“The South Wind series about car thief Petar is already five years old, and it looks like the project is only aimed at speeding it up, not slowing it down. If you could describe a new part of the story in three adjectives, how would you describe it?
— project for myself (smiling). But seriously: dramatic, large-scale and compelling.
– New artists joined the project, including Hollywood stars: Eric Roberts and William Baldwin. Considering that you are not only the lead actor but also the producer of the series, how did your Western colleagues pleasantly surprise you – as an artist and producer?
“Very good actors who work hard on their roles. They didn’t mess around and got totally immersed in the project.
– How different is the way you generally work when you’re just a player and you’re also responsible for creating on the other side of the screen? Are there any differences in project selections in terms of acting and production?
Usually there is no difference. Because I’m a producer using the actor Milos (smiling). As a producer, I can sometimes accept a project that looks like another project. And as an actor, I would not accept a similar role. For the producer this is not fatal, for the actor it is devastating.
– Oksana Akinshina, who seems to be the right choice for your story with her organic acting, also joined the project. Why was he chosen and how quickly did he agree to participate in the project?
– We acted with Oksana in the TV series “The Chicks”. It seemed to me that for the role “Balkan wind” it has a set of definite qualities that can be read directly from the eyes: anger, rigidity, and compassion. You may want to protect him, but you can also look at him as a superhero. Oksana is able to convey the entire spectrum of emotions in minimal ways, expressing that she remains only in the frame. It’s unique. That’s why we wrote the role specifically for him.
– Your acting filmography stands out with an enviable variety: musical biographies, comedies, melodramas and fantasy thrillers. Why did you choose the crime drama genre for your production project?
“Because it’s interesting to take a good and kind boy and turn him into a mob boss. I like this idea. It came about the moment I was ready to be a producer. From the very beginning, my work on this film went beyond acting, and so I agreed with the project’s director and writer, Milos Avramovich, that we would jointly do more publicity.
– From movie to movie, your character’s Petar curve changes. How will viewers see him in the new episode of the series? What attracts and fascinates you in this character – as an actor?
– It is changing. In the new drama, they will already see him in mild paranoia. He digs deeper and deeper to get out of the mud he finds himself in. She understands that the clock is ticking and that it will “change” soon. This character really attracts me because he’s no ordinary crime boss. Despite all this, he is a good man.
– Speaking of the new chapter of the franchise, you said “it’s the natural growth of a small project that nobody expects anything”. And when did the international potential of South Wind become obvious to you?
“It kind of happened on its own. At some point, we realized that the quality of the material and shooting was not inferior to foreign dramas. Therefore, we decided to expand the boundaries of our project.
Do you have any directing ambitions within this franchise or in general?
– Within the framework of this franchise, probably not. In general, he has directing ambitions. I just don’t know exactly what will happen. But I realize more and more clearly that my path is getting there.
– In 2023, the second part of The Challenge and Kholop will also be released – both films were shot by Klim Shipenko. Tell us about the footage of Shipenko’s space travel: What was the most memorable and became the most important professional and personal experience?
Both of these movies are very important to me. Because one made history thanks to the cosmic scale, and the second is the sequel to the movie that went down in history thanks to people’s love and good box office revenue. I never thought that I would go through a training that astronauts go through, that I would feel weightlessness. Shooting in the Challenge is a unique experience that can’t be compared to anything else.
– “Kholop 2” can compete for the rental record – but now with “Cheburashka”. What will be the continuation of the project and how will we see your hero Grisha?
– This is still a movie about Grisha. A movie with a golden formula. It seems to me that the second “Kholop” differs from the first in many ways. The creators managed to keep everything that the audience liked in the first part and present something new.
— Concluding the interview, I would like to ask you a question about your work at the Belgrade Drama Theatre. You once said that your resting point is only in the theatre, on the stage. What is your resting place and your place of power today?
— The theater is a place where I can make art for hours without being distracted. This place is still important to me, its importance does not disappear, on the contrary, it increases.