– Tell us what attracts you in The Family, who do you play in the series? And how close is your character to you as a character?
– The project captivated me with a well-written text, simple humor and lively dialogues. My hero is the eldest son in the family, he is already quite adult, he already has his own family. He works as a sales manager, his wife “breaks down”.
If we talk about his character, then he is quite far from me. My hero is very active in extreme custody of his pregnant wife, but only because he does everything for himself. This character is quite a selfish person, but he wants to be careful with everyone. This is probably because the first child in the family is the person most loved and loved by their parents.
How was the atmosphere on set? Did everyone manage to be friends enough to become “family”?
– Basically, yes. We laughed all the time, we laughed nonstop. We shot the pilot two years ago, then stopped shooting for a year due to the pandemic and shot one season from mid-summer to fall. During this time we got used to each other. We found a common language with everyone at the same time. I have known Seryozha Udovik for a long time, I met Elena Valyushkina on the set, but it was so simple, sociable and ironic about herself that it was easy with her.
– Tolstoy said: “All happy families are alike, every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.” Do you agree with this? So, is it possible to say that every family is happy in their own way in your series?
– I am not one to evaluate Tolstoy’s statements, but this family seems to me absolutely happy. No matter what happens, even if they fight, they live in absolute love and understanding.
— The project was shot in an almanac format and describes about four different families. How exactly does the series reflect the daily life of Russian families? Is it possible to say that in a sense, a more ideal picture than life will be presented to the viewer?
– In some ways, this family is similar to reality, but somewhere a sacrifice was made in favor of the comedy component. There are certainly such families and they are very well known. But of course with some colors of the series.
– In one of the plots, a young couple is preparing for replenishment in the family, and the father shows much more responsibility than his wife. At the same time, we often see stories on the screen where the child is taken care of by the mother and the father figure is often absent. Have you ever wanted to prove otherwise?
– My hero is very worried, afraid that something will go wrong and will not be ready. I don’t want to spoil it, but this unpreparedness will become clear as the series progresses. But we were not tasked to show another aspect of fatherhood, because my hero was not written that way.
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– Are there any traditions in your family?
– I think, as in all post-Soviet families: New Year, Easter, gather at one big table. I grew up in the countryside, so traditional barbecues were not a special ritual for us. There was meat – there was barbecue.
– There are many works in your filmography whose main themes are the search for a family and escape from loneliness. This is specifically about the Big Top Show and the Heart of the World. How do you choose projects?
-Of course there is no principle. There is also a big time difference between these projects: I have become different, cinema has changed. Big Top Show was a holiday, Seryozha Loban invited me and we went to the Crimea to shoot for three months. “Heart of the World” is a separate story, already there I was co-author of the script with my wife Natalya Meshchaninova. And when I was working on it, believe me, I didn’t think of Big Top Show in that context.
– You said in one of the interviews that you studied as a veterinarian – and this experience worked on the set of “Heart of the World”. How often do you need to learn new skills for roles?
– Before the Moscow Art Theater School, I studied as a veterinarian, so here I used the skills that I had. But especially for the role – that’s another story.
– Do you dare to do a crazy experiment to participate in an interesting project?
– I certainly wouldn’t fly into space! I wouldn’t go to a reality show in Africa either, it’s not mine at all. It’s some kind of television component, a show I don’t understand how to act on. I detach myself from the screen: there’s Styopa Devonin and there’s Yegor from Heart of the World or Nikita from Big Top Show. And if we’re going to talk about stunts, then why buy bread from stuntmen?
– What hero is missing in Russian cinema today?
– There aren’t enough heroes they haven’t filmed yet. And what is it – the devil knows.
– Is there a taboo in the profession? Let’s say some unethical roles.
– I think no. Regarding the roles and heroes … I played one of the worst people in my career in the new film by Natalia Meshchaninova. So it’s not that important, art.
Which director would you like to work with in the future?
– Yes, with everyone. If we can agree! There are some names, but I will not name them, otherwise others will be offended. Or I will say it now and then I will remember that I forgot someone.
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– In connection with recent events, experts began to talk about the disappearance of the film industry in the country. Do you share their concerns? What initiatives do you think can help?
– Our leading producers do not even have an initiative yet, because no one understands what will happen and how. Everyone is a little confused. Me too. It will be a movie, that’s for sure. Series too. I want to believe that everything will return. But how it will turn out is not yet clear. Faith helps us build and live, so it remains only to believe.
What do you think of the cancellation culture? Do you think an actor should be judged by his work, not by what kind of person he is in life?
– I think that’s wrong. But unfortunately, we live in such a media environment that an old saying comes to mind: They say you fart at one end of the village and shit at the other. I think that art and politics should not be mixed. Art is something completely separate, outside of politics and everything else. Yes, and the job of actors is not to talk, but to role play, to please people, to do what they can.
– There are many bright projects in your filmography – Vertinsky, Big Top Show, Mir! Friendship! Chewing gum! ”,“ Kidney ”… Which of the roles you are currently playing are you most proud of?
– It caught my eye at one point, but it’s there in every role where I missed it. The rate of these misses and hits likely determines how successful the role is. Many people say that after the movie “Heart of the World” my interest in the media increased. The fact is that after the Big Top Show I actively worked in the theater for a long time, and then I left – and already safely forgotten. By that time, I had been sitting with the boy for two years, thinking that I would no longer be an artist. Then we found Natasha’s “Heart of the World”, the movie was shot, and everyone somehow remembered that there was such an actor – Stepan Devonin. I felt this was my last chance: If I screw up, that’s all, I have to look for another job.
Source: Gazeta
Barbara Dickson is a seasoned writer for “Social Bites”. She keeps readers informed on the latest news and trends, providing in-depth coverage and analysis on a variety of topics.