– “Chekago” director Nikolai Rybnikov stated that most of the film’s crew is made up of first-timers. Additionally, the project was originally conceived as a local film and not for mass distribution. How long did you think before agreeing to shoot?
– To be honest, no. I immediately liked the script. I love any gangster story like “The Brigade” or “Boomer”. There’s something akin to them in this movie, we’re just talking about very young guys from Siberia. Plus, I’ve never played such a character, so I was interested and the script was really good and high quality.
“At the same time, it seemed to me that the film was made in an artisanal way …
– It was a very small budget. We literally shot on our knees. Also, this is the first movie shot in Khakassia in the last 50 or even 80 years – I can’t say for sure. The equipment was transported all over Russia, and the film studio was already assembled on the spot. And by the way, a film studio appeared in Khakassia thanks to Chekago. I think this movie not only has cultural significance, but is also practical. Now people can work there with the cinema.
– There are three friends in the series: a bandit you play, a policeman and a rapper loan shark played by Semyon Alyoshin and Eldar Safikanov. But if the motives of the heroes of Aleshin and Safikanov are still understandable, then yours is bad because. Don’t you think so?
– Yes I think the same. He’s really just a thug. As much as I try to understand your motivation. For example, in one of his monologues he says, “If we don’t do it, someone else will.” He is a selfish person who lives for himself. It doesn’t need anything more. It is difficult for such people to find some kind of supertask in life, so you have to look for it in a person – some childhood trauma or in the environment. In general, my character is a man who lives by the rules. Unfortunately, there are many such people in our country.
Have you met similar people in real life?
– Of course I met – and a lot. Even in my circle – among artists, including celebrities – there are people who live by the rules. I won’t say he’s a gangster, but he’s manly and half-gangster so to speak.
Our country has a pathetic history: we have experienced revolutions, wars, Stalinist repressions and camps, collapsed only in the last 100 years. Everything continues now. How do we get rid of these concepts of prison and bandit under these circumstances? It’s all rooted in us.
– I immediately remember the phrase “half the country was sitting” …
– Yes, and the second – protected. That’s why I wonder how people will perceive Chekago. To be honest, I didn’t think it would be a wide release. Now there is a different level of shooting and we have a completely handmade production.
– Do you think films about bandits are still interesting to the audience?
– It has long been a myth that people stopped being interested in all these gangster stories, but it turned out that they are not. I learned this from personal experience. When I arrived after the show and I met a man aged 40-45 sitting in the car in the garden and watching NTV. Maybe there is only one television at home, his wife watches something of his own and he watches NTV. Series on this channel, for example, about bandits or fish special forces, still have huge ratings in Russia. All guards are watching this type of content. There is a demand for it.
– Any details that you personally found for your character in “Chekago”?
– Not just a detail – I came with both a suit and a car. By the way, my character drives a black Infiniti jeep, which constantly breaks down and boils during filming. And I literally fought for a turtleneck. I have an old classmate who wears it all the time. I don’t want to offend him, but he looks a lot like my character. This rogue love affair attracts him despite working a normal job at the office. And he just wears a turtleneck, and on top of that either a leather jacket or a jacket with tight jeans and a bag. All black though. I totally dreamed of it.
– At a press presentation, director Nikolai Rybnikov said that one of the actors – Semyon Aleshin – had to fly back and forth to Khakassia 24 times. How difficult was this shoot for you?
– Not good. In December, I had a tough shoot in Yaroslavl, where I went about 20 times. I can say that it is very difficult. I had four flights in total when I returned to Khakassia. This is good. We have already moved a lot: first we shot in Abakan, then in Minusinsk and in the resort town of Gladenkaya.
I remember shooting at a factory working in Minusinsk. It was huge – like a whole city. I’m afraid to lie, but apparently marble was mined there. We were even taken to excavations. In general, Khakassia, a kind of bread land, has many factories and quarries.
— What do local employees think of the shooting?
It was fun for everyone, because no one had ever seen this happen. Everyone wanted to participate. In our film there are many non-professional actors – ordinary residents. By the way, I brought myself a shaman tambourine from Khakassia. It brings good luck. The store said you can’t steal it that way, otherwise you’ll get in trouble. You can only ask if it’s bad.
Have you tried knocking on the door yet?
– Definitely! Overall I like this area. I realized that mountains intrigued me and I would like to go to a similar area with my family. It’s a completely different feeling – probably because of the weather.
Let’s go back to the movie. In one of the final scenes, when the mother of a child who died of an overdose spit at the feet of another parent, burying her drug-carrying daughter, I became addicted. Is it possible to stand on one of the parties in this case?
– Don’t think. Tragedy for both mothers. No one can be blamed here. You know, a history of drugs among children is always terrible. I want to protect the child from this and I think that this can only be achieved through education. My son, thankfully, is only five years old.
– You also acted in the movie “Woland” with German August Diehl, Evgeny Tsyganov and Yulia Snigir. The premiere was supposed to be on January 1, 2023, but it didn’t happen. Any news about the project?
– Nobody will tell me. (Laughs), but some rumors are circulating. This is a very difficult project, so it was postponed. They say there is a problem with the graphics because foreign companies are gone. We needed to shoot the Bible block and – apparently – the shoot was already complete. I read this on one of the Telegram channels.
I would like to say that the director of Woland, my wonderful friend and friend Misha Lokshin, the producer of the film Ruben Dishdishyan and others are very interested in this project. And especially, because this is my first major role in such a big project. I think “Woland” will reach the audience this year.
– You played Ivan Bezdomny, the victim of Woland, whom the devil punished for unbelief. To what extent does the character of the movie match up with Bulgakov’s?
– This, of course, is not for me to judge, but for the audience. We tried to follow the novel meticulously and in detail. It seems to me that there are a lot of Bulgakovs out there. As for the acting, it’s up to the audience to appreciate it. (Smiling).
What kind of work are you most proud of? After all, you have more than 40 movies at your disposal.
– There are many episodes from these 40 but I had a real role, for example in Ambivalans. I highly recommend this movie, I’m proud of it and I love my role. It was directed by Anton Bilzho from the script by Serezha Scanev and Lyuba Lvova. I am also proud to have participated in the work “Launch” by Ivan Tverdovsky.