Poitr Adamczyk, the Polish actor who played the part of Pope John Paul II in the TV mini series Karol The Man Who Became Pope, was mesmerised by the beauty of Malta during the three days he spent here working on a Polish film for the cinema.
Mr Adamczyk gained international acclaim with his portrayal of Pope Woytyla in the TV series that premiered on Hallmark Channel on August 15, 2005. Pope John Paul II died on April 2, 2005.
Contacted by telephone in Poland, Mr Adamczyk said that a week after he left Malta he was already yearning to be back. "I already miss Malta because during the days I spent there I was under the spell of its people and its beauty.
"I didn't know the island had such a long and fascinating history. Now I am looking forward to seeing the historic places when I visit next, hopefully in a couple of months' time," he said. The actor said he was looking forward to enjoying the warm weather here because the temperature in Poland was already minus two degrees. "I know it will be colder soon," he said.
Asked about his role in Karol The Man Who Became Pope, Mr Adamczyk said: "I had already played the part of another great Polish personality, Frederick Chopin. But the film about the Pope was seen by millions of people around the world, an enormous audience".
Asked what the Pope thought about the film when Mr Adamczyk met him in a private audience, the actor said: "He just laughed at the idea that a film would be made about his life.
But, unfortunately, he didn't see the film."
After the filming in Malta was over, Mr Adamcyzk stayed on for a hectic day on a photo shoot for a Polish fashion magazine called Gala, which is similar to Vogue, Vanity Fair and Viva. Loosely translated into English, the name of the Polish film shot in Malta is Don't Lie Darling.
The ending of the film - a romantic comedy - had to be shot in a cactus garden on an island in the Mediterranean, according to Krystyna Mikulanka, Malta's honorary consul in Poland.
"So in September I came here to look for a cactus garden and for several other locations where the film company could put together the footage it had in mind," Ms Mikulanka explained during an interview.
"Believe it or not I found what is considered to be the third largest cactus garden in the Mediterranean. This forms part of Derek Garden Centre, in Qormi. Some of the cacti are over 80 years old.
"Initially, the production company was thinking of filming the final part of the movie in Majorca but when I showed them what Malta could offer, they decided to film here.
"Towards the end of the film, the main actor, Poitr Adamczyk, tells his lover he has managed to make her wish come true by taking her to a cactus garden in a Mediterranean island called Malta," Ms Mikulanka said.
Part of the footage was shot at the Upper Barrakka Gardens in Valletta. While shooting at Ghajn Tuffieha, Lech Walesa, a former President of Poland and leader of the Solidarnosc trade union, literally walked onto the set, appearing briefly in the film.
Mr Walesa was here on a lightning visit to promote his home country's bid to host Expo 2012 in Kroclaw.
Incidentally, it was Mr Walesa who had signed Ms Mikulanka's nomination to become Malta's honorary consul in her home country.
"Mr Walesa came up to me asking why I hadn't told him earlier about the lure of this island. He said he will be holidaying here with his wife, next year."
The producer was Winston Azzopardi, on behalf of his company Latina Pictures Ltd.