His roles write history in the cinema. His on-screen partners are the greatest in the seventh art, on the level of his own talent. Voight has also been referred to as Angelina Jolie’s father for years. And if I’ve ever wondered how he could be the father of such a beautiful woman and actress and have had relationships with not only her mother the beautiful actress Marcheline Bertrand, but also women like Barbra Streisand,

Nastassja Kinski and Diana Ross, when we meet, I realize the magic of his appearance. In his blue eyes I see strength, intelligence and I can feel the warmth in his presence. He is charismatic.

I wish I coud tell him: Jon Voight, you can’t imagine how many wonderful Sunday afternoons I have spent in an old movie theater named “Drujba” with your movies – “Midnight Cowboy”, “Catch 22”, “Coming home”. You were part of my cinema “education” and from the comfort of being a child and spending time with my mother.

And it is like I have told him this he begins our conversation like that:

When I was five and my brothers were six and four, we use to go to the cinema with my parents. My mother would make sandwiches, we would have sodas. And then we all we went in the movie theatre, we sat, she would pass the sandwiches. And we would watch these wonderful movies in the 40s and 50s. Movies were tamer and a little more family-oriented back then. But there were serious movies that we saw too. My father’s favorite actor was Spencer Tracy and my father had good taste. And just like Spencer Tracy was very charming and charismatic.

Do you look like him? Did he influence you?

Yes, he was most handsome than me. To me he was much more handsome. He looked like a movie star. He reminded of Cary Grant a little, to imagine. But he was not just a pretty face. He was, he is an interesting man. I was admiring the way he looked. He was a very graceful person. A person with a strong character, just like my mother. And I inherited that from them. He was a sane person and golf professional. He was athletic as well, but he had a tragedy in his life.

In his 18 years he had and automobile accident, that left him a bad spine. He couldn’t play competitive golf, so he became a teacher. That’s probably why he was a good story teller. His work required him to you make the lessons entertaining and give information to students. He was good a teacher. He inspired my choice to be an actor.

How?

I think with the stories he told us. He used to come to our room in the evening. And he laid down a bit you know with us, next to my brother Barry. I was sleeping on a bunk bed. My brother Chip, the older one, was on top. It was dark, but the light came in from the kitchen. A very soft light just came in, so you we could see each other but it was dark. And my father’s voice would carry on the wings of stories. And we would take off.

He would say: Well, guys, what would you like tonight. What’s on the menu? Let’s see. We can either have a story from my childhood? And he made himself a character from his own childhood. And he told his adventures, he would embellish them tell them and those were the best stories for me.

Do you think pain in life makes us more thoughtful people and more philosophical?

Yes, but I want to say that always find it remarkable that my father did never complain about the fate that took the love of his game.

Over time I came to understand that we were very fortunate to have our father in the house and not to have it on a golf tour. This gave us the opportunity to have so much interaction with him in our young years. It was a blessing to us, but to him it was a pain, but he understood. “Life is pain, boys! – he use to say. – Although we see it as pleasant thing.” And at the same time he was a joysy person. And wise. He would say: “Always prepare. You will be able to run fast”. Or: “Put things aside for a rainy day. Prepare for your future.”

Years later you had this wonderful love scene with Jane Fonda in the movie “Coming home”. What is the secret of chemistry on the screen? How do you create chemistry with your partners in the movies and what do you do if there is no chemistry?

Hahaha, then there is a trouble. Yes, that’s very important. Everybody has different kind of chemistry. The great acting teachers – Stanislavsky, the fellow I worked with – Sanford Meisner, Lee Strasberg and other great ones, they all talk about the key to good acting on the screen and on the stage which is listening and observing the other actors and their behavior and be open to interact. If you really come to act and you do the words, you do the lines, no matter how much you have practiced how you are going to say them that’s not acting. Acting is about interacting.

Like living.

Yes. It is about to be open and allow things to affect you. Really leaving yourself available to all sorts of feelings. A lot of my acting performances were based on the other actors I have partnered with’ performances.

We were working and we were having fun with Jane Fonda. There was a scene where she was painting my chest and I was painting her face or something like we were doing the happy thing of the 60s. I was in a playful mood and she was saying how controlling I was. I replied: And you don’t, hugh?! Just before that she had said: “Are you gonna leave that light there?” And she started telling Haskell Wexler who was one of the best cinematographers at the time, great cinematographer, where to put the lights. And I said: “Jane you realize what you’re doing, don’t you? That you are controlling the entire set and you are projecting that on me whatever it was.”

We laughed a lot together during the pictures. That’s the real acting. We are allowing ourselves to play with each other.

When I Look at my work I say how much has Dustin Hoffman have to do with my performance in “Midnight Cowboy”. A lot! Because we were really into each other, full playing around, having some fun it’s wonderful. And Dust is so wonderful!

And Burt Reynolds has a tremendous energy and he is such a good actor. And I knew his part (in the movie “Deliverance”, 1972) was going to be the big part in the movie you know. We were four and everyone of us was a very important element in the story but Burt was the reason why we were all there in this dangerous environment. And he had charisma. Burt Reynolds had charisma. And we were all responding, everyone was responding everyone.

Did you have good chemistry with Al Pacino and Robert De Niro in “The Heat”?

I didn’t have any scenes with Al Pacino. I worked with Bobby. I hadn’t worked with him before. Al is a friend of mine. I saw his first stage work off Broadway New York and he was brilliant. He played in “Indians in the Bronx” and John Cassavetis, great actor, was in too. And Al and I became friends. And I treasure that because I admire him so much.

What makes you friends?

His sense of humour I think. He always makes me laugh He is the most unusual person I know.

Really? He looks so dramatic.

Al?

Yes! With those big eyes and that strength and passion.

Yes, fantastic passion! Wonderful! But he’s very smart, and also funny. Did you see him in “Dick Tracy”? He is incredible – but funmy there! Brilliant, great actor

Which of the impressive directors you have worked with til – Martin Scorsese, Oliver Stone, John SchleZieger, Michael Mann, Francis Ford Coppola, Franco Zeffirelli, provoked you the most?

Oh, that’s a huge question! Having mentioned Zeffirelli, thinking about how handsome he was and telling me, “You’re a tan my boy’. And my character in the film, which he directed

sir, he was quite rough and manly.

Last year you spent a lot of time in Bulgaria, filming. Did you like the partnership with New Boyana?

My reason to work here at the first place is because of Yariv Lerner. Heheads the “New Boyana” film studio, which father his Avi created. Second, it’s a wonderful place for making movies and reminds me of the original Holywood. If you walk the streets, among the sets,

it’s like you’re in New York. And you will meet people with strange costumes, just like in Hollywood of old. There is an atmosphere and exceptional professionals trained over the years – people who build sets, costume- Counts, make-up artists. He has an outstanding team that he is on one of the best makeup artists I’ve ever worked with – Dani (Daniela Avramova). In Bulgaria and in “New Painton’ I feel great. I work with nice people, that we become friends. And there is not a drop of negative energy. The movies we made for Paramount plus are and thanks to my producer, my friend and business partner Stephen Paul. I am a friend of the family his for many years. He surpasses me in industriousness, eh

I work a lot.

What films did you make here?

Strangers, The Shadowland and Man with no Past. IN Shadowland tells the story of a former president of the U.N. the watermelon states, who is afraid that someone is trying to kill him. He has dreams where he sees people who- they are chasing him. And he turns out to be right. Someone really does pursues in life. A very interesting film in which many storylines intertwine. Man with no Past is very exciting movie. All the actors in it are many

unusual.

It has a wonderful love story. For head- role, we were looking for an actor who could stop

you with a stunt job and play a love story. And my producer Stephen Paul found a great one

man in England – Adam Woodward. They will like it very much – ex-military, then policeman. Very athletic. It turned out he is also a good actor, with a lot of charm. Brilliant, it just is amazing. He will be a star. He is a star. Also participates a great Bulgarian team of stuntmen. The Cascades are fantastic. Kids will rewind the movie and will they watch them again and again and again.

Have you ever noticed the moment when people start- they talk about you as Angelina’s father Jolie?

Oh, I love this! I have a son (James Haven), who is also a great guy. It also happened to me in Bulgaria. I was in one of the malls and several people stopped me- if they ask me if I’m Angelina’s father. Said – I am! She used to be Jon Voight’s daughter, but

it does not matter. They know who I am.

Are you proud of her?

Oh yeah! Of course! She is unique. There is something from me, but I think there is also from my father. It has a very strong charisma. Perhaps this charisma is inherited in our genes.

Do you like her work as an actress?

Yes. She is also a good director. Have you seen her movie – First they killed my father? I recommend it. shoot it in Cambodia. And it’s all in Cambodian language,

with subtitles. But it’s no problem to understand all-co. The acting is so good and the direction Angie’s – so good. You see everything, you understand

everything. She has worked with a lot of people that she has never worked with before

they were not actors. And I don’t know how she did it, but she did

amazing movie. Wonderful!

How would you like to be remembered?

As a person who strives to be good. In everyone there is good and evil, there is everything. And I think we do we are here to learn to be a better version of myself. This is the meaning of life. There are things for which I have to be careful all the time. I haven’t always been

good and I’ve made mistakes. But I think maybe pro-I want people to know that I have worked very hard leno to be a good person, to leave something valuable.

And you asked me about pain – pain and difficulties are one of the ways we grow and learn. In some cultures call it karma. Life confronts us these battles, as if we were written to meet with them. The point is to cope in order to grow. And I understand- when it is not so easy, but if we overcome these moments, we will learn, we will grow. And that’s why the gift of yes being older is gaining wisdom. No every old man is the wisest man, but he knows more

that than when he began his life. Watching young people, can see when they make mistakes, and if he is kind, he can help them go carefully in another direction to avoid a life-threatening accident your vote

Thank you, Jon Voight.

quotes

“Life is pain,

boys! – said father

1. – Although it seems

as something pleasant.” And in

it was catchy at the same time

person. And wise. He taught me and

my brothers: “Always be

prepared. So you will be

faster than others.” Or:

“Put something aside for

dark days. Prepare

for the future.”

Angie is unique. There’s something of me, but I think

that from my father too. He has a very strong charisma.

Perhaps this charisma is transmitted by

an inheritance in our genes.

Pictures’ comments

With Dustin

Hoffman in

“Midnight

cowboy” and

with Robert

de Niro in

“Heat”

With Jane Fonda

in “Comming home”

quotes

No matter how you do the words, no matter how you do the lines, no matter how much you have practiced how you are going to say them. That’s not acting. Acting is about interacting.