Agnieszka Wojtowicz-Vosloo. The name is a mouthful, but one you’ll be hearing about often. As the Polish/American writer and director behind “After.Life,” a genre–defying psychological horror film in theaters Friday, the bubbly Wojtowicz-Vosloo is poised to become a breakout star. As she tells Metro, it hasn’t been easy. But she wouldn’t want it any other way.
This was your first feature film. Was it as hard as you thought it would be?
I love challenges. I can’t do anything if it’s not challenging. When I did my first short film, my professors [at NYU] kept saying, “It’s too difficult. Don’t do it.” But that taught me how to make a film without a budget. With “After.Life,” I had to find the producers and financiers and cast it. I had this dream of Liam Neeson. He’s a very busy man, he does huge movies with huge paychecks. I’m not going to lie, all of it was hard.
Did he give you any pointers?
Every day! He’s not only a wonderful actor but a wonderful person. It very quickly became a partnership. Obviously, he is so much more experienced than I am, but I wasn’t intimidated. I love actors. I admire them. I had to earn their respect. But I was so fortunate to have actors that not only treated me like I was partners with them but would also do what I asked.
You are part of a small handful of women directors working today. Is it as hard as the media makes it out to be?
It’s always tougher, especially being a female who handles dark material. I guess they think I should be doing romantic comedies? The film business is full of rejection, no matter if you’re just starting out or established. But you can succeed! The most satisfying thing is that 10 years ago, I came to New York and I didn’t know a soul. I didn’t know anyone in L.A. And now I have a feature film.
