OFF THE WALL >
Petr Vachler, film producer and owner of Vachler Art Company
Written by: Anita Lišková
Art: Nenad Vitas

What did you want to be when you were a kid?
I'm still hoping to grow up, and that someday you will be able to ask me this question.

In which country would you like to live?
Such a country does not exist on Earth yet. One without wars, violence, envy, intolerance, and consumer craziness. Maybe Atlantis?

What is your reason for living?
To repair both my water heater and my karma.

What truth about yourself would you like people to know?
That I'm a vegetarian and can live without meat. As the top predator on this planet, I want to be very humble, and grateful to be allowed to live here.

Who is your favorite fictional character?
Petr Vachler.

What is your favorite activity during the day?
To breathe fresh air, which is difficult in Prague, to shoot films for which there is no money, and to laugh. Fortunately this is possible because there's always something to laugh at.

To which place will you never return?
To hell? But never say never.

What was the last thing that was stolen from you?
A burglar alarm. In Šumava 2004.

What gift would you like to receive?
Maybe to be able to maintain Miguel Ruiz' Four Agreements, as this is a gift that I like to keep giving away.

What is never missing from your fridge?
The ice in the freezer.

What's your favorite saying?
You reap what you sow, but this doesn't only apply to farmers.

What dream have you fulfilled?
I have forgotten most of them, and those that I remember contradict physical laws.

If you had a dinner party and could invite five people from any period in history, who would they be, and why?
Jesus Christ and the Buddha, so that we could talk about their father and the meaning of life. Adam and Eve - why they didn't manage to stay in the Garden of Eden? And the most unhappy man that ever lived, so he would once again have hope for living.

Do you have to love in order to make love, or can you make love without love?
Can I quench a thirst without drinking water?

What is the best place for making love?
In an embrace.

Do you think it is better to always know the truth, or to know nothing?
It depends on when. It is the only factor in not breaking down. The important thing is that the truth doesn't hurt you or others when they are not ready for it.

Have you ever made an unusual bet, and how did it turn out?
When I am in a good mood, I invite people to go with me to the airport immediately, and I will buy them the first available return ticket to anywhere. Nobody has crossed the line of fear yet, because they had to be at work in the morning.

What would be the first thing you'd tell aliens about?
I would tell them that if they don't want to end up on an autopsy table, or in the zoo, they should remain hidden.

What is your favorite drug?
Life, I cannot be without it for even a minute.

How would you like to die?
In full consciousness that it is happening, and so I could observe the process.

What would like your tombstone to say?
Death is sitting on your shoulder too, and is waiting. Enjoy the fact that it likes you and that it gives you the time to fix some things.

Do you like happy endings?
I like it when happy doesn't only relate to the end.