— What can the audience expect in the continuation of the “Sergius Against Evil Spirits” series? Is it different from the first film in terms of intensity and technique?
— In general, the franchise does not betray itself: “Sergius is against evil spirits. Yaga” is full of humor and adventure. Katya, Sergius and Krakin continue to fight evil spirits as best they can. I can say that our evil spirits are becoming more diverse and creative; many new creatures appear.
— In some shots, you’ll appear in scary, slimy makeup. How was it created? How uncomfortable is it to feel such a mask on your face?
— The most difficult scenes for me were Katya’s transformations because I had never worked with plastic make-up before. It’s a long and painful process: First they take your cast, stuff your face with something like gum, then they put a cast on top and remove the cast. And you lie down for all this time, and all this takes an hour and a half. Then they put on these prosthetic make-ups. Plastic cream is very difficult to use. First of all, it is applied for approximately 4-5 hours. They call you 4-5 hours before the shift, then you put it on. This is also silicone, it sticks to your own skin and everything underneath sweats. That’s not all, there are teeth and fingers too. You cannot touch anything with these fingers. In short, it is incredibly difficult. Note to viewers – if you see Katya in the guise of evil spirits, know that at that moment I felt as bad as possible.
— Your duo with Roman Mayakin is familiar to the audience from the TV series “The Sweet Life”. What is it like to meet a partner on a new project? Do you feel like family towards each other? Are you friends in real life?
— Roman Mayakin and I, of course, have been family for a long time, we even have a common representative. He’s a lot of fun, and that’s why I sometimes break discipline on the field: I start going crazy and laughing, playing the fool. But working with Roma is very comfortable; He is a relaxed and cheerful person, a bit like an older brother to me.
— Are there any special characteristics of Roman that you noticed for yourself?
“The novel itself is just a big, huge, special feature. Novels cannot be compared with anyone (laughs). But it is impossible to explain: you need to see it live.
— One of the roles in the series was played by Dmitry Krasilov, who unfortunately passed away recently. How do you remember this person?
— In loving memory of Dima. He was a very easy going, friendly, kind and professional person. All this is, of course, very sad.
— In recent years, filmmakers have often turned to characters from Russian folklore. How important do you think this is for our country and the new generation?
— If you look at my old interviews, you will notice that I am always sad that fairy tales are not filmed here. But we have great folklore and there are so many characters. And then suddenly – bam! And all this wealth, even in such large quantities, began to be used. Of course, I am happy with this situation. Actually, let’s not just make TV series about cops, let’s also make TV series about folklore. (laughs).
—What is your favorite Russian folk tale? Which character do you like the most?
— My favorite Russian folk tale is “Kolobok” and my favorite character is the fairy tale Fox.
— Is it possible to fall in love with your controversial character who leads an inappropriate lifestyle? Are you able to justify and understand some of your heroes? Or is this optional?
– First of all, the question arises: Who is it not suitable for? After all, everything is very relative. To play an enemy, you have to prove him right. Understanding why he does this is enough to play it believably. And to love or not to love is everyone’s personal matter. I personally tend not to fall in love with these characters. I mean, I understand why they act the way they do, but that’s about it. You don’t need anything else to play an antagonist. You don’t have to love him.
— You starred in the TV series “Daryl Dixon”, a spin-off of “The Walking Dead”. Tell us about this experience. How did you get involved in this project?
— I have a representative who deals with international projects. He sent me samples, I recorded them, then I went for a face-to-face test in Paris and they took me to the project.
— What did this experience give you?
— First of all, experience playing in a foreign language. There I spoke English and sang in French. God, how hard it was for me to remember these songs! There were three songs, they had to be learned in a month. And I don’t understand a word of French. And I remembered them with the help of gestures. So, for every word or sentence you find a physical gesture so you remember it. A very nice experience. Of course, it was a big stress, but I am very proud of this work. I think I jumped in over my head professionally. I’ve probably never been this collected and disciplined before.
—You have a beautiful and memorable appearance. Have you always accepted this? Did you have a desire to somehow intervene in this?
“Of course, I didn’t always accept my appearance. It seems to me that in general no woman fully accepts her appearance. Naturally, everyone always wants to intervene and change something about themselves, but here it is important to remember that if you are an actor, being ideal is probably wrong. There still has to be some flavor, some imperfection. That’s why I’m not going to turn myself into Barbie.
— As a child, you studied at a ballet school, where you faced dietary restrictions and criticism of your body. Did you really have a tendency to be overweight?
– Yes, I had a tendency to be overweight. But in general, I’m not sure that you can achieve anything in sports and ballet without really significant restrictions. If you want your child to be mentally healthy, do not send him to sports. Still, this is something where you have to sacrifice something, otherwise there will be no results.
— Do you think there is a justification for ballet and sports where children face serious restrictions that affect their mental and physical state?
— This question is quite difficult for me to answer because ballet has somehow shaped my mentality. I am a person who is used to overcoming, and this is absolutely normal for me. I can complain about it all I want, there’s so much work, there’s so much to handle, there’s so much to do – but I’m doing it anyway. This is a kind of characteristic of me that can no longer be avoided.
— Figure skating is now very popular, the champions become real stars and idols of millions. Would you send your child to this sport?
— Figure skating seems like a very challenging sport to me. Skating is still very dangerous. I don’t have children, but if I did, I wouldn’t send them figure skating.
– Have you ever felt too lazy to do something like exercise, take on a project, study something? How do you deal with procrastination?
“If I’m too lazy about something, it usually means I’m tired.” So it’s time to rest. Recently I suddenly realized that working constantly and not taking a vacation for two years is completely abnormal. I’m now at a stage in my life where I think I need to work less and rest more.