Polanski Job Attracts Crowds

Hundreds of hopeful young men queued for hours on Saturday to audition for the lead role in Roman Polanski's forthcoming feature The Pianist. The men, gathered outside The Actor's Centre in London's Convent Garden, were responding to an ad for a 'Man aged 25-35, slight build, dark colouring' to play the part of Wladyslaw Szpilman, the Polish pianist on whose life story the film is based. Solar physicist Phil Moran felt that he fitted the description but reckoned his chances were 'about one in a thousand'. 'I look at the queue and I don't know. then again maybe most of these people aren't suitable.' Andreas from Italy, works behind the scenes in films and fancies his chances as a lead actor. 'I've been waiting for hours, but I'll wait as long as it takes. I think I am quite charismatic and that's what they are searching for.' Those who made it in said the casting director picked one or two men out of each group of about 20, took their pictures asked them about themselves. 'They gave three of us a form to fill in and took our photos,' said Pavel Rimburg. 'Then came a one-to-one interview with the casting director. She asked me what I did for a living, if I played the piano. Then she said I wasn't right for the main part but that there might be something else in the movie.' As it transpired, the filmmakers were looking for someone with a perfect English accent - so many foreign auditionees went home disappointed. 'The first thing they were looking for was the pyhsical look, the second that you speak perfect British English, which wouldn't have been the case for me because I'm German,' said Jan Lafon. The man chosen in his group, 'had the perfect look for it,' he said. 'A Polish look. If you see a picture of Wladyslaw Szpilman you'll have an idea of what they were looking for.' Xavier Porter added that people with 'dark hair and a feminine look' were picked out. Watch this space for news of whether the casting director found the ideal Wladyslaw.