– How did you get the role of Ferapontov? Was it written for you, did you pass the casting, or were you invited without auditioning?
– Writing a role for an artist seems like a strange approach to me. You may be talking about an actor. But this is first and foremost a question for the director. But I can say for sure that I had no competitors – people who also applied for this role. And there was no casting – neither for me nor for Vitya. We got into this movie without effort. I haven’t tried a movie in a long time. I think it’s the same story as Vitya.
What does the name of the movie “Five Percent” mean?
– Copyrights from the sale of the images. Everyone divides and divides it and now think about it, there is nothing left.
– The film is known to have a difficult fate, it was not shot for a long time…
– Yes, the movie has been delayed for a long time, long story. Deadlines are always updated. But both Vitya and I were so burned by this story that we wanted to finally meet in the frame – for the first time in general – we made a lot of transfers, refused other jobs. And it was very difficult to fix.
– What were the difficulties?
The questions were predominantly financial. Difficulties with financing. This is not a popcorn movie, not a shot.
— Why did you get stuck with this script, what made it interesting for you?
– You know, I’m not going to discuss the script. There are two things to discuss here. More precisely, two names that play a big role. First, this offer came from Mitya Svetozarov. And for me, the scenario was in second place because I realized that in this case, by definition, it could no longer be a random scenario. This is my third work with him and I already know what principles he followed when making films. I know his incredible consistency, his perfectionist preparation for the movie. This is such an accuracy, such a meticulousness, such a detail that let’s just say the script is for decency. But the script is great. I would say Petersburg cinema. Secondly, besides the surname Svetozarov, the surname Sukhorukov was very important to me. I will honestly tell you – I would not have acted if Vitya had not been in this movie.
Why is his participation so important?
– He will explain. We met almost 50 years ago. We were classmates, we lived in the same room, we had a warm, friendly, humane attitude towards each other throughout our lives. But it was never a partnership. We weren’t even partners at the institute! We didn’t have a single passage that we were busy with together. Except that we have a very conditional, symbolic theme in the graduation performance. Vitya played once in “Gorodok”, then in the show “100YANOV”, but this is not a movie. This is the first time we are working together in a feature film and as two closely related characters.
– St. There will be many frames from the streets of St. Petersburg – or isn’t that the main reason why the movie was called “St. Petersburg”?
“Even if there is no ordinary, postcard St. Petersburg in it, it will still be St. Petersburg, because these characters, phenomena and stories are strictly St. Petersburg. This is St. Petersburg mythology – the people, the types, the interiors where the movie was shot. He both likes and dislikes this city – because this is where my character’s life is lived.
– Do you think the film will appeal to younger audiences? Let’s say your youngest daughter.
“Young people look at young people, and that’s normal. Teens love young people – that’s okay too. I can’t quite answer the question of whether teens would go to a movie like this. I’m not a PR professional, I’m not a film marketer, it’s hard for me to talk here. And it’s hard for me to say what I think. alienate.
You see, there is a hypothetical audience for a particular movie. And we have an audience with Vitya! Oddly enough, they may not match. So, you may have the feeling that this movie may not be for a young audience: yes, there are teenagers in the frame, but the main characters are not young at all. One of the people whose age in the Soviet Union is called the period of survival. Of course, we will laugh at this phrase with Vitya, but until recently it really existed. I don’t think many young people would like to see how they live … But there is an audience for me and Vitin, and the polls show that there are many young people in it. Especially lately.
– Is this probably due to the success of “Vampires of the Middle Group”?
– With Vitya, this was perhaps due to the fact that the paintings in which he played earlier began a new life.
Do you mean “brother”?
– Yes. Well, for me, maybe at the expense of the Vampires. And at the expense of Gorodok, which came to life in a completely new way on TikTok and all social networks. Because it was filmed in such a way that it was formatted to minute timing very easily. And you can find a comment on any event in it, find an answer to any question.