We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Linda Marian a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Linda, thanks for joining us today. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?

I didn’t know. But then we attended the opening of the Las Vegas Casino in Budapest, Hungary with my family as VIP guests and a woman from the attendees who saw me circling and ‘playing’ around – went to my Mum and asked her if I want to work in the movie business because this is the exact personality they need there, so I’d be a perfect fit. I have to mention that I really enjoyed my time there, and i wasn’t like any of the other guests… I took it as my adventure, and I made the best out of it.

The next morning my Mum told me this very unusual observation of the woman (who was a family friend), and I became extremely eager to try myself on this field. I started to think about the Resume I could send. After hours of sitting above a piece of paper – knowing that I have no experience at all in the film industry – I came up with the only possible idea, instead of writing a CV, I just wrote a very honest letter about how much I would like to do it, and how passionate I am about it – I just knew that I gotta take this chance, I felt it in my heart. That inner voice was louder than ever…

Couple of weeks later I found myself sitting on the last night bus with my backpack and wonderingly looking out of the window. i was on the way to work, I was on the way to a film shoot.

I was working for free for 12 weeks, but I didn’t mind any of those moments I spent on that movie set. I found my path. Or I could say, my path found me.

Since that spring of 2006 I’ve worked on several huge American movies, from The Martian to WWZ, throughout Inferno, Die Hard, Jack Ryan, etc. with many-many A-listed actors, Directors and Producers.

I’ve worked myself up to the top position and I became even more passionate during these years.

And guess what? I’m still in love with what I do day by day,.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I am an Assistant Director, and I’ve being in the film business since 2006 – it means I’ve spent half of my life on a movie set, working on well known American movies.

My job is to lead, organize, and handle hundreds of people – like A-listed Cast, magical Crews and wonderful Background Artists on set with the highest professionalism and ease.

I have to be in an absolute focus all day, I have to understand and know all the difficulties to be able to solve any problem/sudden issue within the time of the speed of light. And I do.

Because I love what I do.

I am the most proud of working with those 750 background artists on World War Z back in Budapest, in 2011. We were shooting the final battle for 3,5 weeks at night, in an old and rusty Tin Factory and I was running the set with the most amazing 750 mostly elderly people. We respected each other, we listened to each other. And we followed each other.
I never had to raise my voice up – talking to 750 people in an exterior location is pretty impossible not to talk louder – but I didn’t have to. Because we saw each other. They followed my sign language, and we moved together in silence.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

It’s a very good question because you have to be resilient to stay on top of your field in the movie industry, you easily fell out if you are not. I have many stories regarding this topic, so let me share my favorite one:

We were shooting a famous TV series back in 2009 for 130 days, – it considered quite a long shoot – , especially in those weather conditions, in the Austrian Alps. One of the main Actors (I rather not say names) were very exhausted just like the whole crew because of those crazy hours in the cold and snow, but we still had to finish a scene because of the location.
I got the call on the radio that I have to travel the cast – that one main actor.
I forwarded the message that they’re ready for him on set, but no move.
Then he turned to me and asked me again: “Linda, are you sure that they’re ready for me on set?” Knowing the urge when they called me on the phone to travel the actor, I said – “Yes, they are”, with full assurance.
He asked me again? “ARE YOU SURE? Because if I go to set, and they’re not ready, I will come back to my trailer and don’t move for an other 2 hours.”

Important fact to share that we were already in overtime, meaning that thousands of dollars were in a risk to get that actor on set in time and be able to finish the day.

So he turned to leave the trailer but looked back for a second: “See you in 5 mins.”

I knew he was right. He was always right. But I could not do anything else in that particular moment, just wait. Wait for the trailer door not to be opened in the next 5 minutes.. But soon after,…it opened. They weren’t ready for him on set. Of course not. And he knew it.

So my real job started now. How to convince quite a big name to leave his anger (his very understandable anger) behind and go back to set so we all can go home.

But it wasn’t a real job to me. It was the most natural action I did. I just played myself. The joyful and very understandable Linda who can handle anything that comes her way, with nothing but pure kindness.

I was able to convince him to go back to set and we could easily finish the day.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

The most rewarding aspect of being an artist on my field is to be able make magic. To be able to create and add to the World. Once I heard a story about a surgeon and a famous actor. The actor had to go the hospital because of his health and he started to thank the surgeon for saving his life, for doing something magical that he thinks the World don’t notice enough. Because we always forget that doctors are the real magicians. But then he got surprised when the surgeon replied. He thanked the actor for saving their lives. Because he said after many-many hours of operations their real relax is to watch a movie.

So that’s what we do. We make magic. We save lives.