hear: “This one is awake!” So, to answer the question of whether a leader is born or becomes one, I would say that it is a process of being consciously authentic, where I feel how much I can do for myself and for others. That’s when my wings grow.
You act in TV series, you perform on stage, radio and TV, you DJ and entertain cultural events, and create songs. Which of these disciplines fulfil you the most and do you feel like a soul healer?
Each of us has a more-or-less defined inner engineering, tailored to the reality we exist in. Sometimes you have make the screw fit a certain hole. Coherence between the mind and the heart is the essence. It’s all about the energy of the heart. We’re not able to reason everything, we’re rather carried by what we feel. We are rather sailors than motorboat chasers on the ocean of reality. The moment I feel the boat carries me, I know I am an artist wanting to give and express 100% of myself, to bring joy and infect others with it. I am fulfilled when I manage to inject positive energy into others. In fact, each concert may become sort of a therapy through art. I recently hosted a 5-hour show in Żyrardów for seniors on the occasion of Grandmother’s and Grandfather’s Day in a hall for 500 people. The audience was so delighted that I spent more time between the rows than on stage itself. These grandmas danced with me, and I encouraged them to get up and improve blood circulation. It was wonderful.
Talents are inborn, but how did you acquire your artistic skills?
Through experience and practice. From the age of 16 I was involved in music, dance and disco. I started my DJ career as a student, gaining the presenter’s licence issued by the Ministry of Culture and Arts at the time. I was passionate about theatre. I spent a lot of time with actors, also privately, and was taught my craft. I feel perfectly at home as a movie actor, having played in over a dozen TV series, such as “Klan”, „Prosto w serce”, “Daleko od noszy”, “Na dobre i na złe”, “Ojciec Mateusz”, “Układ warszawski”, “Pierwsza miłość”, and «Święta wojna” – where I played the president of Katowice.
How did you get your first role?
Completely by chance, perhaps in 2004. ATM in Wrocław announced a casting call for the reality show “Uwaga! Hotel”, made for Polsat. Actually, it was a combination of a candid camera, a reality show and a comedy series. The actors played hotel staff. One young acting student decided to take part in the casting, and his mother asked me to drive him there. I had no intention of competing at all. I was standing in a bar, drinking coffee in the midst of a few hundred people and suddenly a man with a camera approached me, asking if he could take some pictures of me. I assertively asked him to leave. He became indignant and said I had misunderstood him. After a few minutes of pleasant conversation, I let him take those pictures, and after a few days, the director’s assistant called and invited me to a casting for a leading role. That’s how it all started.
In 2013, you were awarded the title of TVS Television’s Most Popular Presenter. How are you coping with the recognition?
Since 2011 I have been associated with TVS Television, where I hosted the programme “Lista Śląskich Szlagierów” for many years. I have participated in TVN television programmes, such as: “Ciao Darwin” or “Alle zima” . On the Silesia radio, I hosted my own programme “Mister Geno zaprasza” for 2.5 years, and since I can use the Silesian dialect, I was also involved in production of “Gadki szufladki” in the Etno-Polska 2022 project of the Human-Sense Foundation. In Silesia this gave me enormous popularity and led me to hosting a lot of concerts, including many TV and outdoor events, or the Chorzowska Biesiada Śląska with TVS Television. This recognition used to depress and annoy me, but now it doesn’t bother me at all. I like what I do and I feel that I am appreciated.
In Silesia you are one of the leading stars of hit music. Which is your favourite song?
“Love story SPA”. I recently recorded an album with a young DJ. I wrote over a dozen songs with music reminiscent of the 80s, though which I shared some of my stories.
What are your plans and dreams?
I want to develop a music project, namely „Nie śpiewam ja”. I have the whole project prepared, I came up with the cover, the gadgets, the characters, the formula for the music, the stage direction, I feel it’s entirely me in all of this. I’m just looking for the moment to show it to the world. I once had an episode written for me in a TV series. I got a call saying the director had found me, he wanted me to play the lead and I was to wait for the next call. I remembered that feeling. It’s fine to live with the thought that the essential is still in front of me. The dream? I’m waiting for the role of a lifetime. Sometimes people climb Mont Everest, plant a pennant there and then come down and suddenly there’s a void. A lot of people scattered on the way to the so-called summit. I’ve written several pieces about that. For me, the most important thing is to do something that makes you fulfilled and manage it in such a way that gives you a sense of a job well done, towards yourself and towards someone you feel is worth going with.
I can feel you’re now referring to Izabela “Lori” – the title character of your song and also your manager. How do you recharge your batteries?
We do what makes us happy. You have to take things as they are. Sometimes people care more about their cars than themselves. The saying ‘what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger’ only applies once. When something’s kicking you more and more, it will eventually bury you. That’s why it’s somewhat ‘idyllic’ when we wait for each other, and then we make sure to continue. Of course, it may sometimes spark between us, but if it starts to burn out, we turn off the main fuse. My motto: Be yourself, everyone else is already busy!
Dorota Kolano
Beata Sekuła
