Actor Lauris Subatnieks on Theatre, the Younger Generation and the Show "Limuzīns dāvanā"

Lauris Subatnieks, an actor at Riga's Dailes Theatre, is hosting the strategy reality show "Limuzīns dāvanā" ("A Limousine as a Gift") for the first time. Its second season has been on Latvian television since 15 September. In an interview with the magazine "Rīgas Viļņi", he spoke about working on the show, his view of artificial intelligence and how the theatre environment has changed.

A show set in a castle

Contestants compete for the main prize, a limousine. The second season was filmed at Dikļi Castle and features 12 very different people, including a police officer, a professional poker player, a teacher, a taxi driver and a street sweeper. To win, they must form alliances, guess their opponents' tactics, bluff and rely on luck.

Subatnieks says he had already worked with the production company "Brīvdienas" on several projects, including hosting the shows "Randiņš ar Dzelzīti" and "Randiņš ar Kubasovu", so he accepted the offer right away. He had not seen the first season, but watched a few episodes before filming began. A filming day starts with breakfast at half past eight and ends around midnight or one in the morning, which he compares to working on a film. What he likes least is the long hours and the waiting between tasks.

Artificial intelligence

In his free time he read, watched films and series, and tried out artificial intelligence tools. He finds them useful if you ask precise questions, but says arguing with them is pointless because they are a program, not a person. His 15-year-old son thinks making images with AI is sad.

Changes in theatre

Subatnieks has been a permanent actor at the Dailes Theatre since 2002. He notes that in the past actors attended rehearsals and performances even when ill, and he considers that attitude unhealthy. In his view, the younger generation is more aware of its own worth. He also admits that the theatre's internal atmosphere was unhealthy before director Juris Žagars took the post, while today the theatre is more modern.