Alexander Petrov: “I had love and war at the same time. Alexander Petrov: “I don’t need big houses, cars and yachts. Does Alexander Petrov smoke or not?

Alexander Petrov

19.05.2017 Dmitry Ostashevsky

On May 22, the continuation of the series “Policeman from Rublyovka” will be released on the TNT channel. Executor leading role Alexander Petrov in exclusive interview spoke to THR about the secret of the project's success, the present and future of Russian TV series and personal film preferences.

I’ll immediately ask a terrible question, after which some actors get up and leave: “Describe your character?”

(Lights a cigarette. Gets up and leaves... Returns)

My character, Grisha Izmailov, is a policeman beyond stereotypes. He has an excellent sense of humor, and this humor is sometimes very harsh, especially in relation to his boss, whom he plays Seryozha Burunov. At Grisha's non-standard methods fight against evil. And most importantly, he is an intelligent person with serious views on life. With a tragic personal story: his parents were killed, he dotes on the sister he helps. At the same time, he is a rich guy: he lives on Rublevka, donates money to charity. That is, he is his own person. One for everyone.

Is that why your hero is so attractive to the viewer that everyone will find something for themselves in him?

Yes, it seems to me that such a non-standard combination of qualities is very new story for television films in Russia. Not just an oligarch from Rublevka or a policeman or an intellectual, but both. I really like this hero, I don’t want to part with him. Season 2 is coming out now, I'm sure there will be a third. And this story will become truly popular.

Alexander Petrov and Sergei Burunov in the series

Nowadays it is still accepted out of habit Russian cinema first scold, then watch, but with TV series this stereotype is already a thing of the past. The Russian series has ceased to be, by definition, something bad. What do you see as the reason?

In my opinion, there is only one reason - they appeared smart people who understand how this is done in the West. And who risked investing a lot of money in serial production. At first, in Russia the series was considered something cheap, inferior to cinema, hack work. But even in this state of affairs good work happened. Remember "Brigade" or "Liquidation". Now good series More. It's comfortable for the viewer. It's nice to get hooked on a series - to live with a character for a long time. Wait for new episodes, new seasons. Russian producers they understood this and accustomed the viewer to the fact that Russia produces high-quality TV series. Moreover, she doesn’t just lick ready-made techniques from Western models, but is ready to go beyond the templates, as happens in “Policeman from Rublyovka.”

Trying to go beyond the template - is this close to you personally?

Yes, thanks to my Russian language and literature teacher Shashkova Olga Nikolaevna- It was she who instilled in me a love for theater, taste, and taught me to think outside the box. She began each lesson with a short lyrical digression. Now I understand that these were not just stories from newspapers, but stories from her life, sometimes related to the topic of the lesson. The students sat not behind each other, but in a semicircle... All this subconsciously taught me that you should always try to go beyond the boundaries, and do and live differently, not according to standards, to experiment.

I heard that when you entered the studio of Leonid Efimovich Kheifets at GITIS, you received some very non-standard task from the master...

Yes, Leonid Efimovich and I just recently met on the program "Inner Circle" and remembered the task that he gave me then. Now he said that, probably, it was too dangerous a task and it was impossible to put so much pressure on him. In general, he suggested that I imagine a situation when you come to a cemetery to to a loved one and you see that the grave is disfigured... After this task, he took me as a student.

You are often compared to Smoktunovsky both in the manner of performance and in the list of roles played: you had both the hijacker and Hamlet. Can you, as a viewer, name your favorite actor?

Leonardo DiCaprio. I think it would have evoked a lot of pleasant emotions in Smoktunovsky too. What DiCaprio does in latest films- very cool. This is an amazing level of preparation for the role, internal content that makes you develop and grow. He is an example to follow.

Who is your favorite director?

Martin Scorsese.

By the way, he collaborates a lot with DiCaprio...

Yes, they say they have already planned it New film, already the sixth...

Well, okay, how do you generally approach choosing roles? Or do you rely on an agent?

Of course I consult my agent Katya Kornilova. We have been working with her for 8 years since our second year at GITIS. And when we discussed the five-year strategy 4-5 years ago, what we want, where we are going, now I see that the intended results are being achieved. In general, choosing a role is a very intuitive thing. It’s just that this feeling somehow surprisingly coincides with Katya and I.

You studied at the directing department and have said more than once in interviews that you have directing in your distant plans. What genre would you like to shoot in?

I really like simple human stories that give a certain image in which something would be encrypted, some kind of subtext, meaning. For example, here's a movie "Black Swan" Darren Aronofsky- Very simple story, but told in bold cinematic language. Or a movie Tom Ford "Under the Cover of Night"- an outrageously simple plot, but how it is presented, how it is told, how it is filmed! And you can retell it in one sentence. That is, I wouldn’t want an arthouse for arthouse’s sake. Let it be a spectator movie, but with a simple human history at the core. This also touches me as an actor in scripts. But now it’s still very early to talk about directing. This is such a bold step that cannot be combined with anything else; everything else will have to be postponed for at least a year. Maybe I’ll make up my mind when I’m forty, maybe later. I won’t try to sit on two chairs.

Which of yours theatrical works can I watch it now?

"Hamlet" at the Ermolova Theater, " The Cherry Orchard"at the Pushkin Theater. And the dramatic show “#BE REBORN” together with the group “Ocean Jet” - a performance unusual shape, who was on tour in Voronezh, Yekaterinburg and St. Petersburg in April. In Moscow in November there was a premiere at the Yotaspace club. There will be more performances, so stay tuned for announcements.

This season, actor Alexander Petrov is in great demand: he can be seen on TV, at the Theater. Ermolova and in the cinema - in the film "The Elusive: Last Hero", which was released on October 29. In an interview with HELLO!, Petrov talked about what modern girls lack, why a man is always right and how he is going to conquer Hollywood.

Alexandra Petrov Alexander Petrov has everything to achieve a lot in his profession - he is talented, good-looking, young and ambitious. And his achievements speak for themselves: at the age of 26, he starred in several dozen projects, including such successful TV series as “Farza”, “Law of the Concrete Jungle”, “Embracing the Sky” and others. Petrov managed to work at the Et Cetera Theater with Alexander Kalyagin, and now he serves at the Ermolova Theater under the direction of Oleg Menshikov, playing no less than Hamlet.

Alexander was born in Pereslavl-Zalessky, in childhood and youth he loved to play football, so much so that he was invited to train in Moscow, but these plans were disrupted by injury. He still ended up studying in the capital, although a few years later and already as an actor: while a student at the Faculty of Economics, Sasha participated in an amateur theatrical production, then the guys went with her to the festival, and there GITIS teachers gave master classes. Then it became clear to Petrov who he really wanted to be. Having nothing but talent and desire, he went to Moscow and immediately entered GITIS for the course of Leonid Kheifetz, for which there was huge competition. The thing is that Petrov has been accustomed to achieving his goals since childhood.

And Sasha is not at all flighty, as one might imagine a 26-year-old guy who is torn apart by producers and fans. Since his first year at the institute, actor Petrov has been picky about his choice of roles and has been in love with his girlfriend Dasha for more than ten years. Another job Alexandra - the film "The Elusive: The Last Hero" - was released a few days ago, on October 29. He played the main role - the mysterious “last hero”.

- Sasha, the role of the “last hero” sounds loud.

Yes, but my character is not an unambiguous hero, he is not only with a plus sign, but also with a minus sign. Director Artem Aksenenko and I wanted to make sure that bad guy I liked it. He kills people left and right and at the same time evokes sympathy, because he does it out of a sense of justice, and cannot do otherwise. My hero kills bad person to save many other people. And the heroine of the film, played by Sasha Bortich, believes that it is possible to punish fairly.

- Is he convinced by her position?

No, not in the finale after all. But the film tells his story, and it becomes clear why he is like this. The story is tragic, and for me personally it evoked a great emotional response.

- Do you have own experience communicating with bad people?

Experience street life, of course there is. I've seen some scoundrels. Even when I was a teenager in Pereslavl, and there are plenty of them in Moscow. I really don’t like it when someone deceives someone, I myself am for justice.

We have few real heroes in films. The last one may have been Sergei Bodrov in "Brother". A hero of our time - what should he be?

The secret is very simple: it requires the same qualities that Sergei Bodrov possessed - sincerity, kindness, calmness, courage. In the 2000s they somehow forgot about them, Moscow and big cities swallowed up by glamor, and it still doesn’t let go of many. People simply stopped talking to each other, taking responsibility for their words and actions, and a world of deception has become the norm. Nevertheless, now they are following sincere people, those who say what they think; began to distinguish the real from the fake. This is great, young people today are becoming a powerful force that understands the meaning of the word “truth.” All my peers - purposeful people, they know their worth, their actions, their time. I believe that if a person does not forget these main qualities, then he will become a hero - for his family, for his friends.

- Do you have a relationship with Alexandra Bortich’s character on screen?

Yes, our characters are strongly attracted, like two poles - one with a plus, the other with a minus, and it’s interesting to see what comes of it.

- How not to fall in love with your partner in history?

It's not even worth asking. This is just a profession. It's your character who fell in love, not you.

- Isn’t your girlfriend Dasha jealous of you?

Like a normal girl, she is, of course, jealous. But she knows about my profession and tries to treat it correctly. We have mutual understanding on this issue.

- What do you think is the most important thing in a girl? What do modern girls perhaps lack?

IN modern girls There are not enough... actually girls. Many people try to be powerful and independent, and this, in my opinion, is not entirely correct. It seems to me that a girl is created to be close to a man, to be “behind her husband.” The man must still be in charge, otherwise the nature of the relationship is violated and its entire meaning is lost. A woman should leave the main decisions to a man and should allow him to “hammer the nail” on his own. He should, for example, decide for himself which car to buy, and not consult her. I still don’t understand those couples who decide together which car to buy...

Wait, but if they have children together that they will transport in this car, and, for example, a dog that should be comfortable going to the dacha...

No, the man still has to make a decision.

- Yes, you are a house builder!

I'm normal. Likewise, a man should not ask a woman where she wants to go for dinner. We must come and say where we are going. And it will be easier for her.

- So, what if she says: “Let’s go there”?

Well... Okay, let's go there... True, this immediately causes a collision.

- A woman hardly wants to be such a forced sack for a long time...

I’m not talking about slavery, it’s just that the main issues should be decided by a man. What is it all for then?

- What you say is amazing. Young people, on the contrary, seem to have outlived conservatism in relationships; guys also wash dishes and cook, for example...

I don't like to cook and I do it very rarely, because there is something funny in it - a man at the stove, but nothing more. A woman has the opportunity to be the main one in these matters. And a man must create and decide.

- You talked about being absorbed by the “world of glamor.” When you arrived in Moscow, were you tempted to approach him?

I had wonderful masters who knocked out the slightest desire for this from me at the initial stage.

- That is, you are not a party animal, not a clothes person...

I love good clothes, but not to the point of fanaticism. There are representatives of show business whose profession is only conditional, because all they do is go to parties and take photographs for various publications. I'm not one of them, of course, I'm not a model. The profession is the most important thing for me.

- The press presents you as a young star with a great future.

For me, a star is an artist known and recognized throughout the world. I can't call myself a star.

Alexandra Petrov in the series "Fartsa"

- Striving straight for global scale is also a sign of your generation: you need to immediately want an Oscar.

Certainly. The bad soldier is the one who doesn't want to become a general.

But we exist in a different reality - both professional and mental. Aren't you alarmed by the fact that none of the Russians have yet made a career in Hollywood?

Everyone I talked to who tried their hand at Hollywood had one problem - they were scared. And you need to leave for good. People, knowing that there is a rear here and they are ready to be removed, endure the lack of demand there for a very short time and return. Having left, you have to start from scratch and wait until victory. It won't be convenient. Whoever risks losing everything here first will drink champagne.

- Do you think about taking such a risk one day?

Certainly!

- Do you really have some kind of plan?

Yes, and for a long time! We need to develop. We still have fear of “them.” They are not aliens - they simply give themselves one hundred percent to their profession. For example, they adore Chekhov: accomplished major actors love to understand the intricacies of good drama, this is important to them! We think more about our own popularity. If you take any Russian actor and put him in the body of Leonardo DiCaprio, he will immediately go crazy from the realization of fame. But they have other priorities: having reached these heights, they continue to work in the same way and grow in the profession.

- Do you have some kind of complex that you would like to get rid of?

It has always been difficult for me to refuse. But now I think I've learned. My teachers told me about this. Heifetz, with whom I studied, spoke about this, then Kalyagin, with whom I came to work in the theater. Menshikov has the same position, I am now learning a lot from him. And in Lately I began to notice what I was doing.

- In five years you have already had about 30 roles. Aren't you afraid to be everywhere at some point?

No. It seems to me that this is an unjustified fear; for some reason it arises among people in our country. Who hasn't been played by the same Leonardo DiCaprio, who hasn't been played by Johnny Depp! And the whole world is watching them. And here they say: “I’m tired of Bezrukov!” What is he tired of? A wonderful actor who plays different roles. It’s bad when the actor is the same everywhere - that’s what I wouldn’t want.

- Living many lives on camera and on stage, do you manage to live yourself?

Certainly! You have to manage everything: devote time to your family, friends, go to the cinema, go to a restaurant, laugh, go crazy, and be lazy. But one way or another, every day of mine is connected with my profession, because this is my life’s work, and I have to move on constantly.

- You are very purposeful, where does this come from?

I don’t know, but as long as I can remember, the result has always been important to me. It's like in sports. If the scoreboard shows a bad result, you can’t say: “You know, the game was great!” And if the result is good, then there is no need to say anything.

Text: Elena Kuznetsova

The personal life of actor Alexander Petrov and his girlfriend, also an actress, Irina Starshenbaum, is not discussed today except by the lazy. And what was the path young artist to fame? How was a simple boy from the provinces able to conquer Russian cinema and become one of the main sensations of recent times? And what interesting things can the Instagram star of the film “Attraction” tell you?

Actor Alexander Petrov and his girlfriend Daria Emelyanova: love with an unhappy ending

Actor Alexander Petrov and Daria Emelyanova met when they were children. The future star of numerous television series and the new film by Fyodor Bondarchuk “Attraction” was born and raised in Yaroslavl region, the city of Pereslavl-Zalessky. His family was far from cinema and the profession of an artist in general.

Future actor Alexander Petrov with his family

The artist was born on Tatiana's day, January 25th. Now Alexander Petrov recalls with a smile how much his mother wanted a girl, and even came up with a name for her - Tanechka. But... a boy was born, which made the parent terribly upset and even cry. The boy grew up quite independent, his father and mother trusted him in everything, and could send the boy to the grocery store without fear. But the future actor Alexander Petrov never had a special thirst for knowledge. His mother talks about this:

“I didn’t want to study. But I didn’t let him relax much. I am a vigilant mother."

As a teenager, Alexander Petrov turned into a kind of yard hooligan, and parents were often called to school because of the unsatisfactory behavior of their child. Therefore, it was decided to send the boy to sports section to keep him busy as much as possible free time. The choice fell on football. The future artist enjoyed kicking the ball so much that he was already seriously connecting his future with this sport.

Actor Alexander Petrov in childhood

But the accident ruined all his plans for his sports future. The boy received a severe concussion, and doctors forbade him to drive active image life. And then everyone remembered the teenager’s remarkable artistic abilities. Having entered the University of Pereslavl-Zalessky, Alexander Petrov became a member of the local KVN team. Then there was GITIS and the first roles in television series. Popularity young actor was gaining momentum.

But even after becoming famous, Alexander Petrov did not abandon his love, his girlfriend Daria Emelyanova, in his native province, but moved his beloved to the capital. So, in fact, the actor decided on a civil marriage.

Actor Alexander Petrov and his ex-girlfriend Daria Emelyanova

For everyone social events the artist appeared in an embrace with his beloved, and it seemed that nothing could separate them. The young people had many common interests even though Daria had nothing to do with cinema, theater or show business. They dreamed of a strong family and children. The press often tried to “divorce” the couple, but each time the actor’s agent denied rumors about a quarrel between Alexander and Dasha. But one day fate intervened in the plans of the lovers...

Alexander Petrov and Daria Emelyanova were together for 10 years

The popularity of the young star was gaining momentum, Petrov increasingly disappeared at rehearsals in the theater and on the set of new television and film projects. And she faithfully waited for him at home. And one day, what was supposed to happen happened. Actor Alexander Petrov met another actress and fell madly in love. She turned out to be young, promising star Irina Starshenbaum.

The couple's family idyll was disrupted by actress Irina Starshenbaum

Alexander Petrov: what is happiness in your personal life?

Alexander Petrov is incredibly handsome. Therefore, it is not surprising that new novels are constantly being attributed to him. As a rule, the actor’s personal life is actively discussed with each new project. And every now and then, Alexander Petrov’s girlfriends are tipped to be pretty actresses with whom the artist plays on the same set - be it filming a film or a theater production.

Alexander Petrov and Zoya Berber are partners in the series “Farza”

For example, Alexander Petrov played with actress Zoya Berber, known to TV viewers from the TV series “Real Boys,” in the serial film “Farza.” The actors had quite a time there explicit scene, after which the young people were immediately credited with having an affair. But the actress herself is everything tricky questions She replied that she and Sasha were just friends.

“The frank scene in Farts was really frank for me, despite the fact that I was still wearing it. It was filmed on the third day after filming began. The people around you are complete strangers. My partner Sasha Petrov and I communicated very closely and in three days we tried as much as possible better friend to know a friend so that I can trust him, and he can trust me. This is important when acting in erotic scenes. We met and realized that, in general, we were both good people, and everything worked out for us in the end.”

Later, when it turned out that Zoya Berber was pregnant, many immediately attributed the paternity of the unborn child to Alexander Petrov. But the Fartsa actors didn’t even consider it necessary to react somehow. Zoya Berber enjoyed an interesting position, and Alexander Petrov plunged headlong into new projects. The actor not only plays in big films and TV series, but also often appears on the stage of the Theater. Ermolova, led by Oleg Menshikov. The young man also loves to recite poetry and devotes entire creative evenings to this activity.

Another lucky girl, who was talked about as Alexander Petrov’s girlfriend, was his namesake and partner in the film “The Elusive. Last Hero" Alexandra Bortich. The actor Alexander Petrov himself always described Sasha as an exceptional person. But - not a hint of a close relationship.

“It seems to me that she has an internal, nature-given, sense of truth. She can sense when people are lying to her. The energy there, of course, is simple, not like... you know, like a child’s. You look at a child, he can run for eight hours. Lord, yes, when will you get tired?!...It’s just a hurricane that begins to destroy the entire set, everyone in its path, with this energy that is overflowing. God grant that in the future, with each subsequent role of Sasha Bortich, she is capable of much, so that she is more serious, more interesting.”

The personal life of actor Alexander Petrov was also associated with the name of Alexandra Bortich

Alexander Petrov and his iconic “Attraction”

A film that has been awaited for several years, the sensational project of director Fyodor Bondarchuk “Attraction”, was recently released on large screens. The film about the invasion of extraterrestrial civilization on Earth, or more precisely in Moscow, and even more precisely in the Chertanovo region, could not do without the young and promising actor Alexander Petrov. The young man played a guy named Artem, who is in love with a girl, Yulia Lebedeva, the heroine of Irina Starshenbaum.

In the film, the actor’s role is quite serious, it’s no laughing matter. But at the press conferences dedicated to the release of the film, Alexander Petrov had a lot of fun and amused everyone present. For example, with his funny parodies of Fyodor Bondarchuk.

The leading actors, including Alexander Petrov, spoke about how they were approved for the roles, what they had to sacrifice for the sake of filming “Attraction,” and how they worked with Fyodor Bondarchuk’s team, in a short promotional video.

And on film set“Attraction” all hell was going on. And not only in terms of plot. At the very beginning of filming, Alexander Petrov managed to seriously injure his leg with glass and hurt his tendons. As a result, in all action scenes, the artist was replaced by a stunt double. There were also hours-long scenes under the streams cold water, grueling 12-hour filming... But neither Alexander Petrov nor his partner on the set Irina Starshenbaum seemed to notice all these inconveniences.

“Ira and I had a scene: October, it’s cold, the film crew is in jackets and hats - and she’s in just her underwear, I’m naked to the waist and they’re pouring water on us from a fire hose, which, naturally, is not warm. A terribly difficult scene, physically difficult, but we remember it - and tears well up, because there is some incredible feeling of space, pleasure! And everything was done without stuntmen, without doubles. I still see Ira, who is simply dying in my arms, although I understand from her that she does not feel the cold, but is enjoying herself...”

Actor Alexander Petrov and Irina Starshenbaum on the set of “Attraction”

The result of titanic efforts and hellish, almost round-the-clock work is a spectacular movie, the likes of which have never been made in our country. And for the young and promising actor Alexander Petrov, the film “Attraction” opened up new opportunities and horizons.

Alexander Petrov and Irina Starshenbaum: a love story

They met at work - for actors love affair at work business as usual. Alexander Petrov and Irina Starshenbaum, stars of the series “Policeman from Rublyovka” and “Roof of the World” met when the locations of their series in a strange way ended up next door. She, as befits a girl, did not show her sympathy for her future partner in the film “Attraction,” and he... saw her, as if shining from within, and disappeared. And even a 10-year relationship with his long-time girlfriend, Daria Emelyanova, could not prevent him from choosing the unknown and new love.

Alexander Petrov and Irina Starshenbaum at the premiere of “Attraction” with director Fyodor Bondarchuk

In addition to “Attraction”, the guys starred in another joint film project - the short film “The Gift of Faith”.

Unlike many acting couples who prefer not to interfere with each other on set, Alexander Petrov and Irina Starshenbaum don’t mind at all joint projects and they say that it would be nice to play together on theater stage. It seems that they are ready to spend with each other 24 hours a day, without fear of boring each other. The lovers willingly give interviews, take part in lovestory-style photo shoots and relax together. It seems that the title of their first joint film work has become prophetic, and perhaps this is that magical attraction?..

Alexander Petrov and Irina Starshenbaum: what if this is love?

Alexander Petrov: revelations on Instagram

As befits any public person, actor Alexander Petrov opened his own account on the Instagram service, where he regularly posts photos of more or less significant events, people, or just things in his life. And the artist, as befits a creative person, periodically posts original selfies to his feed.

Actor Alexander Petrov and his strange selfies (photo from Instagram)

Quite expectedly, on Alexander Petrov’s page you can see a lot of photos of working moments from filming and theater rehearsals. The same “Attraction” appears many times on the young artist’s Instagram feed.

Working moments with Alexander Petrov in the title role (photo from Instagram)

Of course, most of the actor’s personal page is occupied by his personal life, namely joint photos with Alexander Petrov’s current great love, Irina Starshenbaum. It must be said that her page is full of photos with her lover - the couple does not even think of hiding their feelings from fans and journalists.

Actor Alexander Petrov with his girlfriend, Irina Starshenbaum

Last year Comic Con Russia had three hit stars: Christopher Lloyd, Rutger Hauer And Alexander Petrov. If Western actors were experienced fighters in participating in such conventions, then for Petrov the performance at Comic Con was a premiere - and it’s all the more pleasant that the actor did it with a bang. None of our actors represented Russian projects with such dedication as Alexander - Yuri Kolokolnikov he was openly lazy, the rest were shy, didn’t know what to say and were somehow bored on stage, passing on these feelings to the audience. But Petrov brilliantly “sold” his projects - the sequel "Gogol" and a new series "Sparta", both directed by Egor Baranov.

The new “Gogol” was presented to the press on the first business day, and about this, but let’s repeat: the film “Gogol. Viy" will be released on April 5, and August 30 awaits us “Gogol. Terrible revenge» . In “Vie” we are waiting for the exorcist Khoma Brut, whom Yegor Baranov called “Van Helsing in bast shoes” - he is hunting for witches, and Nikolai Vasilyevich will help him in this.

Channel TV-3 thoroughly prepared for Comic-Con: a special Gogol stand was made, where you could take a photo with Nikolai Vasilyevich and meet the lady. Together with the publishing house BUBBLE, the channel released a comic book "Gogol", which Petrov and Baranov presented to the audience with their autographs. Well, and Alexander himself, who lit up the audience and willingly answered all questions, even tricky ones. So, the actor was asked twice if he watched Badcomedian's review on "Attraction", where the blogger also criticized his game. Petrov, without any negative emotions, said that he watched the review with a cold nose. For him, Bedcomedian is a person who does what he loves, and he can contrast his opinion with hundreds of enthusiastic reviews from viewers with whom he personally watched the film. “When hundreds of thousands of people like your work, that’s what’s important to me, because I do everything for the audience,” Alexander explained and added that he himself watches movies as a simple viewer and advises everyone to have their own point of view.

Here is a video version of the answer:

Posted by The Hollywood Reporter Russia (@sites) Oct 1, 2017 at 10:04 PDT

Petrov also read reviews about “Gogol” - his favorite is the assumption that the Horseman is a hero Sergei Burunov: “I think it would be a shocking event.”. He got the role of Gogol simply and quickly: on the set "Fartsy"(the director was the same Yegor Baranov) the producer approached him Alexander Tsekalo and said: “You need to answer quickly and without thinking - do you want to play Gogol?” Petrov immediately answered “yes” - and voila. “I immediately realized that this would be a cool project, because I saw Sasha Tsekalo’s eyes when he talked about it - they were burning! It was clear that he put his soul into this project.".

Viewers asked how Alexander prepared for the role. "This internal process, it is always different. But it’s important for me to copy the text of each scene into a notebook - when I do this, I immediately understand what questions I have for the director.”.

Alexander Petrov Photo: TV-3 press service

They also didn’t ignore mysticism - does the actor believe in it, was there anything like that on the set? “I believe in mysticism and it follows me from project to project, - admitted Petrov. - For example, every time I put on a wig with a special feeling, which, if you know, consists of real hair. Ours helped me wonderful artist make-up artist Tamara Frid, who worked with the greatest directors, including with Alexey Balabanov on the films “Brother” and “Brother 2”. And every time when Gogol’s signature bob ended up on my head with her help, my heart began to beat faster, and I myself experienced a strange excitement that did not go away until I took off the wig. I don’t know what information this hair stored, but as soon as I took off the wig, I immediately calmed down.”.

In addition to the bob, Gogol also has a mustache - and Petrova had the real ones. “Growing a mustache happened by accident. When we were filming the first scene, I came unshaven - I didn’t have parallel projects then, and I could afford it. Then they prepared a false mustache for me, and I suggested: maybe mine would come in handy? This is how we used my mustache and this great luck, that this happened because on the big screen you can clearly see that they are real!”

And here’s what happened later, when Petrov had to walk around with a mustache in life:

Posted by The Hollywood Reporter Russia (@sites) Sep 30, 2017 at 10:27 PDT

Everyone wanted to know what kind of relationship Petrov had with Oleg Menshikov-the actors played together in both “Attraction” and “Gogol”. “Oleg Evgenievich took me to his theater a long time ago. Ermolova, it was his initiative, and I am very grateful to him for it. We don’t have such a friendship that we go to each other’s houses and get ready to share a beer in the evening - but we have developed a very warm relationship between colleagues. I don’t want to move to another theater, although I had such proposals: Yermolova is a place where I want to create, to create something.”.

After talking with the audience, Petrov signed autographs and took pictures with everyone:

A masterpiece shot: “Gogol” and “It” met! Photo: TV-3 press service

We managed to wedge ourselves into the actor’s tight schedule and talk with him about Gogol the superhero and his favorite superheroes in general - you will be delighted with his answers:

The next day Petrov and Baranov presented their new series "Sparta"- it is about a virtual game without rules “Sparta”, which turns into bloody consequences for the players in reality. It is still unclear where exactly the series will be shown - on Channel One or directly on Netflix, to which the Sreda company, responsible for the series, has already sold Farts. Together with Petrov they played in “Sparta” Artem Tkachenko, Valeria Shkirando, Olga Sutulova and many other actors.

We were shown a teaser, from which it was clear that the game would absorb people and cause them a lot of problems, and that the game itself a virtual reality depicted in the series very schematically. Baranov admitted that he did this on purpose - he wanted the avatars of the heroes and the entire computer world to be different from the real one, so he made the game a little more primitive in graphics than modern ones computer games. “Egor was the initiator: he came up with everything, showed us how to exist in virtual space and move a little strangely”, - Petrov laughs, imitating the gait of the Tin Woodman. Alexander very enthusiastically talked about the fact that when the series was filmed, no one had yet released virtual glasses for mass sale - but today this is quite a common thing. The actor is confident that over time these gadgets will shrink and become as familiar as possible.

- Sasha, congratulations on the premiere! Are you very worried, because you played not just anyone, but Gogol himself?

No, I'm not worried at all. I do not know why. The premiere is always a holiday. And “Gogol” is a very cool, cool story. This is a really big movie and a big release - as many as four parts will be released. Of course, it is important to me how people evaluate this work. But for some reason I am 99.9 percent sure that audiences will like the movie. After all, this is also Detective story, and the viewer will not fully understand how it will all end. This film is like a kind of amusement park, where there is everything to get a lot of emotions.

- What was the most difficult thing about working on the role?

The role itself is very specific. These are historical costumes, a wig, in which it is always difficult for an actor to exist, because the hair constantly gets in the way, especially when strong wind, bad weather or, conversely, when it’s hot. We filmed in different time- and there was snow and the sun was hot. And naturally, wearing a wig felt uncomfortable.

I also had to grow a mustache, which I hate. They look very harmonious with a wig, but in real life they don’t suit me at all. And therefore, during all these long eight months of working on Gogol, I didn’t particularly like to show myself in public. And I dreamed of the day when I would finally shave off my hated mustache. By the way, it was impossible to stick them on, because in close-ups, and especially on the big screen, it would be very obvious that the mustache was not real.

For the role of Gogol, Alexander had to grow a mustache, which he hates. Photo: Press service of TV-3 channel

- The plot is mystical, and Gogol was a great mystic. Did Nikolai Vasilyevich send you any signs during filming?

We did not try to create authentically true story about Gogol. Although the plot is based on facts from the biography and works of Nikolai Vasilyevich, by and large everything in it is fictitious. Therefore no dark forces we weren't afraid.

The most important sign from above: “Gogol” is being released in cinemas, which was not originally intended. If they had told me and everyone else right away that these would be four separate full-length films, then the preparation for filming would have been completely different. There would be enormous responsibility, everyone would shake and play it safe 150 times. And here everything turned out with a good dose of talented hooliganism - both on the part of the director and the artists.

- I would like to draw small parallels between you and Gogol himself. The film tells about the youth of a writer who serves as a clerk in the imperial office, suffers from self-doubt and burns the print run of his first book. Do you tend to doubt your abilities?

Certainly. Every person has great amount doubts, fears and everything else. And I have enough of them too, but this is normal creative search And creative process. When I got to GITIS, after the first month of study I wanted to leave: I understood that perhaps this was not really my thing. I seemed to myself to be a very small person on the scale of Moscow. But such stories are a dime a dozen among out-of-town freshmen, every second one, as I later realized. Doubts and fears arise, teachers begin to demand a lot from you, but you are still completely green, until you understand which way, in which direction you should move.

- What helped you not to succumb to fears?

A dream sitting deep inside, the desire to become an artist, act in films, work for big theater venues. I have many of these “dreams”, but I had to endure difficulties. And somewhere at the end of the second year, I already began to enjoy studying, I realized that I had gotten the hang of it. I was pleased that I managed to turn the situation around and overcome my fears.

- Was there a person nearby who supported you during a difficult period?

It seems to me that in such moments, oddly enough, you need to stay alone, and then you will definitely cope. Of course, close people and friends appeared in my life, whom I trust very much. But initially, when building the foundation of your life, you must learn to accept important decisions on one's own. Then it will be easier to go through life.

There is a good saying: if you really sincerely want something, then even the mountains will help make your wish come true. Of course, if you are not sitting at home on the couch and drinking tea, thinking: when will I fly into space? Well, listen, old man, you will never fly from your couch into space.

- How did you like working with Oleg Menshikov? Were you nervous about having a theater director nearby?

No. I always wanted to go on stage with cool masters, lumps, and fight with them both on the screen and on the theater stage. Perhaps my football background, developed sports character and reluctance to lose in anything have an effect. I remember how, back in my first or second year at GITIS, I met the late Alexei Vasilyevich Petrenko on the set of the TV series “Petrovich”. I played a prisoner named Wolf, and he played my lawyer, and we had a serious scene in prison. Petrenko comes, and I don’t even have a fraction of excitement, on the contrary, it’s interesting to see why he’s a lump, where it comes from, and to engage in a professional fight with him.

So, then, on the set with Alexey Vasilyevich, I began to improvise, tease him, add some of my own text, practically challenge him. And Petrenko was already at a fairly advanced age, for him this was an ordinary scene, of which he had a million in his life: well, young boy, now we’ll play quickly. And then some kind of prick occurs. And he feels it. And suddenly - a sharp look at you, some kind of half-animal: “Wait, wait, oh, that’s it, okay!” And he also begins to improvise. It ended up being a cool scene and he thanked me for it. Alexey Vasilyevich was very kind to me and taught me a lot.

Oleg Evgenievich Menshikov is from the same breed. These people master what cannot be taught, what is not taught about in theater institutes, what is given by nature. For Oleg Evgenievich, one glance, a sharp turn of his head, a second when he is simply silent are worth more than hundreds of words. And it changes the scene and can change the movie. There is definitely some magic in this.

- Oleg Menshikov has one look, a sharp turn of his head, a second when he is silent, worth more than hundreds of words. Photo: Press service of TV-3 channel

- Gogol was born in Sorochintsy, Poltava province, and in December 1828 he moved to St. Petersburg. Despite his numerous attempts, he was never accepted as an actor. You were born in the city of Pereslavl-Zalessky, Yaroslavl region, after school you entered the economics department of Pereslavl University, and two years later, leaving it, you set off to conquer Moscow. It turns out that you both were forced to adapt to life in the capital.

Naturally. You are leaving your mother and father, from the house where you are used to everything, where you will always be fed and warmed. Of course, I was raised as an independent boy, I knew how to do a lot, but it’s still a special atmosphere when you come running from somewhere, and at home your mother and grandmother immediately feed you blueberry pies.

And I had a lot of stress in the first few months of school. I didn’t tell anyone how much I wanted to go back home, I wanted to shout: “What the hell is all this for me!” While taking preparatory courses at GITIS, I imagined everything a little differently. We, the applicants, looked at the teachers with enthusiastic eyes, everything was cool and fun, the classes brought pure pleasure. We had a wonderful preparatory course, we all became incredibly friendly. And then you suddenly come to your first year, where you get involved in a completely different game, in which people who were selected as one of five hundred participate. They all have to make themselves known, and it's scary. Now we, naturally, communicate differently, and by the third year we had developed creative team. But in the first year, almost all of us were ready to grab each other’s throats; the competition was terrible. And that's actually good. But then I was not ready for this.

During my studies I had to overcome many difficulties, but the biggest obstacle for every newcomer remains the unsettled life. I didn’t know the city, I didn’t understand how to get where, it was a whole problem for me to figure out the metro lines and passages.

And life in a dorm is not all sugar. For the first few months there were not enough places in the hostel, and we were rented an apartment for Chistye Prudy. Five of us lived there - both girls and boys. Somehow everyone got along in one room, chipped in money, the girls sometimes cooked, sometimes not. Then we boys were moved to two-room apartment on Nagatinskaya, and after it there was already a hostel. There were three of us living in a room, there was a queue for the shower every evening. It was real school life, priceless experience. I can now come to GITIS and determine by their eyes who is from Moscow and who is not. Those from Moscow have happy and satisfied eyes, because, roughly speaking, they have their mother’s blueberry pies. And the visitors look at me like a wolf cub. And you immediately understand that the person is tired of eating sausages and dumplings.

For example, I really missed the bathroom that didn't exist for a long time. I dreamed of lying in it for at least ten minutes. When I came to Pereslavl for the weekend, I went to bed in the bathroom, and it was impossible to get me out of there. In the dorm, you had to take a shower quickly - five minutes, or go at night when everyone was sleeping.

In the second year it became much easier, I realized that I had already achieved some results on the course, a new interest in the profession appeared, I got used to everyday life and seemed to have sorted everything out. I began to like life in a big city, I already knew my way around the metro and could get where I needed to go without a map.

- In order to be inspired, you need to treat everything a little easier, understand that the world around you is beautiful. Photo: Mikhail Ryzhov

- Gogol showed interest in theater as a child. The writer’s father, who was a wonderful storyteller and wrote plays for home theater. Who did you dream of becoming as a child? Did your parents somehow influence your choice of profession?

You know, how it usually happens in families, when a child jumps, runs, says something funny, and all at once: oh, so talented, a real artist! There were such conversations, but no one ever insisted, the choice was mine, of course.

My parents have nothing to do with my profession. Dad worked as an electrician, mom worked as a paramedic in a hospital. Then, in the 90s, they had small business in Pereslavl-Zalessky.

As a child, my mother taught me to read poetry, and when many years later I came to college, I remembered this. In the acting profession there is a term - vision film. This is when you memorize large texts, including poetic ones, by reproducing them visually. That is, you are making a movie in your mind, capturing not words, but pictures. And so my mother, when I couldn’t remember something, said: “Look, imagine this, then this, and your pictures will change.” I don’t know how she knew this; my mother never studied at any theater studios or institutes.

Then Olga Nikolaevna Shazhko, a teacher of Russian language and literature, appeared at school, and she began to instill in me a love of theater. And she had such a trick, as it is fashionable to say now: before each lesson, she made a lyrical digression and told most interesting stories about his students, about going to the theater. And only then the lesson began. And everyone was like: can we do more? I will remember this for the rest of my life. And then I dreamed that someday Olga Nikolaevna would tell her other students about me too...

Then Veronika Alekseevna Ivanenko appeared, who, when I was already studying to become an economist, brought me to the theater studio. She spent many hours with me in the kitchen, talking about everything, putting very serious things into my head. Thanks to her, I realized what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. later life. This was in my second year at the Faculty of Economics. I remember how we arrived at the amateur theater festival to the city of Pokhvistnevo, Samara Region, with the play “Don’t Part With Your Loved Ones,” staged by Veronica Alekseevna. There were teachers from GITIS who taught us stage movement and acting. I absolutely loved it, I just felt crazy pleasure from the process. And then I wrote an SMS to my parents: “Mom, dad, I will go to GITIS. Dot".

- Didn’t your parents grab their heads? Or did they say: go for it, son?

My parents reacted calmly: well, try it, of course it’s cool, but it’s hard. That is, they did not reassure, but they did not dissuade either. For residents of provincial cities, in principle, enroll in free education in Moscow, especially in Theatre Institute, where there are 500-700 people per seat, and even in the mecca of theatrical excellence, and on the Heifetz course - this is beyond the bounds of possibility, like flying into space. There is a stereotype: everything is bought everywhere. But I am responsible for my third floor, the directing and acting department - nothing is bought there, nothing is sold, no matter how much you try. You won't be able to break through the mastodons and dinosaurs that are sitting there. And God bless them, especially Leonid Efimovich Kheifets, whom they tried to buy a huge number of times. He told us about this. For Heifetz, not only the applicant’s talent was always important, but also what kind of person he was, what his heart and soul were like. He said: “As soon as the door to the classroom opens, I immediately understand whether the person will study with me or not.” He has phenomenal intuition.

- Sasha, when did your parents really realize that you were a real artist and tell you about it?

You know, never. This has not happened and will not happen. And this is good. Usually, as it happens here: the movie is out, watch it. Cool? Cool. Liked? Liked. That's it. But I remember my dad telling me how worried he was when I acted and stayed literally final stage, one step. If you break down, it will be especially offensive, it seems like it’s almost over. Dad says: “You went to the next stage, and I’m in the kitchen frying something in a frying pan in the morning. I stand at the stove, a lot of time passes, my legs are already numb, but nothing is frying. And then I realize: damn, I forgot to turn on the fire!” It is clear that his thoughts were there, with me. Of course, my parents were very happy when I entered.

- Nikolai Vasilyevich had a passion for needlework, knitted scarves, cut dresses for his sisters, and for the summer he sewed scarves for himself. Do you have any hobby outside of work that you can devote at least a little time to?

I don’t have time now, but in general I have fine motor skills held in high esteem. As a child, I loved football very much, I had a bunch of notebooks in which I copied the football results of all championships and tournaments. And he did not simply rewrite, but printed each letter. That was my quirk. And if, for example, I wrote the wrong letter, I bought the same notebook or found the same sheets, carefully cut out one square, pasted it in and wrote the right letter... There were no putties then, and when they appeared, I didn’t like them, because it was clear that it was covered up.

- Yes, you are a neat person, there is even some kind of maniacism in this.

Mania, yeah. This wasn’t the case at school, where I wrote as God pleased, but I lived by football, so everything had to be incredibly neat. Naturally, I looked through these notebooks every time, I knew all the football statistics from the beginning of football, I knew who had what score, what cups, what teams, the European Championship, the World Cup and so on.

And then the acting profession rose to the same level as football. And when I came to GITIS, I began copying texts just as carefully in notebooks. This still remains. For every performance of Hamlet, I take a notebook with me, where every word is carefully handwritten. The entire role, all my scenes, of which there are many, were rewritten.

Scene from the play "Hamlet". Photo: Press service of the Theater. M.N. Ermolova

- Do you also write down your poems by hand?

It's a different story with poetry! Here I feel more comfortable without a notepad. When I'm sitting somewhere in a group, sometimes I quietly pick up my phone, and everyone thinks that I'm rummaging around. At the same time, I can talk, and then suddenly I start writing something down. And now - the poem is written, you no longer correct it, it is stored in your notes. And for this you don’t need to lock yourself in the basement so as not to see or hear anyone. I started writing poetry quite recently, about a year and a half ago, when I was flying on an airplane. Suddenly he took mobile phone and wrote something down in it, and that’s how the first poem was born, now there are 40-45 of them.

- Gogol wrote very mediocre essays at school, he was weak in languages ​​and made progress only in drawing and Russian literature. What items were your priority?

Oh, to be honest, I was a C student. I liked the Russian language and literature - Russian less, literature more. And I can’t say that I was very successful in them. But still more successful than in others. That is, mathematics, chemistry, physics - it was completely not my thing. I liked lyrical digressions Olga Nikolaevna, objects that I thought gave me something. I asked the math teacher: “What does algebra give me?” And in response I heard: “Look, Sash, when you build a house for yourself, you will have a lot of problems if you don’t know geometry.” And I sat and thought: if I have money for a house, then most likely I will hire people who know geometry and will build everything as it should.

- Do you have any pets? Gogol was very attached to his dog Josie, a gift from Pushkin, and when she died, he fell into severe depression.

I understand the reason why Gogol fell into severe depression. Because animals are the most sincere creatures who don’t care who you are, they just love you a priori, for who you are. Yes, of course, I love animals, and I have a wonderful cat, a hairless sphinx.

- Getting ready for an interview with you, I asked my colleagues: “What can you say about Sasha Petrov?” And almost everyone answered: “Is this the one who reads Mayakovsky so well?!” For some reason, they didn’t remember the roles first, but the poems. How did this story with poems come into your life?

Accidentally. I just came to the Moscow 24 TV channel, which was making a series of videos where famous and unknown people read poetry. Actually, at that time I knew only a small excerpt from Mayakovsky, and there was only one take. I didn't even expect such a response.

After that, I realized: people are interested in poetry, and I wanted to do something experimental. This is how, in fact, my play #REBIRTH was born - a dramatic show that combines theater, music and poetry, where I read both my poems and Mayakovsky. The play is on now on the stage of the M. N. Ermolova Theater. We will play it in Moscow and at other large venues, we go on tour around the country. And the plans are enormous, straight Napoleonic.

I am pleased that people develop a passion for poetry, and it is especially pleasant when they tell me: “It all started with you!” But as a child I read little and had no affinity for poetry Great love. Although I was good at reciting poetry, at school I was even sent to various competitions. I was almost the main reader there. I remember I really liked Rozhdestvensky. But that love was for recitation, and not for the poems themselves. At that time, I had more important things to do than read books: football, some gatherings in hallways, in gazebos with and without guitars, chatting with friends. We constantly came up with entertainment, organized quests for ourselves, and immersive performances.

- By the age of 28, you have already played in more than 40 films. This year alone you have 14 paintings in the works. Plus literary projects, theater. Is this what you were aiming for, or do you still want to slow down the pace a little?

Of course, sometimes you want to take a short break. And, probably, just after a busy 2017 and 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021... Somewhere in 2035 this pause will happen. I like the way life turns out. Yes, filming can be wildly difficult - sometimes it’s better to unload bags of cement. But with all that, you just get crazy pleasure from the process, from what you do.

- You have been serving at the Theater for several years. M.N. Ermolova. How did it happen that Oleg Menshikov entrusted you, so young, with the role of Hamlet?

It seems to me that Menshikov has that very sense when decisions are made quickly and purely intuitively. He had not yet seen me in the cinema, he saw me only in one single work, the graduation performance “Ladybugs Return to Earth” directed by Valery Sarkisov, which my classmates and I brought to the Theater. M.N. Ermolova.

We thought that they would suddenly take our performance to the small stage, which was then about to open. Menshikov didn’t take the play, but he took me as an artist. And then Oleg Evgenievich asked: “Do you want to play Hamlet?” I say: “I want.” “Well, you’ll play,” he smiled.

- What is your source of inspiration today?

This is inexplicable: I looked at a person and got inspired, watched a movie and got inspired, looked at a tree and got inspired for some reason. It's warm now, you can sit in summer cafes and enjoy what surrounds you. To get inspired, you don’t need to re-read 20 thousand books or watch 20 thousand films. You just need to take everything a little easier, understand that the world around you is beautiful.