- The first question is about self-isolation. How was this period for you?
- When everyone was sent to quarantine, the countries closed, suddenly there was an opportunity to isolate themselves, to return to Estonia - to talk with relatives, with my daughter, who because of the shootings I do not see as often as I would like. And here is such a gift: for three months we have all been together. True, we do not work, we eat everything that has been accumulated. So it's time to work.
I crossed the border at the end of March and was put in quarantine for two weeks. I dreamed that I would watch movies, TV shows, read ... Something we are watching, but I read more scripts. Unfortunately, it’s not possible to tackle any kind of literature yet.
Now there’s still a lot of fuss (good, because it is connected with the family), everyday affairs. Plus, there were a lot of calls from Moscow, I had to shoot different videos about how my self-isolation goes. In this fuss, what is planned cannot be completely done. But I watched several interesting series - for example, Faud and Hollywood.
- This period inspired you something? Have you personally taken out something important from self-isolation?
- I still stand talking with my daughter. Of course, this is a big plus and a great gift. But I would like the “gift” not to drag out. A man is a disturbing, reflective creature, so you can’t completely relax and enjoy.
- Do you think that for some reason this story is globally needed by humanity, is it useful for something?
- I think so. Many have learned to work remotely. I also filmed a bit in screenlife TV shows. Businessmen now say: "Why do we need to keep offices in the city center, spend a lot of money if employees can work remotely?" Perhaps humanity will be rebuilt and will no longer spend money on meaningless things.
Then, it seems to me, it was useful to reboot. I can’t speak for all of humanity, but for me it is.
- Regarding the filming of the SydHomad screen-life series. How do you like this experience?
- It was some kind of horror! Especially at the beginning, when I still did not understand all the subtleties. You’re your own camera operator, dresser, make-up artist, illuminator ... you can say the whole crew!
Yes, you have a director with whom you must constantly keep in touch ... For this you need a stable Internet connection. I wanted to shoot on the balcony, and there Wi-Fi is already catching poorly. I had to abandon this idea just when my daughter already needed to sleep. And such perturbations took place constantly.
The first day was just awful. Then, of course, you begin to understand what you signed up for, trying to get out of the situation. An interesting experience, but I would not want to do this all the time.
- © kinopoisk.ru
- At the end of last year, the premiere of the series “Epidemic” took place. Have you ever thought that this project turned out to be prophetic in some sense?
- Of course, such thoughts arise. Moreover, people around often joke: “Here, they prophesied!” Moreover, our series ended, in my opinion, just a week before the outbreak in China - when Wuhan was closed just like Moscow in the Epidemic. But in general, there are many disaster films and apocalyptic paintings. Yes, and Yana Wagner’s novel “Wongozero”, on which the series was shot, was written five or six years ago.
Thank God, our epidemic has not reached such a degree as in the series. Although, when there were first desires of quarantine and isolation in Russia, I was in Apatity. There was night shooting, and in the morning we were told to urgently leave the city, because it was closing. Our film caravan tried to evacuate to Murmansk. At the same time, I felt some kind of deja vu. We still went to the blizzard and got stuck on the pass, there was no visibility. I think: “We’ll get there, we won’t reach ...”
- I know that you were unhappy with the way the scriptwriters registered your character in Epidemic and tried to change it. Did the director meet you? Did you manage to change something?
- Director Pavel Kostomarov collected us another month and a half before the shootings for reading the script. He was waiting for our suggestions and understood that not everything, probably, fits perfectly.
In general, Pasha is open to acting offers. This does not mean that he always agrees on them - some can and take away. But it is important for him that the artists are not indifferent to the history and understand it. Naturally, he went to meet most of the proposals of the artists, which appeared during the readings, and already on the set.
- What exactly has changed on your initiative?
- Many failed to change, because in history everything is connected and clings to one another.
I was disappointed that in the series Sergey is not so strong, knowing what he wants, as in the novel. In the series, he was made rushing between two women, although he has no doubts in the novel: he takes his son and ex-wife Ira, but he is 100% with Anya himself. Our authors found it interesting that my hero be weaker.
But the main thing I wanted was that he was not stupid. This, it seems, we managed to avoid.
- Probably, situations often arise when certain things seem to the artist to be unsuccessful. In such cases, do you always try to convey your point of view to the director or producers, or do you prefer to trust your colleagues and do what they require?
- Of course, I love scenarios in which nothing needs to be changed, and I believe that the success of the film depends primarily on the script. When it's perfect, playing is simple and fun.
I always want to understand why the hero behaves in one way or another.
For example, in the case of Sergey, strange situations arose when he behaved very illogically or inappropriately. I immediately called the scriptwriter or Pasha and asked why the text says so. Maybe this inadequacy was conceived, and Sergei just went to the roof? Still, he is in an extreme situation ... I'm trying to understand the author’s idea. But if I realize that this is an accident or the text is not finalized, then I understand that it is necessary to change it.
Finding a common language with the director, of course, is not always possible. But I always want to be in contact with him and the author of the script. In a project like Epidemic, there are a lot of characters and lines. And of course, questions may arise. When there are no questions, it’s also bad. The project will fail when everyone is happy with everything. Then there is a feeling that nobody needs anything from each other and from the material.
And yet, in the project, the director is the main one. If, in the final analysis, the author is against it, I will not rest and do it as he wants. Because this is his film, and I am just an actor who plays the part.
- © kinopoisk.ru
- You said that in preparation for your role in the “Consultant” you talked with criminal psychologists and learned different techniques from them. Has this knowledge in psychology helped you somehow in life or in work?
- Knowledge is always useful, but of course I did not become a psychologist. For this you need to study for about five years. I just lightly touched psychology.
I can divide people into types, but, in principle, I know everything that any interested person is no more. I can’t say that after that I began to conduct sessions and receive patients.
“Do you feel that you have begun to better understand people?”
- In some ways, it’s possible. But in general ... to understand yourself! Maybe I just started to understand myself a little better. But I will not say that after that I became a professional psychologist. Anyway, we just play, imagine ourselves psychologists.
In order to play a psychiatrist or chemist, one does not have to graduate from the corresponding institute; this will not give anything for the role. More important is their observation and imagination. This can be beneficial.
As for psychiatric and psychological concepts, you can simply analyze your text and make sure that the hero does not say nonsense.
Communicating with consultants is basically, again, monitoring them. Observation of some gifted and enthusiastic person will also be useful. So, for example, in the series “Sniffer” I watched my director. I had many references for this hero, but at some point I realized that the author himself is best suited. I can’t say that I took everything from him, but some things - for sure.
- Many viewers compared the “Sniffer” with “Sherlock”, with “Doctor House”. And you did not consider these characters as references?
- Considered them. Then these series were at the peak of popularity. I watched a lot of things, even the "Battle of psychics." And also - “The Mentalist”, “Sherlock”, “Deceive Me” with Tim Roth, “Chiromanta” with Yura Chursin ... Of course, you watch, study, re-evaluate and process all this for yourself. A gifted person who is not like the others, in some ways - a miracle worker. Therefore, as I said, I watched the characters of the “Battle of psychics.” They sometimes try to suggest that they are doing a miracle. Likewise, the "Sniffer" is a miracle worker.
- This project has brought you wide popularity. In your opinion, at least for the moment, is he the main one in your career?
- It’s hard to say whether the main one or not. All roles are my beloved, dear. But it is definitely iconic. Then I had “Cheating" - also a favorite, hard, but interesting work, for which I am not ashamed. Then “Teach me to live” and “Consultant”. They are close to the Sniffer. It’s just that after the Sniffer I really liked this genre - a psychological detective story, a thriller. He is still interesting to me. All of them are interesting. And the Epidemic, too ...
- © kinopoisk.ru
“Last year, two short films with your participation came out -“ Butterfly Format ”and“ Galangal ”- both of them shot practically debutantes. You have starred in similar projects before. Agree to meet or knowingly support aspiring filmmakers?
- A short meter has been interesting to me since I arrived in Moscow. I started with short films, realizing that it was time to learn how to work on the site. In theater universities this is not taught. Then I thought that I should go to the Higher Director's Courses, get to know the guys, see their work and offer myself as an artist. They will study on the actor, on me, and I - on them. And it gave its good results. I made friends with a lot of interesting guys. Many subsequently became famous directors.
It was a wonderful time - an experiment, a student body ... At that time I had not been a student for five or six years, but, nevertheless, I fell into this student wave. Then professional filming began, and there were fewer such films. Although I always tried to agree to student or experimental work. And, as for those last two films - these are already my friends suggested, I agreed to help them and look at the guys. And also - to return to student mood.
Ksenia Knyazeva, who shot The Butterfly Format, is a very talented cameraman. We worked with her in two short meters. And so she tried herself as a director. Of course, I could not refuse. At Galangal, I worked with Maria Loyter. Again, by acquaintance: the actress Natasha Zemtsova called me, we worked with her in the TV series "Alive" and "Epidemic". And in Galangal, she was also the scriptwriter and producer.
Again I wanted to stay in such a company, see what happens, if we can make an interesting project.
- And what can attract you to projects of unfamiliar novice directors?
- For me, the main thing is the script. If there is an interesting story, an interesting hero with an unexpected line, then this is an occasion to get together and take something off. In second place is the director, and then partners and the team.
Of course, the scenarios are not always perfect. As a rule, the opposite. But in projects of beginning authors, we do not earn money. We are just looking, trying to do something unusual.
- As far as I know, your career was long and thorny. You didn’t want to give up everything and do something else at certain moments?
- Yes, there were such moments. I did a lot of things: I worked as a janitor, a waiter ... But all this in parallel, I worked part-time when I could not earn money in my profession. When I arrived in Moscow in 2005, I promised myself that I would not do anything else, so as not to be wasted, not to go astray, not to go into any other area.
- If you could live life from the very beginning, would you still choose acting?
- I do not know. I'm afraid so. I just can’t understand what else I would do.
- If your daughter also wants to become an actress - support her in this?
- Why not? I will support any desire. Of course, I will talk about all the difficulties and disadvantages of this profession. I’m not sure that she will understand, but nonetheless ... And, of course, I’ll try to explain that if there is at least one slightest reason why you can not do this, it’s better not to do it, choose something else. If you can’t do anything else, then go and do it.