Continuing to converse with newcomers to London, Marius Holtan meets a wannabe actor who cannot wait to get outta here.
Many of London’s new arrivals regard this city as their final destination. But for some it’s just a stepping stone.
Karol Koziel’s goal is the United States of America – especially Los Angeles and its film and television industry. For him, as a would-be film actor, London is only a temporary stop en route to ‘something better’.
He’s not expecting that much from London. ‘All I need is nice weather, a good apartment and a boyfriend – I don’t really care about the rest,’ he says – though some might say that’s quite a lot to be going on with.
What Karol really cares about is summed up in the one-word tattoo on his left wrist: ‘famous’.
Growing up in Poland left him with a dream of fame and fortune – the American way. It’s a dream he is deadly serious about – unlike some other people back home:
‘They have a green card lottery in Poland. Everyone can buy a ticket and then they choose a winner every year – the winner gets a green card and gets to work in the US. It’s really annoying when you hear of people buying tickets just for fun.’
Karol’s way to America has required a long layover in London.
‘I bought a ticket all the way. I was ready to go and stay for however long they would let me, but I didn’t have the money, so I came here. I’ve applied for a US visa and everything – it only lasts for a few years so I’ll have to hurry up and use it.’
He comes across as the perfect example of a happiness-seeking youngster, always on the lookout for bigger and better. With a glass shattering singing voice and a cheeky sparkle in his eye, he seems anything but unhappy with his situation, until he says: ‘I’ve been depressed every single day since I moved to London, except the other day when it was sunny.’
Happy or sad, he’s determined to move on: ‘I hope I’ll be able to leave after the summer, but getting to America is hard and expensive, and I don’t want to go back to Poland.”
Who knows if he’ll ever make it as a Hollywood actor? But Karol’s sense of theatrics will surely come into play if in the meantime he finds his second-best job in a fashionable London bar.
Failing that, he would have to fall back on his irresistible charm: ‘maybe I’ll just go over there and marry someone.’