– For the first time, you auditioned for the role of Faina Ranevskaya 10 years ago, but then the project about the legendary actress did not work out. With what feelings did you accept the invitation to audition for the TV series “Ranevskaya”, did you feel excited about the responsibility given?
– Of course, I struggled with the excitement that was too much. When invited to new tests, the first reaction was a nervous laugh (smiling). The thing is that the project about Ranevskaya not only wanted to be shot 10 years ago, but also tried to somehow start all these 10 years, when I had different samples. For me, this all became a proverb, at some point I was sure that “there would be no kinship”.
– During these 10 years of various trials, did you get the impression that this is already some kind of destiny project for you, that in your destiny you will play Faina Georgievna?
– No, I am far from mysticism, fatalism and other signs (smiling). This is definitely not about me and I had no such thought. I just focused on this from a professional point of view.
– In the first series of young Ranevskaya, who intends to conquer Moscow, relatives predict difficult auditions, in which she will be defeated by respected teachers. How was your casting for the drama and what were the most memorable auditions in your career?
– 10 years ago, when I came to the audition for producer Galina Balan-Timkina, she reshaped me during the audition and helped me get rid of complexes. Contrary to our character, it is not typical for me to believe in myself and believe that I can achieve anything. I deliberately emphasize that this is still our character, our variation on what Faina Georgievna’s life is and what it is made of.
As for the most memorable casting… It was probably a casting for Khrzhanovsky’s Dow project, and it turned out to be a painful and cynical experience, not actually a casting. I was not warned about the format of the audition: in the end, for some reason, I was taken to a psychotherapist, who skillfully began to dig into my head, bursting me into tears – and it was not about the profession at all. It has remained such an unpleasant, disgusting feeling since then, as if you had been turned inside out in this form and thrown into a hot frying pan. I don’t think this is true. If you’re already experimenting on a person, you should at least ask the person.
— It’s unfortunate that you have to go through this, but unfortunately you are not the only person on the Dow project to have had a similar traumatic experience.
– Yes, I also heard a lot about various unpleasant moments on the set.
– Preparing for the role of Ranevskaya, you not only read books about her, but also talked personally with a close friend of actress Elena Kamburova. What important touches helped you find the image of Faina Georgievna?
— Elena Antonovna agreed to meet with me and wished me good luck. This was his help. Unfortunately, there were no specific lessons or tips. And so, the other day, after her premiere at the Mossovet Theater, it turned out to be, Kamburova called me and, frankly, I picked up the phone, shaking hands (to laugh). But he said we were great, I was great. He said that he liked what he saw, wished him luck and was waiting for the show to come out to watch the whole thing. This review is the most valuable to me because it was said by a person who knew Ranevskaya personally, who is a member of her household. And this assessment is the most expensive.
What was the hardest part of working on the series? When did it seem like you got the key to the role?
“There has never been a moment when I thought I had found the key to this role, and I don’t think I will. This is not coquetry, I speak absolutely sincerely: it is difficult for me to evaluate my work from the outside and see what works and what does not.
As for the difficulties, it was difficult to play Ranevskaya in different years of her life, besides the excitement and bewilderment from the given responsibility. It was really difficult to switch between the ages in one day shoot but it was very interesting. But there wasn’t much time to think. If I fell into a stupor, I quickly realized that it was slowing the work of the entire film crew, which is unacceptable. That’s why I didn’t allow myself that on the site. All – well, or almost all – the reflection was left for later, at home with a pillow (to laugh).
– What new facts about Ranevskaya impressed you the most?
– Unfortunately, there is almost no intelligible and personal information about Ranevskaya, except for Alexei Shcheglov’s book and several good documentaries and Faina Georgievna’s interview with the theater critic Natalya Krymova. Everything else raises questions in terms of reliability and genuine attitude towards Ranevskaya, including the many aphorisms attributed to her. So I had to daydream, find some common denominators from his roles and the time he played them.
– It seems that humor was Ranevskaya’s armor, it helped her laugh out of pain. He is known to the general public as a person with incredible mental toughness. And what do you think was its fragility?
– It is difficult to remember a time when you felt very sharply everything that was happening around you – and in our country it was not difficult to remember, and Ranevskaya also lived at the crossroads of several difficult times in the country – you should save yourself in humor and sarcasm, which probably served as a protection for her. For me it was his vulnerability, his growing empathy for the pain of others, his intolerance for hypocrisy. Metaphorically speaking, he was a very thin-skinned man.
– If we imagine that Faina Georgievna will start her creative path today, it would seem that she will definitely become the star of social networks. Which of his statements do you like the most?
— For me, it cannot be divided into words and anecdotes. But I think all these aphorisms are beautiful in your performance. And when they start quoting from right to left, I don’t perceive it.
– Concluding our conversation, I want to ask about your mother – no less legendary actress Lyubov Polishchuk. Has a biographical project about his life ever come close to being launched?
– Thank God no, or nobody told me about it. To be honest, I am very afraid of such a project because nothing written about my mother so far and presented like her full biography has nothing to do with it. All these terrible books are all terrible lies, fiction and vulgarity. Now, if someone starts writing a screenplay based on these books, it’s a nightmare.
– How would you react to an offer to play a mother on screen?
– Mom? Yeah, what are you (to laugh)! Cut it out, just some crazy guy making a very alternative movie will call me to play Lyubov Polishchuk (to laugh). It seems to me that even very good plastic makeup will not help turn me into a mother who is very beautiful and unlike anything (smiling).
No, if there is a good script, director and cast, I will support such a project because my mother was a very popular person with an interesting life. But not if it’s vulgar and exaggerated.