Today we’d like to introduce you to Maciej Bartoszewski
Hi Maciej, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
My name is Maciej Bartoszewski, and I’m originally from Poland I moved to the USA in 2014. I was 22 when I started pursuing my “American dream” on the island of opportunities and magic—New York City—the place in the world where everything is possible. I lived there for 7 years, and in 2020, I moved to Los Angeles, and I’ve lived here ever since.
Now, when I look back, I really can’t believe how all these wonderful things happened to me. I am very impressed by how courageous and strong I was at such a young age. It was a powerful move to leave behind the people I loved and the Life I know. I am sure that some force has always supported me wherever I go and whatever I do and I will always be learning to allow this magical power to fully guide me and express itself through me in my everyday life. I just know my journey wouldn’t have been that exciting if I’d ignored it.
But how this all started…
I was 11 years old when for the first time I felt a strong impulse and calling to come to NYC. It was also a very difficult time in the history of America. When the September 11 Attacks happened, I was very emotionally affected by its tragedy. I couldn’t stop thinking of it. All I wanted was to come to NYC and pay tribute to those who died. I was imagining a moment to one day walk one of the streets of downtown Manhattan and simply say goodbye to the people I was never able to meet.
Sometimes there is that one thing that appears in our life and not knowing why we just simply can’t stop thinking about it. I believe it this is a part of the puzzle we must solve and learn from it to find out who we are.
Growing up in Poland wasn’t easy for me but it shaped my life and helped me to become a person I am now.
As a kid, I was very drawn to music, dance and performance. My dad loved watching me dance while I was just trying to imitate other artists’ dance moves on the MTV channel. I was 7 years old when he signed me up for my first dance class. I hated it because it wasn’t a hip-hop one I wanted to initially attend.
All the years starting from elementary school until the last class of high school. I was involved in all the plays and dance projects that existed at that time.
I was a popular kid in schools and its popularity cost me a very high price. I would say all the girls liked me and supported the artistic side of me whereas at the same time, boys in school “wanted to kill me”. Yes, bullying was a big part of my learning and growth and sometimes I think it still is. I was the only boy in school who danced professionally. Growing up in a city like Lodz was a different experience back then. It was inconvenient for other guys to see a boy dancing on a school stage with a bunch of other pretty girls. They didn’t understand that there was a boy who knew how to do that. They didn’t like the fact that the girls at school admired it. So, as much as I loved dancing I hated it at the same time. As much as I was free while dancing, I was imprisoned by others soon after I left the stage. There was a price I had to pay to do what I loved. I was physically and verbally abused. There was this one time when I and other girls were about to perform in front of the whole school. I heard other boys screaming and threatening me that if I went on stage they would beat me up after school. I was 13 years old, crying because I was scared to perform. Everyone in school was waiting for me to come out and dance. The girls were screaming my name. My teacher came to talk to me backstage with my dancemates. They all begged me to go and dance. “you have worked so hard for this, will you let them win?” I was devastated but I knew I couldn’t give up. So I did it and while I was dancing I felt very powerful. After the performance, the oldest boys from school came to me and said that they loved seeing me dancing and that they would always protect me from now on so no one would ever mess with me again. And that was it!
I never told my parents or my brothers what I was going through in school but I know that they wouldn’t save me from that. I know that in the end, I was the only one who had to go through this. At the end of the day, I know that there has been this force that never lets me down and it always helps me when I am in need pushing me to fight for myself and to never give up. And life is about not giving up!
After graduating from high school, I went straight to college. I studied Musical Theatre at the Music Academy in Lodz, Poland.
It wasn’t my dream school but I was really happy I was accepted. It was a prestigious academy located in a historical building.
I loved hearing classical music and others singing opera every time I was there. I enjoyed the smell of old furniture and the sound of the creaking floors. I remember my first class and the accompanist playing a classical piece. At that moment I know I belong to the world of art and I’ll be doing it for the rest of my life.
In the last class of college, I spent working on my thesis. It was a 15-minute performance that I directed and choreographed. The story was about the parrot and its owner who escaped their reality and met in a different world while falling romantically in love. It was a beautiful piece about freedom and love and it was a message to my parents telling them that it was time for me to go.
The work was very successful and highly scored by my teachers. I felt very proud.
After graduating from college, I didn’t know where to find work as an actor, dancer or choreographer. Evrything felt very small and empty for me. I felt like I didn’t know who I was and what I wanted to accomplish in my life. I felt very lost. All I heard in my head was to go far away from everything and everyone I knew.
One day, my life completely changed. It was the moment I started to search for work opportunities in different countries.
I wanted to go just for a few months maybe to Netherlands or Sweden. The place didn’t matter to me as long as it was not Poland. I wanted to travel, meet people, and improve my English. I wanted to explore the world. My intention probably at that time was to go to the unknown.
I remember the first time I logged on to that job site. There were many opportunities for students or those who just graduated and didn’t know what to do next. One of the interesting jobs was the position of a “flower pickup ‘er ” or a factory worker. Mostly physically demanding jobs, but like I said, earlier, I didn’t care where I’d go as long as it was far away from where I lived.
And then it happened! While I was scrolling through all the different job sites there was this ad popping up “Become an Au Pair and live in America”. I initially ignored it and didn’t even read its full message but after several times of constantly closing the little window, I decided to click on it and see what it was.
Go to America for two years and study there? – Yes, I can do that! Live with an American family and help them drive their kids to school ? … Yes, I certainly can do that! Make money and travel? Oh yeah, baby! But first, you must go to New York for a couple of weeks for the training…? No more questions are needed, I am going! But how?
So the whole year of 2013, I was getting ready to move to America.
I couldn’t find the right agency that wanted to work with male au pairs. I called many small and big agencies and none of them said YES to me.
Then another magical moment happened to me that I will never forget. I decided to do some research online and I wanted to find out if there was any Polish guy who became a male au pair in America. Sure enough, I found one and only one person named Szymek. He had his blog in which he wrote about his journey of pursuing his dream as an au pair, doing the program in America and returning to Poland. He also wrote about his life after completing the program when he returned to Poland. His articles were funny and honest. I thought I needed to get in touch with him so I sent him an e-mail. I wrote to him saying how amazing his blog was and that I was planning to become an au pair just like him. He responded to me about a month later wishing me all the best and telling me which agency he worked with.
Szymek and his blog were a big encouragement and hope for a better life. He was an example that I can make my dreams come true and he pushed me to pursue it. I will always be grateful to him for that.
There is a continuation to this story that I will gladly write later in this article.
So, there was only one agency that wanted to sign up with me. It was the most expensive one and I couldn’t count on my parent’s help so I started to work at the store to pay for its fee. The whole process was long and associated with writing things about myself, creating an introductory video, passing an English test and finally getting my visa- the most stressful one because it is never up to you if your application will be approved by the embassy worker. First of all, I didn’t know where I would go. I didn’t know if there’d be any family that would like to hire a guy to help them look after their kids.
There were only two families that were interested in interviewing me. The first one happened pretty quickly. It was a family from Seatle. We talked for about 30 mins but it didn’t work. They moved on with the next candidate. I was kind of pleased because I wanted to live in NYC anyway.
12 months passed and nobody has ever reached out. I lost my hopes and just let this whole American dream disappear. I wasn’t sad because, during that period, I was travelling around Europe a lot, meeting people, improving my English. I thought to myself maybe NYC wasn’t my real dream. I kind of let it all go.
Sometimes when we let go we surrender the reality and the magic happens to us. And it certainly did for me.
I was contacted by a Japanese/American family in NYC. The mother was super sweet and she was a Broadway performer. She said that she has 3 kids who also dance and sing and that we are meant for each other. The lady said, that she would help me to sign up for the best dancing and acting class in the city and introduce me to her friends from the industry.
I was amazed by her and the opportunity she wanted to give me. They offered me a car to drive in my free time, a great location, a private guest house and of course my beautiful New York City. I couldn’t believe that this was happening to me. All my dreams are coming true. I will go to America, I will not only go there but. I’ll live in NYC. I was excited, overwhelmed and scared.
My life felt pretty good at that time. I was very sad to leave my brothers, sister, my parents, my nieces and nephews. It all became stressful for me. I knew I had to make a decision and I had only 7 days.
I said yes and a month later I flew to NYC. I will never forget saying goodbye to my mother for the first time. My heart felt broken. That moment has also shaped my life and became a fundamental part of my art and the source of my creativity. My mother is the love of my life!
Being on a 12-hour flight was a beautiful experience. I remember thinking that from now on, everything is going to be different—a new adventure, new places, new culture, new people, and a new language. It was an exciting and scary feeling. Deep down, I know my life will change dramatically.
The first few days, we spent at the training school on one of the campuses in Queens. We were learning about the program regulations, driving restrictions and of course a little about American culture. There were 300 au pairs from all over the world who arrived at the same time.
On the last day of the training school, we went to see Times Square. I will never forget the moment I saw so many flashing and colourful billboards. I remember I thought in my heart that one day my face would be one of these big billboards.
In America everything is possible and sure enough, my wish came true. 3 years later, I was the face of the major clothing brands and the commercial with me in it appeared on one of the main billboards in Times Square for over one year.
Times Square was a powerful, place of magic and dreams. One time, I went to a Zara store to buy a suit for myself. It was an important and stressful day for me because the next day, I had an appointment at the American embassy regarding my green card application. That day I was wondering what if I did not get the green card, what am I going to do in my life? Where am I going to go? I was in America for over 3 years at that point.
The store was very crowded, probably the most crowded Zara store in the whole country as it was located in the centre of the shining Times Square. So while I was there looking at the dress pants, I felt some strong energy behind my shoulder. I felt that someone was standing there. I looked behind me and you know who I saw? Szymek the guy who wrote the blog about becoming a male au pair in Poland. My first thoughts were: how is that possible? He already came back to Poland and finished his program a long time ago, What is he doing here in NYC? How is it even possible that he is here in Times Square at the same moment?
I went straight to him and approached him while introducing myself in Polish. I said” Are you Szymek, my name is Maciej Do you remember me? probably you don’t. You are the reason I am here in America. You encouraged me and proved to me that I can come here and make my dreams come true. And here I am now, look? Thank you, thank you. He also couldn’t believe it as he just come to the USA for a few weeks to visit friends he met years ago.
Thousands of people in the centre of the world and two people meet each other to share some story. Life is the most beautiful movie script. So let’s continue writing it.
Yes, this is the magic of life that I want to share with people. It is magic. I believe we are meant to be here for a reason and we are meant to follow our calling and dreams. Life is beautiful!
At that moment, I understood that the power of dreaming and believing can make things happen very unexpectedly.
My first few years in the USA, I spent on pursuing the program: going to school and helping my host family. My host mum was very generous. For my first birthday, she took me to see Hamilton on Broadway. She knew the main star of the show so after the show, I was able to meet him in person. I love Broadway and it has always been my dream!!! So my first and second years in America, I studied acting at Westchester Community College. At that time I studied, worked and auditioned. I did a bunch of runway shows for great upcoming designers, I acted in short films and student films. Life was busy and full of new experiences.
After completing the au pair program. I was offered the job to work for my agency as one of the program coordinators. This opportunity allowed me to apply for a green card and later on to become an American citizen. So right after completing the program, I was working for the au pair agency, studying acting at the Acting Studio in Manhattan. At that moment in life, I was focused more and more on auditioning and crafting.
In 2017 I auditioned for the off-off-Broadway theatre group called The New Stage Theatre Company directed by wonderful Ildiko Nemeth. She was a very talented Hungarian director who knew exactly what she wanted in her art! Her Eastern European artistic visions were very close to my heart. She was an old-school director with a big passion and the need to tell stories with such dignity and truth! I am very grateful for having the opportunity to work and learn by her side for over 4 years. My favourite and most popular show in which I played the role of the MAN was called “Near To The Wild Heart” based on the novel written by Clarice Lispector. It was the first time stage adaptation in America and The New Yor Times reviewed it as an “Admirable 90 minutes of sensuous entertainment”
In 2020 when the pandemic hit the world, I decided to travel. As we all know it was a complete shut down so I decided to take a break from my current life at that time and I went to Brazil for a couple of weeks. There, I spent so much time on the beach and looking at the ocean. One beautiful afternoon, I closed my eyes and asked myself what it was that I wanted. All I heard was “dedicate your life to making art and inspiring people”. I also heard about moving to Los Angeles.
And that was what I did. I moved to LA in 2020. Things happened pretty quickly. I found a great place in Studio City. I met my agent on the plane. She was sitting next to me and I overheard her conversation with another passenger saying to him that she is a talent agent. I felt it was a sign from the universe and I must talk to her. So I did and said that I was an actor and just moved to LA. She asked me to show her my headshots. She saw it and said they were great and gave me her phone number. I called her a couple of weeks later and started auditioning.
My first year in LA was amazing. I was making extra money while doing so much audience work and background for major films and TV shows. It was a great opportunity to learn about the film set structure and its language. Transitioning from stage to TV was a big deal as on stage everything is way more projected whereas in the film actions are more settled.
In LA, I met so many interesting people who come to the city of angels for dreams, for art, to find themself, or to run away. All really great people. I had a chance to be on set with many major actors and celebrities. A few months later I booked a future nonspeaking role for the TV show called “The Offer” which was streamed on Paramount + that was my first ticket for my SAG card. I heard from other actors that they have been here for years and never got the chance to become SAG actors. I found it funny because I didn’t think it was that difficult.
In 2022, I found my acting coach, Camillia Monet, and I have been working with her privately and in her studio class ever since. Camillia works with big stars in person and on set. She is my dream come true. She is an actor herself and has a very refreshing approach to her teaching. She showed me how to relax and get myself out of the way which is allowing whatever happens throughout the scene to let it go and go with the flow. I call it “flying” and I think that’s what makes us actors always come back That sense of freedom is the key to growing and being better! In the class, I met many good friends and talented working actors who also produced their movies. I work with people who act, direct, and edit films. The community is the key for actors to survive in this business. I recommend taking acting classes.
The past 4 years, I have been consistently working on auditing and booking jobs in film, TV and stage. I also performed in Music videos with major pop artists such as Justin Timberlake and Ayra Starr.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The struggles are the grace and the source of creativity and growth.
The challenges push us to find the other way, and help us to understand ourselves better.
Without them there is no next chapter, there are no dreams and no love!
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
In 2024, I produced my first short film called ” The Porcelain Doll”. I wrote it, directed and acted in it. The film is about the Holocaust and it tells the story of a mother who has lost her child in a concentration camp. The main focus of the storyline is the conversation between the woman and the SS officer who later in the film asks her for forgiveness. I play the character of a Nazi Soldier who is in charge of transporting prisoners into one of the main concentration camps in Poland. In the short, the man calls a woman into his office, offers her food and asks her questions about her life. Later in the film, we learn that both characters may have a close relationship which they were not quite aware of.
My short film represents both sides and their life story that are drastically different and yet they have so much in common. In the film, I wanted to show that two opposite people can find some compassion and understanding in the most bizarre life circumstances. The film is about the executioner and the victim who find themself in a situation that pushes them to realize that the only way to survive is SURRENDER, which is letting go of everything they know and who they think they are. The surrender leads both characters to listen to one another which allows them to find understanding and freedom.
The main purpose of creating this film is to invite people and offer them a different perspective and a different way of looking at the world and the violence happening on our planet. To fix the world we must understand where the problem is coming from. Instead of trying to fight against it, we simply must surrender and focus on the main source of our suffering. Listening to one another, and getting to know ourselves leads to compassion and peace.
The short is 13 minutes long and it will be submitted for several festivals in the USA and Europe.
Another great opportunity that recently happened to me was booking a huge magic show called “Beyond Ilusion” by Sharon. It’s a spectacular, special effect show in which I play a leading character called Dorian. The show will be turning around the world in main cities such us: Los Angeles, New York, Paris, London or Singapore .
Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?
I signed with a boutique commercial agency and got my first bigger gig. It was a promo commercial for the brand such as ADIDAS, COLUMBIA and OLD NAVY. I know that the commercial may appear on social media or TV but I didn’t expect it will pop up on one of the main screens in Times Square. The funny part was that I had no idea that the commercial had been already out on TS for a couple of months. One of the models who was in it, passed by and noticed her face on a big screen. She posted her video on Instagram of her being excited showing the billboards to everyone and that was the way I found out.
The same night my best friend and I drove to the heart of Manhattan with a bottle of champagne ( because that’s what people do to celebrate their work being exposed on the NY TS billboards) We were screaming and crying. The commercial had a very long run because it was on the screen for at least 1 year.
In the end, it’s not about the accomplishment it is about the realization that dreams are the journeys we experience. And those journeys are our individual life stories.
I remember doing background work for the TV show called “Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty” There was another magical moment that happened to me and led to the next unexpected opportunist.
While I was on set, there also was Adrien Brody. It was a very long day on set and we were shooting on a basketball court so the place was filled with many people. Adrien is one of my favourite actors. The movie called “The Pianist” is one of the best movies of all that tells the story of the holocaust in Poland during War World II. I felt in my heart that somehow I must speak to the actor and tell him how wonderful and powerful the character he created in the movie was. The chances of making this happen were small since there was no access to the leading actors on set. So I was waiting for the right moment to come.
After 12 hours on set, the director announced that it was the last day for Adrien Brody and he was leaving now. When I heard that, I knew I must speak to him before he disappeared. So I started to analyze which way he would be leaving the set. I left the place and went around the building and was right on time as he was exiting the stage. He was alone and it was just the two of us. I told him that I am a Polish actor and that ” The Pianist” is a very important movie for Polish people and that he did an amazing job playing the role of Wladyslaw Szpilamn. He shook my hand and said that this meant a lot to me and he wished me all the best.
And he did!
A week later I booked a leading role in a major musical in New Jersey called “Zusman” The play was also about the Holocust and the action took place in Poland during War World II. It was my first live performance in a Broadway theatre with 3000 seating capacity. It was a few months journey that I will never forget.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/maciek.bart/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/maciej.bartoszewski.1
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@maciejbartoszewski7576
Image Credits
I want to give credit to the actress in the picture. Her character is portraying a holocaust prisoner and the name of the actress is: Dvorah Marie and The SS officer is myself: Maciej Bartoszewski. The camera guy in the footage picture is Jessie Flores.
