– What attracted you to the idea of u200bu200bthe series “Cat”?
– I was fascinated by the figure of my hero Oleg Turov. Because the circumstances he is in are extremely interesting for the incarnation of the actor. A person deals with a stone – that is, he has a philosophy of the stone. And it was very interesting for me to enter this special energy, to play such a person, because before the “Cat” I did not have such a thing in the frame. And what happened to him in the script also seemed extremely intriguing.
– What do you mean by the concept of “stone philosophy”?
– I really wanted to create a strong, reference man, a defender, a supporter in every sense, a man of his word, a man of great, solid, strong principles. And of course it was interesting to destroy such a person, to see what was inside. It seems that behind all this stone beats a fragile, loving heart.
— If possible, tell us which script moments you are interested in?
– Turov’s mother, whom he loved and respected very much, has Alzheimer’s – that’s one thing. The second point is that Turov has a brother who is really his second half, and they started a business together. My hero gives himself completely to these people, his brother and his mother. That’s the only reason I’m interested in participating in the project. And, of course, the director Karen Hovhannisyan, who gave complete freedom to the embodiment of this character, so a lot of things were brought to the image and character that did not come in the script. She allowed them to integrate there.
What did you add to this character?
“First, I brought the idea that he was of a different nationality. This was the first change Karen and I agreed on, she really liked it. From here came the appearance of Turov – a bald head, beard, plastic and volume of this person. I thought he was very strong physically. We slightly adjusted the script and dialogue of some scenes. Karen came up with many bold solutions. Interacting with him, we can say that this is an absolute freestyle, but not spontaneous, but well-crafted.
– Which artists did you interact with the most on the set of “Cats”? How would you describe this experience?
– I had a great time with everyone. Very cool. It’s funny that we do not intersect with the cat itself (Anastasia Todorescu’s heroine). This is a parallel story.
– In social networks, you talked about friendship with a colleague in the series “Live Life” by Roman Vasiliev. How did this friendship begin? What do you value in Rome?
– We’re friends because we have a similar temperament and we just got caught on set. It’s a very valuable thing when you realize that there is someone in front of you who can hear you. We became friends on this wave. And again we dream of merging somewhere creatively.
– How do you withdraw from psychologically difficult roles and return to your life? Are there times when a particularly difficult character just won’t let you go and you have to resort to some kind of method like psychotherapy?
– Actually, the moment of exit from the role is much more interesting than the moment of entry. Because it’s always different. Somewhere there is confidence that there is a plan to step out of the role. However, this scheme may not work in another project. It is such a mobile device that it changes every time. For example, I recently moved, went to the forest and spent two weeks there. And the atmosphere of the hero I made in the frame released me. Sometimes a sudden entry into another role can turn into a draining moment of old energy. And somewhere I am faced with a dilemma, how can I get out of the atmosphere of the lived role? For example, now I am shooting in a wonderful project by Ilya Khotinenko and Svyatoslav Sagunova. We interact with actress Angelina Zagrebina and create an ambiguous atmosphere for the couple. I don’t know yet how to get out of this, taking into account the contact density we set ourselves … Let’s see when the shooting will end.
– After what role did you retreat to the forest for two weeks?
– The series “In the Cage”. He was proclaimed such a sticky and bright hero that I can’t say that this atmosphere has completely disappeared from me. There is, but it is no longer dominant. It is present as an experience, as a memory, and in almost any role. In the end, it all becomes my emotional body.
– Do you resort to being in the image of a character and communicating with unfamiliar people through him in order to better get used to the role?
“It’s the only way I’m prepared.
– Recently, director Ilya Aksenov said that the ability to lie and manipulate is the most underestimated and most important skill for an actor. He explained that it is necessary to have these skills in order not to be manipulated by other people. Do you have these skills? Have you encountered attempts to manipulate you – and how did you stop them?
No, I don’t have those manipulation skills. Lately, I have been in a healthy pattern of interaction with myself and the world. I love it. Therefore, it immediately catches my eye if someone suddenly tries to do something similar in my direction. I’m not doing anything special to stop these attempts. I step aside and try not to interact with people who could potentially be dangerous to me. This is the usual psychological hygiene. I have the right to declare my limits. I can choose not to communicate with the person. And these people appear less and less in my life.
– Many media have quoted from your interview with a quote that you are an abuser in a relationship because of insecurity. Was it difficult for you to get this accepted by a large audience? What does this recognition mean to you?
– It’s not difficult at all. I believe this is an important action because it brings a sincere message to the general public that is close to many. Because to some extent it unites people who have been or have been in such relationships. In fact, this is the clarification of the problem. This is a really good message. This is very important – thanks to publicity, people who are currently in this business can understand that they are not alone and that it does not last forever.
– Participation in the series “Live Life” somehow pumped you psychologically? What new things did you take from this project?
– No, he didn’t really pump. First of all, I repeat, thanks to this series I have made a friend and it is already a great achievement. Second, I had a really great time. Yeah, it wasn’t easy to pull this off, but I got high. It was a very cool process. I won’t say that I got some powerful psychological insights. Another thing is that it is interesting to build this character. To build it, a lot of parallel literature appeared, in which I tried to find the key of Vladislav to declare such a manipulator in the cinema. All the artists involved in this project were on the same wavelength.
-You said you were never interested in Hollywood, but in European cinema. From where?
– Because at that time the aesthetics of art house cinema was close to me and Europe was its personification for me. And it so happened that my European career began with such a film: it was the work of the French director Eastern Boys, followed by the Dutch film Out of Love, which fell into the same category of cinema. So this is a small, audience, chamber cinema in a way. And I was interested in trying myself in this. However, this does not mean that I disdain Hollywood cinema in any way. It is beautiful, it is powerful, there are many masterpieces. In any country there are many masterpieces.
— Do you have a job abroad? Have recent events affected your demand abroad?
– There has been no employment abroad for the last year. All the work is here. And this is my choice.
– Your directorial debut was the short film “Prayer”. Why don’t you make movies anymore?
– Mystic.
– Do you have a wish?
– Yes, there is a desire – and many ideas that require maximum participation have been written, but due to the intensity of the program I can not catch it yet. Maybe the wind will change and the time will come to bring what you have planned to life. I’m sure you will come
– You said that you were engaged in prose and poetry. Are you still writing now? what inspires you? Do you intend to publish your work?
– Definitely. It always goes on and helps me look at everyday reality from a poetic perspective. This is an important development vector for me. Since it is poetry that I actively use in films in my life, many ideas arise. I am continuing to work on a poetry collection and the Sitter project where I film my poems and prose. Three new video arts, poetic passages will be released in the near future. I’m really looking forward to them!