Georgi Gatev is from Gabrovo and is a pilot by profession. The Covid 19 pandemic changed his professional path, and today Georgi Gatev is no longer flying, but has enough time to develop other skills and talents, including acting.
Would you introduce yourself: where and when were you born, and what do you do?
Georgi Gatev: My name is Georgi Stanev Gatev. I was born in Gabrovo in 1970. I am a pilot by profession. Due to the pandemic, I am not flying at present. I completed secondary school in Veliko Tarnovo. I graduated from the Georgi Benkovski Higher Air Force School in Dolna Mitropolia. In 2003, I graduated top of my class from the G. S. Rakovski Military Academy in Sofia.
How did your story with the Film Academy for Talents school begin? How did you hear about them?
Georgi Gatev: My story at the Film Academy for Talents began after I saw an advertisement on social media and attended an audition. As a child and school student, I acted at a children’s and youth theatre school in Veliko Tarnovo. I appeared in several theatre productions, some broadcast on our national television. My great love for acting dates from that time. I even wanted to make it my future profession. During those teenage years I also practised parachuting at the flying club in Gorna Oryahovitsa. That is where my love of aviation comes from. In the end, my dream of becoming a pilot won by a small margin. After 15 years as a professional military pilot, I retired and continued flying in civil aviation. When the pandemic arrived, I was an Airbus A-320 captain. With flights sharply reduced, I stopped flying, and my first love, acting, was rekindled.
What made you attend an audition, and what happened there?
Georgi Gatev: I attended an audition at the Film Academy for Talents, and I truly enjoy the classes there.
What makes Natalia Dukova and Tsvyatko Tsenov such appealing company and keeps you returning to the school?
Georgi Gatev: The teachers Natalia and Tsvyatko are wonderful professionals, and I am satisfied with my training and my interaction with them.
What films, advertisements or videos would you like to appear in?
Georgi Gatev: I appear in the Urimil Forte advertisement, which has been running on the main television channels for nearly a year. I would appear in more advertisements and films if I am of interest in different areas, because that is an acting challenge for me.
What have you learned, and what are you learning, from the Film Academy for Talents team?
Georgi Gatev: Besides the secrets of acting itself, what I learned at the Academy was teamwork. A successful work is the result of everyone involved in the complex process of making cinema.
How would you use this training in real life? Does it inspire you? What motivates you to keep going?
Georgi Gatev: Acting is one of the most complex and difficult professions. Being able to embody different characters and touch viewers emotionally takes talent and dedication, a great deal of work and commitment. Inevitably, when you try to play a role well, you have to understand the soul of the character you are portraying. That also gives you the ability to understand people better in real life.
