I Took the Plunge, and I Don’t Regret It

“This is simply my film. It will either stand on its own or it won’t. Some people will like it, others won’t,” says Zuzanna Grabowska. “I made this choice, and I can’t hide behind excuses like ‘the director wanted it this way’ or ‘the producer changed it.’ No. These are my decisions.”

What was it like stepping behind the camera?

Wonderful! I didn’t even realize how much I would enjoy it. Secretly, I had always dreamed of directing something. I started with smaller projects – music videos and short films – and eventually decided to make a feature film. I approached it with some apprehension, but I did everything I could to prepare thoroughly before shooting began, because so much happens on set. We had already worked through all the fundamentals beforehand – what we were doing, what each scene was about, how we wanted to perform it, how I envisioned everything. We held rehearsals in advance. Please don’t forget that I was acting in the film as well, so it was an incredibly challenging task. At one point I even wondered whether it was possible at all. But then I encouraged myself and surrounded myself with the right people, including acting coach Ania Skorupa, who has worked with Agata Turkot on A Good Home (Dom dobry) and Eryk Kulm on Chopin. Agata, Ania, and I spent two to three months rehearsing together so that once we were on set, I could be completely confident about what I wanted to achieve.

What was it like directing your famous father, Andrzej Grabowski, and your husband, Paweł Domagała? Did they listen to you as their director?

They certainly did! In fact, they were both very excited. They supported me wholeheartedly.

I surrounded myself with people I trust, enjoy working with, and feel comfortable around – my close friend Agata Wątróbska and my husband. They knew we had very few shooting days, that time was limited, and that we had to make the most of every moment. After all, they’re both highly experienced actors. They were cooperative, listened carefully, and I was pleasantly surprised.

Where did the idea to direct come from?

Throughout all the years I spent acting in theatre and television, I was always part of someone else’s vision. I found myself longing to create something of my own – to share a piece of my own world. When a director or producer has a vision, you adapt to it, to a greater or lesser extent. You can make suggestions, but there isn’t always much room to shape the final result. This time, I had the chance to create an entire world from beginning to end – a world that inspires me and means something to me. That was incredibly rewarding. Of course, it also comes with complete responsibility. Now the film is being released, and I have nowhere to hide. Agata and I came up with this story together; we wrote it together. This is my film. It will either succeed or it won’t. Some people will like it; others won’t.

I made this decision, and I can’t blame it on a director or a producer. These are my choices. I took the plunge, and I don’t regret it.

Are you nervous before the premiere?

Absolutely. Seeing the film on the big screen is a completely different experience. Of course, I’ve watched it hundreds of times already – but only in editing suites, on small monitors, and without an audience, just with the editor. I’m incredibly curious to see how people respond. Will it make them laugh? Will it move them emotionally? I’m looking forward to hearing the discussions after the screening. I’m genuinely excited.

Did anything surprise you as a director during production?

What surprised me most was realizing that the first version of a film is created while writing the script, the second is created on set, and the third in the editing room. The core of the story remains the same, of course. But you imagine something while writing, and then you arrive at a location that looks completely different from what you had envisioned, so you have to adapt the scene. Then, during editing, everything changes once again. Scenes I thought were fantastic suddenly turned out to be merely good enough, while scenes I had been unsure about suddenly came alive thanks to the music, color grading, and sound design. At a certain point, it felt as though the story began telling itself.

How did you choose the cast?

I knew immediately that Agata Wątróbska had to be in the film. She simply appeared in my mind.

I suggested that we create it together. I told her, “Agata, you’re my friend and you’re an actress, and since I want to make a film about friendship, let’s write it together.” That was the starting point. We had known each other throughout drama school, lived together back then, knew each other inside out, and had been through many experiences together. This became another one – this time on a film set. As for the rest of the cast, ideas emerged while we were writing the screenplay. Different names came and went before we finally arrived at the team that made the film.

Looking back now that the film is finished, which stage was the most enjoyable and which was the most difficult?

Without question, filming itself was my favorite part. That’s where I felt most at home. Because we were surrounded by nature – in your forests and by your lakes – it was a truly beautiful and dynamic experience. The most demanding stage was writing the screenplay. It requires consistency and discipline, something I wasn’t used to. We were fortunate to have an excellent script consultant, Monika Majorek, who helped guide us through the process. Screenwriting is definitely the role I identify with the least.

The film was shot in the Kujawsko-Pomorskie Region. Why did you decide to film there instead of Warsaw?

It’s a road movie, so we were looking for places where we could show Poland at its most beautiful in the summertime – that’s how I imagined it. I asked the producers to find locations with fields of grain, lakes, and forests. Eventually, we came across the Kujawy Pomorze Film Fund and submitted our project. Thanks to their support, we found the perfect location in your region, and the film was able to happen. Their support was invaluable. Besides, we simply couldn’t have achieved the same look in Warsaw. There just aren’t landscapes like that there.

Will The Road Less Traveled be your only directing project?

I don’t think so. At the moment I don’t have another story in mind, but this one almost felt as though it found me. I had an inner need and determination to tell it, as if something was guiding me. If that feeling comes again, I’d love to direct another film. This time, though, I probably wouldn’t act in it as well. That combination was unique to this particular project – I felt it had to be made that way. In the future, I’d like to focus solely on directing.

Thank you for the interview!

Department of Promotion
Dariusz Czołgowski & Paweł Jankowski

July 2, 2026