— You played one of the main roles in the series “Şanslı Teşhis”. What attracted you to this project and how did you get involved?
“I went into this project in a completely classic way: I auditioned and after a while I was approved. We really had a lot of fun during the shoot because we were very lucky with the weather. The weather in Sochi at that time was similar to Moscow and St. It was much warmer than St. Petersburg, so we enjoyed it very much.
— Your hero Stesha enjoys dancing. St. You have several years of training at the Boris Eifman Dance Academy in St. Petersburg. In this respect, was it easier for you to get used to the role?
— In my opinion, cinema is a magical world where you can transform into any kind of image. You can be an astronaut, you can be a football player, you can be a ballerina. And whether you develop your skills or continue with what life gives you depends only on you. Cinema is absolute freedom. You can do whatever you want: learn to drive, ride a horse, fly, sing or swim at age 12.
— How important do you think it is for an actor to have common ground with his character?
— It seems to me that it is not necessary to have common ground with the character. Of course, it’s great that you are similar and find common ground with your own personal life while reading the script. There is a reference so to speak (laughs). But when a character is completely different and his life is 180 degrees different, it is cooler, more interesting to work on, because at some point you fall into the abyss of misunderstanding and you build a new image from scratch.
— You shared the set with Aglaya Tarasova and Kirill Kyaro. How did you work together? Did they share their experiences with you?
— We worked great with Aglaya Tarasova and Kirill Kyaro, we had a wonderful expedition. We received a lot from each other and learned a lot. Overall we had a complete connection.
— You have previously found yourself in the same frame with famous actors who starred in both Russian and foreign films: among them, for example, was Svetlana Khodchenkova. Were you very anxious working with him?
— For me, first of all, these are just people, and only then famous actors, stars, businessmen, etc. Sveta and I worked great on the set, I can even say that we became friends on this project. I’ve never had problems where we couldn’t communicate because of my age or lack of common topics. I always try to find common ground with everyone.
— You have more than 20 projects in your filmography, and most of them belong to this year. Do you feel like a sought-after actor?
— I believe demand is a part of development. Of course I feel like there are more projects and that’s great, it motivates me to move forward.
— You played the role of the beloved hero Gleb Kalyuzhny in the melodrama “14+: Continuation”. Which other actors would you like to play a love story with?
“I didn’t even think about it.” Anyway, it’s not up to me to decide who I will act with in this or that movie. I watch different artists, so I want to work with everyone (laughs).
— By the way, among your partners was the rapper OG Buda – together you starred in “Pushkin Tales”. For adults.” Please remember how.
— Working with Grisha was very interesting because here I was already acting as a mentor. Despite her musical background, this was her first cinema experience. She had starred in videos before, but this was different. Despite the age difference, which everyone always wrote about after the release of the project, we still had fun together. We were exactly on the same side.
— In an interview, you said that your classmates laughed at you when you started acting in movies. How did you deal with bullying? How do you respond to hate now?
“Thank God, all of this has somehow eluded me, or maybe it hasn’t gotten to me yet.” In my childhood, of course, everyone had it, but now everything is fine with me. I do no such thing and I don’t have time to read the comments. And what I’ve read is generally positive.
— Can we say that your ballet background strengthens your character?
— I can’t say that ballet instilled character in me. I believe in genetics here, it seems to me that I carry the characters of both my mother and my father. Of course, rhythmic gymnastics, which I have been doing since the age of three, impressed me more. It’s not about art, it’s more about sports, championships, competitions, “giving your life for first place.” And that stuck with me even more strongly.
— Actress Lukerya Ilyashenko, like you, studied ballet since childhood – and repeatedly recalled how teachers humiliated them, accused them of being overweight, which did not actually exist. Have you encountered anything similar?
– It seems to me that it is always there and everywhere. It doesn’t matter if you’re in ballet, gymnastics, acrobatics or horse riding. When you achieve something, you become better than others, they immediately start bullying you to stop you from believing in yourself, so you start doing worse. We encounter this in every field.
— You entered the Institute of Contemporary Art this year. Do you think specialized training is necessary to be a successful actor?
– I believe that a person decides for himself whether he wants to increase his knowledge, skills, abilities or cope with what he has. The latter is very uncertain because you never know when this wonderful resource will run out, so I’m all for increasing it.
— Was the career of an actress your dream?
“Of course, I did not think about a career as a film actor, but my grandmother still has videos of me saying that I want to be a “film ballet star”. But for as long as I can remember, I have dedicated myself to everything I have been involved in and wanted to achieve results.
— With your participation, the movie “Masha” received the best debut award at Kinotavr in 2020. Do you remember what emotions you felt at that time? Where are you going now: Cannes, Venice, or the Oscars?
— I have no intention of acting for awards. My goal is to convey emotions and energy to people. I think the essence of an artist is to give that to people. I haven’t come across a worker, not even a lighting or sound engineer, who works just for the job. All the filmmakers working on the set go there for the artistry, for the excitement, for that magical energy that literally reigns in the air.
Of course, it’s nice to be appreciated for the work you do. I remember when we won the “Best Debut Film” award for the movie “Masha” at Kinotavr – it was great. It’s nice to have your work evaluated well.