Saturday, March 18, 2006


Sometime in mid June 1990 writer John Lekich was assigned by the Georgia Straight to interview Liv Ullmann who was in Vancouver as a UNICEF ambassador. I tagged along as the photographer. The setup was a nightmare as the journalists and photographers were herded into a fairly large and ornate conference room at the Hotel Vancouver. On one end of the room there was a Louis the 15th table. Liv Ullmann was sitting behind. We were told to sit on a row of chairs on the opposite end of the room. Journalists, when their turn came up, were told to stand up and ask their questions. Some asked embarrassing questions. Ms Ullman graciously answered them without putting them on the spot. When John Lekich's turn came, he did the unexpected thing. He went up to Ullmann's table and he moved a nearby chair. He sat down and whispered the questions. In a roomful of journalists, John got his private interview. Taking his cue, as soon as he finished, I moved my lights and camera to the desk. Ms Ullmann looked at me and said, "Don't ask me to smile."

Few know that Liv Ullmann was born in Tokyo and that she is Norwegian by nationality. Her only Swedish connection is her work with Swedish director Ingmar Bergman.

Liv Ullmann
Linn Ullmann