Interview by Oleg Kusov, Moscow. Exclusively for Vestnik Kavkaza
Interesting interlocutors are always welcome at Vestnik Kavkaza. Oleg Kusov gives everyone visiting the studio an opportunity to express themselves. People do not only discuss the Caucasus with him. A half-hour conversation with tea flies fast. The Take My Word section makes records of conversations in video, audio and text formats.
- We have come to a different topic – the life of an artist. Remember, Mayakovsky has lines about journalists: “Lines grow like flowers, pens into pants, the pen into the table, you get deinterlaced and… drink beer.” So many think that an artist lives the same way, i.e. wakes up when he wants. A producer is standing in the living room and reading him the list of invitations for casting, for starring in Nikita Mikhalkov’s films, maybe even abroad, while the artist chooses: “No, I am not going to visit Mikhalkov today, I’d rather visit another place today.” Is it really so?
- Of course, not. After an institute, artists face life, they start searching for themselves. They are bound to find a theater. I have been thinking wondering myself whether I should return to the theater, because an actor dies without a theater. One must act, it is our infirmary. Besides, you seek filming, director’s castings, compose a CV, it is a very long process. You try yourself here and there. Sometimes you have three castings a day. You think that a casting is irrelevant, but you go there, meet another person and he says: “There is casting for other series today, go there.” Undeniably, everyone who wishes will succeed. Actor Igor Gasparyan took part in the “Golden Fang” Cinema Festival in Vladikavkaz and told his story. He came from Crimea, worked as a street cleaner. He is peculiar for being very short, so funny, even a bit scary. He says: “I dreamed about starring. I worked as a street cleaner, cargo loader. I walk, I clean, while learning the roles, mumbling something, imagining.” And then, the boss finally tells him: “Go and try yourself as an extra.” So he went to Mosfilm. That is how he joined a series, then another one, a third, a fifth, then he was invited to star and was filmed. Of course, there is a chance that you may succeed, keep hope, you need to work, need to go on, you will succeed for sure. It is my wish to all actors who have graduated from a theater education center. You should not give up on your wish, you need to believe that you will succeed. It is notable that talented people are stubborn in this aspect and they should go to the end.
- They should not give up on their profession, right?
- Most certainly. I have even been giving lessons. I really like to work with children, kids are a special world, they are fantastically grateful, their smiles are amazingly pure, meeting and seeing me off, they grow and remember. In reality, I just love children, disciples and students. They do not forget me either, they write to me once in a while. Many leave, teach the word of art, physical acting and the mastery of acting. Some become animators to earn money, there are different cases.
Then, it appeared that I was working at the Russian Academic Theater in Vladikavkaz for two years and working at a radio station at the same time. I was very pleased and got enormous experience. We learned to be on air, we worked with programs, brushing our vocal skills. We added music. Then we joined the information section, newsreading, we were learning how to do all that. It seems you say nothing, but you realize it is not so when you receive many calls, messages from people, you understand that people hear you and it gives a certain pleasure. Radio stations are remarkable too. So, thank you, colleagues, for inviting me to the broadcast. I have been given a moment of air, the joy to talk.
- A creative person needs to express themself differently.
- This is why actors realize themselves differently as hosts on television and as journalists. Just turn your head on and you can find a job, especially in Moscow, where there are a million opportunities. You need to set a goal and move forward, do not lose hope.
- How do you characterize what a person needs, in one word? Patience, right?
- Of course, there is sometimes a moment when you understand that you cannot go on, enough. You need to become a barman, like my fellow student. I ask him: “How are you? What are you?” He says “I have become a barman. I worked, worked a little and left, quit.” Many have been searching for themselves, some of the girls were dancing, some were joining theaters, some working in series. They worked a little and then silence, and you wait for the golden call, the invitation for the leading role. All want to be in the media, all want to be famous, and I think that people should not strive for that. Inside, not every man is ready for that. The Lord judges by the heart. He will give when the time comes. Why be stressed for no reason? I should do all I need to, but it will be the way God wills. I am a believer and I put my trust in Him, everything seems to come from Him. When the time comes, it will happen.
- You have a very interesting description of the challenges and problems of your colleagues. When you very entering the Schepkin Higher Theater School, the teachers, instead of asking a question, offered you to describe the morning.
- Yes, it was so.
- Tell us about this morning.
- I have had a remarkable morning. I woke up, had a wash with cold water, cooked myself a breakfast, I like oatmeal in the morning. Then, I walked to the balcony, thinking how great and good it feels. I have special little baskets for flowers on the balcony, I decided that I should buy soil sometime, plant flowers there. This is what I will do. I had a good sleep. Then, I drank a cup of tea and came to your studio here.
- And where are the morning flowers, champagne, fans, a car waiting for you downstairs?
- Fans are good, but there are sometimes too many and too few fans. I see this the following way: the Lord will bring the only one loved man who will be the purpose of my life. I do not really search for one. I think he will find me himself. Everyone else understands that I am a serious girl and calms down.
- That's wise. There is this delicate subject for female actresses, so-called bed scenes.
- I was at a casting one time, but I had read beforehand that it would be a worthy invitation. Having arrived at the studio, I saw many beautiful girls. The filming of a series, it was written. Then it turned out that they had everything: series, films, promos. Then, there was that little entry describing bed scenes, what poses, forgive me, and what acts. I was shocked. I was wondering “What is this?” I turned to the right, left. I asked: “Sorry, are you an actress?” She responds: “No, but I want to become one.” Me: “Excuse me, what theater are you from?” “No, I just dance at night.” I thought I should run from there. Those things happen too sometimes. Besides, we are people from the Caucasus. What is the point of that film? What was that bed scene? Film is life. Different moments happen in life, there is true love, you can show a simply beautiful, splendid morning so that people would look at it in terms of beauty, family, the relationship between a man and a woman, so that it would amaze, not look disgusting, vulgar, dirty. Actually, there is plenty of that, plenty of dirt, pabulum, naked bodies. No one can be surprised at that. We need to get back to our origins, to our true things, to the goodness of the family, relationships.
- I wish you these kind of true directors, these new roles and, please, to conclude the interview, just a few words about your plans.
- I have recently been filmed by Oleg Fomin, I starred as an Ossetian in Crimea, it was a historic detective film on NTV. I had a tragic role: my husband died and then my brother dies, whom I bury, but I find love. By the way, concerning bed scenes, there was a morning where I woke up on the chest of my love and I tell him that I want a child, I think there is nothing bad about it.
- But that was what your character said, not yourself.
- In any case, it is ok, so it was a very interesting role. By the way, the director himself, Oleg Fomin, was my partner. It was very delightful to be in the picture with him. He listened to me and had things his own way, but he was very sensitive about the way it should be done. I am very grateful to him, he is a very talented man. I work in such an art group where is it a custom. This is art. True art. I wish I had more such roles. I think I will in the future.
