Acting legend Esko Salminen kicked off the prestigious Betoni-Juss for his life’s work. A serious illness stopped Salminen and now he has had to slow down.
– I am very grateful and my heart is full of love, actor Esko Salminen82, describes his experiences to Iltalehti.
We are sitting in the actor’s home in the center of Helsinki. Salminen has recently heard that he will be rewarded for his life’s work with Betoni-Jussi.
There are already two Jussi statues on the edge of the tiled stove. One is Salminen’s, which he won Veikko Aaltonen from the film he directed Prodigal in 1993.
Actor Esko Salminen is holding his old Jussi award. This year he was awarded the Betoni-Jussi. Pete Anikari
The second statue belongs to Salminen’s mother, an actress Kyllikki for Väre. The Jussi statue, patinated by time, is from 1944. In the hand, the statue feels flimsy and downright fragile.
– I was 4 years old when my mother brought the Jussi statue home. Esko at that age wasn’t really enthusiastic about it. I was more interested in the delicacies that my mother carried home from the restaurant wrapped in a napkin, Salminen smiles.
The actress does not have many memories of her mother. Väre died of an illness at the age of 38. Salminen was only 10 years old at the time. Since then, the memento has traveled with the man.
Illness stopped
Salminen’s long career is like a cross-section of Finnish film history. His first film role was in a comedy Behind the street mirror in 1949. At that time, Salminen was only 9 years old when he became part of the world of cinema.
– I have been able to make films from start to finish. After all, the roles have not always been what he had hoped for, especially the roles at the beginning of his career were mediocre, he says.
During his career, Salminen has made numerous films and plays. At the dining table, the names and years of the works come from the spine. Pete Anikari
Salminen lists film directors with whom he has worked during his life. The list is impressive and endless: From Edvin Laine to Pekka Parika and Aarne from Tarkas Taru Mäkelä. They have also remained in the memories Ville Salminen, Matti Kassila as well as many other renowned experts in the field.
Salminen laughs about how he once had to refuse cooperation Toivo Särkän with because of his own life situation. Salminen still remembers how disappointed the respected film producer was.
– Särkä’s look was indeed sad. He had bet a lot on me.
Cooperation has also stuck in my mind Pertti “Spede” Pasanen with.
– If Spede taught me nothing else, he taught me to like money. He paid good fees.
Two Jussi awards stand on the left. One is Salminen’s own and the other is his mother’s. Pete Anikari
Salminen is grateful that he has been able to act with many great actors during his career. He throws the camera is also an excellent counter actor in the film industry. He describes it as a “magnetic image of the psyche”.
– The camera shows immediately if you exaggerate or try too hard. It also revealed the once young person’s wonderful naivety and trust in life.
Especially the director Aki Kaurismäki done with Hamlet in the business world -film has remained in Salminen’s memories.
Salmista could also be described as an interpreter of emotions on theater stages. He has given his face so To Othello than For Peer Gynt. Salminen has never taken himself too seriously, as he has also voiced in an animated film Super guinea pig.
In his opinion, you can never really retire from the work of an actor, it is rather a way of life. However, a serious illness stopped the hero actor recently.
– Everything fell apart a little bit. If you drive an engine for 64 years without maintaining it, it will catch up at some point, Salminen speaks metaphorically.
Salminen has had to slow down his pace due to his health. However, the love for acting drives you forward. Pete Anikari
The situation became so serious that Salminen was taken to the hospital, where he had to stay for a month. The man’s children were on duty by the bed. He thanks the hospital staff for the excellent nursing work.
– We came back from there again. Walking here with a walking stick is difficult. Life grinds even the hardest plank, says an old proverb, Salminen throws.
– I have a warm relationship with my children and then of course there are four grandchildren who have made me such a nostalgic uk.
Salminen has always been eager to read. The man’s bookshelf is quite an impressive sight. Pete Anikari
Not a little girl
Salminen lavishly praises his spouse, an actress Only Seppoa. The couple has been married since 1998.
– I am lucky to live with an intelligent, brave and humorous woman. We have had a happy life, Salminen states and looks at his wife.
He still remembers the early days of the couple. The years have taught the man that marriage is a compromise in which the other person must also be taken into account.
– I didn’t take any little thing to my side, but a whole person.
Actors Aino Seppo and Esko Salminen can still laugh at each other’s stories. The relationship between the couple literally exudes love and respect. Pete Anikari
Salminen turns 83 in October. The already planned poetry evening and the documentary film about the actor are spinning in my mind. However, he does not want to get ahead of things.
– Let’s go one day at a time. I have been able to do a job that I love. Sometimes I have done too much, but now everything is fine.