– Having learned about the “kidney” idea, producer Semyon Slepakov said that the series “will not be for television”. Why do you think?
– I think you should ask Semyon. (Laughs). But I think the “Kidney” story is very taboo and we still have some kind of censorship on TV. But still it is better to ask Semyon.
– Tell us about your heroine, Maria Kustova – what is she like? What can we expect from him in season two?
“Of course that little thing. I have never played such heroes before – confident and incredible beauty. And also definitely cautious and cold. A kind of regret awaits him in the second season. The second season itself is different. It’s about love. And my hero will have a love story too.
– Do you have any similarities with Kustova?
– The similarities can only be that we are similar in appearance. And I can’t say more. I can’t tell you some hidden corners of myself.
– According to the plot, your heroine is the wife of Dmitry Lysenkov’s character. How did you work with Dmitry and the team in general?
“Working with Dima was great. I love him as an artist and as a person. Incredibly talented, accurate, clear, funny. And in general, the entire team “Kidney” is incredibly matched. It’s a pleasure to be part of this project’s community. In love with the authors of the series Maria Shulgina and Elizaveta Tikhonova. The team is the absolute best. Dima is just my friend, colleague, my admiration for him.
What impressed you the most during filming?
– Of course, most importantly, I remember our joint scenes shooting with the whole family. Our crazy Kustov family is some kind of Addams family! Whatever character you take, everyone is a wild man with cockroaches, pain. I also remember how Dima and I ran through the set. The director and cameraman were on the boat. The weather was hot in July. And I ran on a huge platform. This is the scene where Kustova’s husband catches up with her because she is wearing a wet robe. And now all the wet Dima in this priestly robe runs after me, I take off these sandals. The director shouts at us over the radio: “Lera, run faster.” And, of course, we laughed with Dima. But it seems to me that we ran the 500 meters very fast.
Tell us about the beginning of your career. After graduating from the Shchepkinsky Theater School, did you bet on the theater or dreamed of acting in films?
– Speaking without cunning, I put it in the theater and looked at the cinema as something incomprehensible. Which movie? Which series? I just dreamed of becoming a theater artist, and it seemed to me that an artist is created only in the theater. But as they say: “If you want to make God laugh, tell him about your plans.” Fate turned me so that I accidentally changed the girl in our play “Zoyka’s Apartment”. And Tatyana Khrechkova, the casting director of the TV series “Kitchen”, came to this performance. She saw me and invited me to audition for “Kitchen”, she. So I got involved in the movie and fell in love with it. I like the theater less, but fate brought me to the cinema.
– What does the role of the daughter of Dmitry Nazarov’s character in the TV series “Kitchen” mean to you? How do you remember him?
– This is an important role for me because this is my introduction to the cinema, to the movie set. It was very exciting, there was a lot of nerves, stress, experiences. But I express my deepest gratitude to Dmitry Dyachenko and all the producers of the Yellow, Black and White studio, who noticed me and believed in me. Now I understand what kind of adventurers they are. The girl, who had just graduated from the institute, did not act at all, and she was given the main role.
– Did you stay friends with someone from the “Kitchen” team?
– We remained friends with the kitchen team. For example, this is Olya Kuzmina, Misha Bashkatov, Masha Gorban. Of course, we are very pleased with each other when we meet. We always have something to talk about.
Did you need to learn new skills for the roles?
– When working on any role, I always discover and learn something new. Here, for example, in my project “Limitchitsy” I learned how to use these machines from women working in a weaving factory. We are trained and if anything, I have a second job. I can work in a weaving factory! For the “kitchen”, of course, I studied the basics of molecular cuisine cooking, how to hold the knife correctly, how to cut it.
What projects are you currently involved in?
– Now I have a theater project “Pygmalion” in which I play Eliza Doolittle. I got the main role of Katrin in the play “8 Loving Women”. And shooting is scheduled for July, I can’t reveal the project yet. The latest premieres are “Limitchitsy” on the Rossiya TV channel and the second “Kidney” in the KION online cinema. I’m also looking forward to Vladimir Mirzoev’s “Inside the Killer” project, where I play a drug addicted prostitute. She is very lucky for this role.
– When the children grew up, did it get easier to combine motherhood with acting? (Valeria is raising two sons, born in 2018 and 2020 – socialbites.ca).
– No, considering they were crawling under the bed while we were recording this interview. (Laughs). Of course, at some point, it became easier than they were babies. She’s breastfeeding, after all. You always need to be in touch, they are always with you. Of course they got bigger, it got easier. But other features of age begin.
– Do you ever feel exhausted? How does this manifest and how do you get yourself back on track?
— Of course it will. And to be honest, after the project “Limitchitsy” I could not recover for a long time. There is a very serious role, the main one. I realized that I gave a lot to this project. Some big words, but I didn’t really understand where I should go next, what else can I say, what about. But when moments like this come, I give myself time to breathe, stop, and just live. The most ordinary thing is to read, look around, slow down, ground yourself. Don’t panic, just accept. So now, now is such a period. I don’t know what to talk about in the next project. But everyone is exhausted, so am I.
— How do you prefer to spend your free time?
Actually, I don’t have much free time. I have children, I have a theater, I shoot movies, but when I have time, I can go for a walk or go to the hammam by myself. This is very satisfying.
– A few years ago you told me you had ED (eating disorder) and was on the verge of bulimia. What was the cause of this condition and what helped to get rid of it?
– I studied at the institute, I had an eating disorder. This led to serious unconsciousness and self-loathing. Something happened to me at the institute, it seemed to me that I was too fat and needed to lose weight. I couldn’t eat. By a miracle, I managed to do and cope without being an expert. I guess I was afraid that this could have some serious consequences. This is usually something serious. And now in our world of social networks and all super beautiful, thin, inflated perekechenny is very dangerous. And I understand how many young people are exposed to it during times of acrimony and insecurity. It’s all very sad. And it seems to me that we as a people bear some responsibility.
What advice would you give to people who are currently in a similar situation?
“First, be honest with yourself about this problem. If you’re focused on food, counting calories, admit to yourself that you’re an addict. And then, if you realize that you cannot fix this problem on your own, then you need to turn to specialists. And there is nothing wrong with that. I advise young people not to monitor or navigate social networks, not to compare themselves with others. Because this is a shiny cover and no one knows its filling. You must learn to accept your body because it is still a gift from God. And respect yourself, your body, your parents who gave you this body. It’s a long road but worth it. After coming out of this disorder, I realized how much my life had changed qualitatively, how much I stopped being addicted to food – and that’s cool.
What advice would you give to your 20-year-old self?
– No matter what anyone says, don’t betray yourself and be honest with yourself. If there are some doubts in you and you think you should do it this way, then you should do it this way.