Jadranka Matković: “ I never feel lonely, because I’m most comfortable by myself.”

Jadranka Matković (75) has spent her whole life in the spotlight as an actress. Her career and life experiences made her the powerful woman she is today. But behind her strong facade, Matković stumbled on challenges that left a deep impact.

Jadranka Matković spent her childhood on a high mountain in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. She tells about her time in school and all the reading she did. Memories still alive, but scattered and foggy. Little snapshots here and there, as she described.

I remember the scenery, the rustic wooden houses and the greenery. And a bear walking across a clearing, that is an intense memory.

As she looks back on her life and career, decisions were made more intuitively rather than planned ahead with long-term reflection. “A young head doesn’t think. I didn’t get married. Because when people tie themselves to someone, that relationship defines them.”

The struggle of instability

Jadranka’s professional life unfolded in arts, but without permanent employment. She preferred the freedom of freelancing over the stability of a contract. Work came in projects, followed by uncertainty and gaps in income.

When I look back on myself, I say I punished myself as a freelancer

Even though the pressure about making ends meet is constantly in the background affecting her, she manages these situations her way: “Then I say, damn it, you’re going to die anyway, so whatever.”

Life in a care home

Her landlord decided to evict Jadranka in order to sell the apartment. Unable to afford buying it herself, she was forced to move. “I was left without an apartment. I had a city-owned apartment that was nationalized, but I didn’t have the money for it.”

Leaving her long-term home was devastating. Alongside the apartment she lost many personal memories. She doesn’t want to remember that time and even told herself that the place burned down. The events took a heavy emotional and physical toll on her. “A lot of my memories were thrown away. And I just got weaker and weaker. And then I ended up in the hospital.”

Then the doctor said: “No more renting, you’re going to the care home.

Not alone

Despite the setbacks Jadranka faced, she remains fierce and vital. At first, she had to get used to life in the care home: “At first I was shocked to run into a mass of elderly people.”

But after some time she began to feel at ease, because of her social nature: “ I never feel lonely, because I’m most comfortable by myself. But in this elderly home, you’re never alone. From the waitress to the cleaning lady, everyone is welcoming.”