All right, everybody. Well, welcome back to the All Things Croatia podcast.
Today we have a very special guest, Katica Rakuljic. She was the first runner up of Miss
Universe Croatia in 2011. She represented Croatia at the Top Model of the World competition,
among other titles in her successful modeling career. She was also recently at the, and I
forgot I wanted to ask you how to pronounce this, Cannes Film Festival?
Cannes Film Festival. I used to say it incorrectly myself.
Really?
I used to say Cannes.
I think I'm pretty sure I just say Canes. I mean in the US, you know, you say everything.
Yeah, I think. Yeah.
Cannes, I'll try to pronounce that. If there's any of our French Croatian audience listening,
hopefully they don't get upset at me. Film Festival, but you covered the festival this year,
2023, as a TV presenter, as well as walking the red carpet as a model. Yeah, Katica, thanks for
coming on the podcast. I'm excited to delve into this a little bit.
Well, thank you so much for having me. I'm excited.
Of course. Yeah. You know, if you could just sort of introduce yourself to, you know, our viewers
who may not be familiar with you, tell us a little bit about, you know, where you were born and
you're growing up.
Okay. Yeah. So I was actually born in Split in Croatia. I lived there for three months and I
came to Sweden to Gothenburg at the age of three months and I grew up in Sweden. I did a few beauty
pageants, big pageants, as you mentioned, you know, Miss Universe, the model of the world.
I live in Gothenburg. I was also Miss Gothenburg and I have been modeling for the past 10 years,
living in a lot of cities around the world. I recently got into TV hosting, maybe two years
ago, probably. And I also have a degree in economy and public administration and have been working
six years in the Swedish government for the Swedish companies.
Wow. So you're doing it all.
A lot. Yeah.
Well, you know, you mentioned, of course, you were born in Split, you know, you and your family
moved to Sweden. Is there a big, there is a big Croatian community, I believe in Sweden, right?
Is there one near you in Gothenburg? Yeah, we have the Croatian club,
Velebit, here in Gothenburg, actually in my city, like 15 minutes from here, really.
It's a Croatian club. They have their own like football team as well. And I used to dance there
when I was much younger, the Croatian traditional dance. So I used to hang out there a lot, not so
much now, but it is a very big community of Croatian people in Gothenburg, especially, I would say.
Yeah. Awesome. Yeah, I read that you had, either I read or heard in another interview that you were
dancing, you know, kolo growing up at the church. I think it's funny because we do that too in LA.
Actually, I never did that. My dad did it and then I was, you know, the middle kid and they took my
older sister to the church for language things. But by the time they had me, they were too far
of a drive and everything. So I didn't do kolo, but a lot of my friends over there in the Croatian
community did kolo. And when I first came to Croatia, I expected, I thought everyone danced kolo
here, you know, and it turns out it's not like a modern, you know, popular dance, I guess,
for like, you know, young kids. Yeah, not at all. But I know they have competitions in it because
I read about it. And also here they have competitions about like, you know, the best group because they
dance in groups. So they do some tournament, I guess, or I mean, I'm seeing and reading about it online,
but I don't know too much about it. But it's not so modern, I would say.
Yeah, yeah, it's interesting to see what sort of traditions are kept alive in the diaspora and that
are, you know, maybe kind of being modernized in Croatia, or at least here in Zagreb, you know,
which is probably the most, I don't want to say most modern city in Croatia, but you know, the
biggest and most influenced by, you know, sort of other places. Yeah. But so do you ever do you
still remember all the steps and stuff if you go to a Croatian wedding or something? Do you?
Not at all. Not at all. Maybe, you know, one or two steps, but it was such a long time ago.
And I did it for a very short period of time, really. So yeah, not really. But I wore the
costume a lot of times for contests and stuff like that. Yeah. Yeah. But I can't remember the steps.
So do you? No, I know the basic, but like, do, do, do, do, do, do, do, do, do, do, do, do, do,
and then it's like the same three or four steps. Yeah, I can do the three or four, any more than
four. That's too much. Too much. Yeah. But Katica, tell us a little bit about, you know, modeling,
you know, about Miss Universe Croatia, how you started modeling and then, you know, Miss Universe
and how all that happened. Well, I have always been like an entertainer since I was very little.
I remember my first memory of something similar to this was I saw this old man sitting outside on a
bench, like on his own. He was very old and I thought he looked sad. So I decided to go and
dance for him and sing for him. I was very, like maybe 10, nine years old and he got very happy.
And so I remember always being like an entertainer. And in school, I always used to sing on, you know,
graduations or Christmas gatherings and things like that, like perform. But when I was about 16,
my mom took me to a local agency, which I spoke about before for a casting to become a model.
And they chose me and this other girl. And from there, it kind of, you know, started,
but I was too young. They wanted to send me to Paris. I was still in school. My parents said,
you know, there's no way. So I had to wait and to pursue that career later on.
And for the Miss Universe contest, I remember I was on the beach one summer in Croatia,
because first they have this, you know, region contest. Like first I was in Miss
Dalmatia and then if you move on from there, you go to the big final. So somebody approached me and
was like, you know, you should go to this casting in Hotel Madrid 11, which is now my favorite hotel.
So I went there with my sister and they chose me to be in, I believe it was the top 12 or 15,
I'm not sure, to compete. And from there on, I went to the big final, Miss Universe Croatia.
And I also got my agent from there that recognized me from the contest. He is in Canada,
does movies and has their own agency. So he was like, you should come model for me. We want to
be your mother agents. And from there, he sent me to Mexico, China, US, all of the countries I've
been really on modeling contracts. So yeah, I mean, that's a long story short.
Yeah. So that sort of kicked off the Miss Universe sort of kicked off your modeling career.
You could say that. I mean, I was still interested in modeling before, but didn't really go that far.
Didn't pursue it like that. And after Miss Universe, I guess, you know, I got more confident and
I just kept going, really kept it rolling.
Mm hmm. Well, you mentioned modeling in some other countries, Mexico, China. I want to ask,
how does the Great Wall of China compare to the walls of Stone and Molly Stone?
To the walls of Stone? I didn't understand that.
And Molly Stone over in Pelyashtats. Have you ever been to the walls there? The big...
Oh, I have not. I have not.
Oh, really? You should go. It's...
Oh, okay.
Like, you know, the new bridge that they built?
Yeah, I know.
So you don't have to go through, you know, Neum, Dubrovnik. If you go on that bridge,
there's two little cities, Stone and Molly Stone. And it's the second longest
I think the second longest walls in the world, the first longest in Europe.
See, I didn't know that actually. Okay.
Ah, I thought for sure.
Then I definitely have to go.
Yeah, you should check it out. You can walk along the walls and it's a really beautiful
view over there.
Well, I'm actually sure it's better than the Great Wall of China.
Because I always, you know, Crescia is like number one for me. I am, I don't know,
some people even think it's too much. Like some people say, oh, you're like a nationalist,
you know, a little bit, but I'm proud of it because I'm proud of my roots. So yeah.
But the Great Wall of China, I've been there actually two times, one time to shoot for
a job and another time with the media actually for top model of the world. And I mean, it's
beautiful. It's one of the seven wonders of the world. But I'm not sure I'm going to be
there. But I mean, I would recommend anyone to go there if they want to see something.
Yeah, I'm sure that's, that's awesome that you've been able to travel. Where were you
in Mexico when you were working a shoot there?
So I lived in Mexico City for six months. I lived and worked in Mexico City on a motor
contract, but I also traveled to places for work. I was in Cancun. I love Cancun because
I love tropical places and the beach and the sun. So of course, in Acapulco, Guadalajara,
I don't know. Guadalajara?
Guadalajara, yeah. So that was for a beer commercials. I did two different commercials
there for Coarse Lights. So yeah, I've been in a lot of small cities. I don't remember
all of the names, but mainly in Mexico City, which was my base.
That's pretty cool. I've never been, always wanted to go. Sort of last questioning about
modeling. Is there anything about modeling that maybe people don't realize?
And yeah, I think that you, I mean, I guess it looks very glamorous and easy, easy life,
but it's definitely not. I would say if you don't have a strong mindset, you should not
get into modeling. You need to know who you are. You need to be true to your values, to your morals
and to your beliefs, because there's a dirty side of modeling for sure. And if somebody
tells you it's not, they probably didn't really model. So yeah, just that you have to have a
mental toughness. And even when it comes to the agency, you're going to get a lot of critique
about your looks and people are going to think different things about you. And you must be able
to take that and just have a very strong confidence, I would say.
Awesome. Yeah. So do people recognize you when you're, well, actually, let me ask first,
how often do you go back to Croatia?
A lot. I mean, every year for sure. I was just in Croatia. I'm just going back now in 10 days
for my cousin's wedding and finishing some projects I'm doing there. So I try to go at
least two times a year. I mean, it's not so far. It's about two hours by plane, really.
Yeah. With Ryanair Airlines, it can be super cheap to fly here in Europe. That's one thing
that I really don't miss from the US because a two-hour flight in the US can cost 250, $300.
And here at Ryanair, I'll get a 20 euro flight for a two-hour flight to Belgium or somewhere.
It's the same with my aunt in Australia. It's super far for them and apparently,
very expensive as well if you're going to travel a lot because it's probably super far.
So I guess I'm lucky it's close.
Yeah, definitely. I didn't realize it was only two hours from Gothenburg. Is that where you
fly from or is there a... There's a direct flight. So it's like two hours and 40 minutes,
I believe, from Gothenburg to Split. Wow, that's perfect. It's perfect to go down,
especially in the summer and go relax on the beach and everything. That's awesome. I'm assuming you
go in the summer at least if you can when you do only once a year. Yeah, I mean, I usually come
sometimes in the summer or before the summer, let's say like May, but I love to come this time of year.
I just came from there and at the end, I was there all of September because it's still summer and it's
super hot, at least by the coast. I don't know about Zagreb. It was still hot here, I think,
but less tourists down over by the coast this time of year, a little bit after the season ends.
So that's nice. Yeah. Yeah. Do you listen to any Croatian music? A lot of Croatian music, yeah.
What kinds? What sort of bands or genres? I mean, really everything. I mean, the klapek,
you know, Severina, Jelena Rozga, how can I say, Narodna, Narodna, Mozi, pop music,
like typical Dalmatian music. And also when I mentioned this, people don't like it,
I understand, but I also listen to Tzajke sometimes, you know. But you know, I mean,
I listen to what makes me happy and you have to feel the music. Yeah, yeah, that's true. In terms
of like modeling or anything that you do, do you ever use the music to either pump you up or calm
you down or get you ready for something? I don't know. Definitely. If I sit in hair and makeup and
I'm waiting to do a shoot, I usually listen to Croatian music. Sometimes I put it on loud if
it's okay for other people, you know, you never know. But definitely when I run, for instance,
I love to listen to you, you know, I really love football, Croatian football, I'm a big fan. So I
listen to all these songs. If I go running, it really pumps me up. I love to run every morning.
So yeah. So what, all the like Croatian football hype songs, like Igor and Moja,
Hrvatska and all those. Yes, for sure. For sure. Yeah, those two actually, if I, you know,
I'm working out or something, you know, those songs are great for pumping you up.
Yeah, I like the, you know, cheering song and it cheers you up. You know, you listen to them as well?
I do. Yeah. Yeah. Sometimes I'll just, you know, be in my room and listening to them,
not doing anything special, but getting hyped up to cook dinner or something.
Exactly. Just dance around, you know, you're cleaning or something.
Exactly. Well, maybe not so much the dancing for me, but yeah, that type of thing.
But I know you're a football fan, a Croatian football fan. You messaged, when I messaged you,
you mentioned, you know, you were upset that they lost. They lost the other day, of course,
to Wales and the, before that, you know, to Turkey, a little disappointed, but.
A shocker actually. Yeah. Yeah. Where were you watching?
I was watching at home. But if I'm in Croatia, I always go outside to watch because they don't
really show the football game here in Sweden, obviously, you know, unless they're playing
against Sweden and then they show it. But I cannot go outside and cheer for Croatia when
Sweden are playing. I mean, I can, but not so popular. Yeah. Well, I mean, they have Rakitic.
Is he well liked over there in Sweden? I think it's, I'm not sure about it, but I mean,
of course it's more Luka Modrić. Everybody knows him, I guess internationally as well.
So that's the name I hear the most here in Sweden. Even my friends from, you know, different
countries, they're like, yeah, we're watching Croatia. They're like, look at Modrić fans.
So yeah, I don't know who else is really famous there, like internationally. I'm not,
I'm not really sure. Were you able to be in Croatia at all for this World Cup,
this most recent one for any of those games? You know, I just came actually the same night
as the game. So I wanted to be able to attend the game, but I was not, unfortunately.
That would have been awesome. Have you been, or do you go to the games or?
I have been, I went to one game, which was not during the World Cup, but it was a qualifiers
against Russia at Poljub. Oh, right. When it was raining super hard and it was, I had to wear a
trash bag because they didn't have any, you know, ponchos or whatever. They were sold out. So we
found some trash bags, me and my friend and put them on to protect from the rain. Cause we were
at the only spot in Poljub that doesn't have the roof. Oh really? Oh, yeah. It's like the cheapest
tickets there in the stadium. It's the only uncovered part. So we were just getting soaked,
but that was an awesome game. And then other than that, you know, of course I go to the
Tadork or you know, wherever they show the game and you know, I watched that out with people.
And I guess the atmosphere is, you know, amazing. I mean, my first football game I ever saw,
I was, my grandma took me when I was like 12, it was Hydro Split playing. I remember that.
But I mean, I love the Croatia fans and you know, the support. I think it's hard, as they say,
it's hard to tell somebody else that's not from Croatia, the energy, the love, you know, the
feeling for the country and the game basically. Yeah. Yeah. It's hard to explain to other people,
but Croatians really have so much pride in their country and their people. Definitely.
Katica, let's talk a little bit about the CAN, did I say that right? Film festival.
Oh yeah. Yeah. The CAN film festival, right.
So tell us a little bit, you know, what were you doing there first of all, and
you know, what was sort of your role there? So I was hosting the festival, the whole film festival,
all the days. I think it was seven or eight days, something like that. So every day I was covering
with the team, you know, who's going to walk the red carpet today, what movie has the premiere today.
We went to the press conferences, asked questions to the movie stars. So basically covering every
day because every day something happens. It was a new movie, a new premiere. That was the main
attraction of the day. So basically that and, you know, went to premieres and got to walk the red
carpet there. So yeah, we were very busy. And then at the end of the day, you were also invited to
all these after parties. So, you know, you are on it 24 seven, like you had to be there. But I mean,
it was great. It was work and it was fun. So it was really amazing experience, I would say.
I didn't think the carpet would be so little, to be honest. That surprised me the most.
I thought it would be much longer and bigger carpet. Yeah.
Marshall Sikorski And it's just a small little...
Janna Pichai It looks very huge, actually.
Marshall Sikorski On TV only?
Janna Pichai Yeah, yeah, definitely.
Marshall Sikorski Wow, they got us.
Janna Pichai Exactly.
Marshall Sikorski Did you meet any, you know, any celebrities that you were excited to meet there
or anyone, you know, you were excited to talk to over there?
Janna Pichai I mean, we asked some questions to Johnny Dapp. I really liked him very down to
earth, you know, and no filters speaks what's on his mind. And we went to Harrison Ford's after
party. He was there as well. And I got to talk to the producer of the Die Hard producer, the movies.
So yeah, there was a lot of producers that I got to know and still people, industry people,
because the celebrities, you only meet them for a short while and you ask some questions.
And that's it, you know, unless they come to the after parties and you can mingle and, you know,
but there's so much people and it's very hectic. People just come and grab you, introduce themselves,
they want to know who you are and it just goes very fast.
Marshall Sikorski Oh, yeah, that's, I mean, that's great networking too for you,
because I saw that you actually did shoot a movie. I don't know how long ago that was, but...
Janna Pichai It was about four or five years ago in New York.
I shot it, it's called Earl Griffin, it's called I Come Out. But I don't know if you know about it or
you read something about that, but I decided to stop shooting the movie and ended the deal,
because I could not agree with the producer of the movie. He added some scenes that I did not agree
on and so on. So, I decided it's best to, you know, end that collaboration. But that goes back to
actually what we talked about before, you have to be very firm in, you know, who you are and what
you want, what you don't want, set the boundaries and, you know, if you don't feel comfortable with
something, simply don't do it. But I also have an agent, as I said, that does movies, so my goal is
to be in one of his future projects. He's been asking me about it, but I always, you know, I,
we never got to it, but that's definitely something I'm looking more into and I love acting as well.
So, yeah, that's, maybe you're gonna see me someday soon in some movie, I hope.
I'm sure, yeah, I believe it. That would be awesome. Hopefully soon, sooner rather than later.
But it sounds like at some point for sure, you're gonna, you know, film another movie with, I mean,
talking about networking at the, you know, festival, I was wondering, how do you prepare for
the festival? Do you have to watch all the movies that are being presented there?
Yeah, I mean, actually it is preferred if I do that, but to be honest, I did not watch one single
movie before I got there. And it was the same with the Swedish Film Festival, where I was as well.
I needed to watch the movies, but I did not. However, I wrote all my own script for the movies.
So I did some research, I looked up the movies, what, you know, what it was about, who produced them
and some background info about every single movie, which was a lot. So I still knew, you know,
the basics of, you know, the actors and the crew and the set and things like that. But
I did not watch any movie really.
Wow. I was wondering how many, if you did have to watch, if you did watch them all, how many is that?
Like, I don't even know how many they have at the festival.
I believe that I wrote about, maybe I'm wrong now, but I think it was around 30 or 40 movies that I
did like a script for, for Canfield Festival.
So it's not just go show up and ask some general questions. You really have to be prepared.
And ask some general questions. You really have to know what you're talking about.
Yes, definitely. And you know, you have to remember the names of people and you know,
when you're going to present them for the TV. And maybe you don't have to talk about all of
the movies, but you still have to know them in, you know, because you never know what we're going
to talk about. So I think it's a lot of work still. And to have to watch all the movies on top of that.
Yeah, that sounds like a lot of work. Definitely a cool opportunity though.
That's awesome that you were able to, you know, have that opportunity.
Kind of a fun question that I ask. I've been asking everyone lately who's come on the podcast.
What's your favorite thing to eat when you're in Croatia?
I am a seafood child. So I love seafood and clams. It's one of my favorites dishes actually.
I love to eat that. I know it's either like you love it or you hate it, I guess, like with sushi,
but that's their specialty. I really love. And of course, lobster and you know,
all kinds of seafood, really.
That's interesting. You know, I hear, especially in Dalmatia, of course, they're, you know,
for seafood, I hear a lot about oysters, but clams, I feel like I don't hear about too often.
I don't even know what's the difference between a clam and an oyster. I believe the clams are the
black, you know, the small black ones. Yeah. And the oysters are there, I guess they're rounder,
like the white rounder ones. I guess that's what you're eating, right? Yeah. Yeah. Well,
do you eat them the same way? Is it like the same type of, how do you eat a clam?
Oh, no, I'm sorry. You said oyster. That's the ones, sorry, that's completely wrong. That's
the ones you eat raw actually. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yeah. I tried that too, but it doesn't taste anything
just slimy. I think, but clams, you can cook them with wine, which is really yummy.
Nothing like oyster at all. So I definitely recommend it or with, you know, polenta,
polenta. You can do that or with pasta. I mean, sometimes I like to cook them, but yeah,
you should definitely try clams if you have not. Yeah, I will have to. I've tried oysters. Yeah,
they were a little slimy. You taste the seawater a little bit. I'm not a huge seafood guy, so that
wasn't my thing, but I'll have to try clams. Do you have like a favorite restaurant in Split or
anywhere that you go for that? I mean, not for seafood. No, I just, you know, try any place I
heard or think or got recommended and I compare them and see, you know, if it's good. Yeah, but
homemade is always the best, of course. Definitely. Yeah. Yeah. Do you cook or? I cook because I have
to because I live alone right now. So yeah, I'm forced to cook and I don't do anything fancy.
Actually, right now on the stove, I'm keeping an eye on it. I've got some meat sauce, you know,
for pasta, the ground beef and the tomato sauce and the onions. I've got that on low right now.
So nothing fancy. A lot of pasta. Yeah. I like pasta a lot as well. So and crazy for desserts.
I mean, I love desserts. Yeah. Really? What kind of desserts? Ice cream for sure. I love to try
different ice creams wherever I go. I think Italy has one of the yummiest ice creams. Yeah. The
gelato over there. Yeah. So you get a different flavor every time or you have a couple that you
stick with that are your favorite? Well, I love the sea salt caramel flavor. Yeah, really love
that one. I don't like chocolate at all in ice cream, but yeah, I try to, I'm a person that loves
to try new things or new food or actually, you know, new everything like adventures or exhibitions
and stuff like that, you know? So yeah, a new ice cream flavor every time if I can find a new one.
That's awesome. I know in Split everywhere on, you know, the coast there of the Adriatic, there's
every block, there's, you know, an ice cream stand to try in the summer at least. On the era. Yeah.
Yeah. I usually stick with vanilla. I'm pretty boring like that, but I've been asking some people
on the podcast and they've told me a couple of good recommendations. Someone said not too long
ago, like pistachio and something else, ice cream. Oh yeah, yeah, pistachio. Yeah, definitely. That's
good as well. Because here in Sweden, we have a different chocolate like, you know, dime. I think
it's Swedish or we have marabou, Swedish chocolate and they put it in the ice cream. So, I would
recommend you that, but it's only here. So, I try to find, you know, something that's unique for the
country. There is a flavor they put into it or, you know, something like that. But vanilla is nice
as well. It's nice, I guess, when there's nothing else. I read that you really like castles. Is that
true? Yes, I love castle. Why? I love history in general, I would say. So, I have a favorite castle
here in Sweden. I try to visit those that are close. I didn't visit any in Croatia yet, but I
had some in mind. I can't remember the name now, but it was like on the ocean, in the middle of the
ocean somewhere. But yeah, I just love to hear the history and, you know, about what happened there.
And if there's kings who live there or, you know, I like different timelines and also like period
movies, you know, like old older movies. I really like that. Yeah. And of course, horror. I don't
know if you read about that, but I'm a big fan. I did and I didn't want to ask because I hate, I get
so scared. Oh, really? Yeah. So, I was like, I'm not going to bring this up. I have a thing for
horror movies. It's like, I hate to be scared, but I still love to get scared. It's crazy thing.
Yeah, I've heard that from friends that that's sort of the, you know, they don't like it, but
they like the feeling of, or like once you are scared, then it's okay already. Yeah, the excitement,
I guess the adrenaline you get. Not me, that's I'll do without the adrenaline and the excitement.
Oh, really? Okay. Yeah. I don't know, just for whatever reason, I never really got into
horror, but that would actually be a cool, you know, genre of movie to be in as well. I'm sure
that's probably fun to shoot. Yeah, definitely. Or interesting at least. I mean, my favorite
is probably an interview with the vampire. I don't know if you have seen this one with the
compuze and the Brad Pitt. No, I don't know that one. Well, I can recommend it. It's or
confessions of a vampire. Yeah. That sounds more familiar, although I still can't picture it, but
yeah, I'm sure I stay away from the whole genre, so I probably don't know most of those movies that
you would say, but for people listening, I'm sure they're familiar with it or if they're not,
maybe they want to check that one out. Got a few minutes left here and I guess I'll save this
question for last, but I'll ask you then the second to last question. What other sort of
future plans do you have or goals that you're setting for yourself? You know, I don't, I always
like to show my goals. I never like to see them. I've always been like that, but I could just say
that, you know, just reaching my full potential as always and being the best that I can be,
improve in my work that I already do. And I guess, you know, show you what the future holds. You'll
have to wait and see. Awesome. Yeah. Looking forward to it. Yeah. Sometimes that's the best
way to not give things away until they're actually done and you've completed them.
But sort of last question here, Katica, and I want to thank you again, you know, so much for
your time here and for coming on the All Things Croatia podcast. And do you have any, you know,
social medias? Where can people find you? You can find me on Instagram at Katica.prokuric.
I'm most active there. Awesome. This is something that I've asked everyone.
What to you makes Croatia so special? I think it's the culture, the history and,
you know, the people, I would say the warmth of the people. When you come to Croatia, you feel like
home. I mean, at least I do. And they have their own ways, their own mentality for sure. And just,
you know, the love for their country. You know, some people say it's, you know, their belief,
like their religion and the love for just the country. I would say it's hard to explain.
Yeah, definitely. You did a great job. That's an awesome answer. And I agree completely.
Katica, thank you again so much for coming on the podcast.
Thank you so much.