Filmmaker Jan Hřebejk fondly recalls Věra Křesadlová, the actress and singer, remembering her striking sincerity and directness. He shared these reflections following Křesadlová’s recent passing.
Hřebejk specifically highlighted Křesadlová’s performance in Ivan Passer’s intimate Lighting (1965) as her defining role.He recounted a memorable scene were her character, Štěpo, is addressed by her first name by a passerby, prompting a correction from Křesadlová. This year, Hřebejk replicated the moment with Aneta Vignerová outside of the script, intending to share it with Radim kratochvíl, Věra Křesadlová’s youngest son, though he hadn’t yet received a response.
despite never having met Křesadlová before a stay in Australia,Hřebejk felt an immediate connection,describing it as if they had known each other for years. He was deeply impressed by her genuine nature, noting it transcended her public persona as Miloš Forman‘s wife and a member of the Semafor musical theater. “She had a sincerity in her that impressed me and did not create any barrier to the fact that she is Věra Křesadlová, the wife of Miloš Forman and the singer from Semafor,” Hřebejk stated. He concluded with a tribute: “May the lamp of eternal light shine on her.”