Marius Weisberg: “I will make a good Jewish dad. Marius Weisberg - But the actors are busy with the same ones

Photo: Vladimir Vasilchikov

To feel satisfaction from your achievements, you need to go through many tests and deserve them. Everything comes easy and is simply not appreciated. The actress herself gradually rose to fame. At first these were episodic roles. She played her first role at the age of 14.

Now Natalia’s day is scheduled literally to the minute. These include filming films, auditioning for roles, and participating in various programs. And at the same time she does not forget about her family. And if earlier the actress could completely devote herself to work, now she has a beloved husband and little son. Family is not first and foremost. It is her family that helps her recover after a busy day at work.

Early marriage

Natalya rarely remembers her first marriage. She believes that she was too young to understand how to behave properly with men and what to do if difficulties arose. The girl fell in love for the first time at the age of 18. In addition, she fell in love with a man who was 20 years older than her.

After meeting Sergei Rusakov, attention to the girl increased several times. The press closely followed the development of the relationship between the young actress and businessman. In 2009, the couple announced their imminent wedding, and in the same year they legalized their relationship.

Early years family life were like a fairy tale. Sergei supported his beloved in every possible way and even acted as her agent. But over time, the situation in the family became more complicated. Sergei was ready for the birth of children and was waiting for Natalya to give birth to his child.

A 20-year-old girl wanted recognition and fame, not diapers and strollers. On this basis, the spouses often had scandals. Natalia's growing popularity added fuel to the fire. She filmed a lot and therefore was very rarely at home.

A serious scandal occurred during the couple's vacation in Thailand. They quarreled so much that they tore apart hotel room almost completely. Then the girl decided to leave her husband. She packed her things and left without a penny of money. She didn’t even have money for a return ticket to Moscow. Her mother sent her money.

Then the couple had a long wait divorce proceedings, which lasted two years. Former spouses shared some joint property, although in essence it was not important to them. They just didn't want to let each other go.

American Dream - Marius Weisberg

Even those who are far from the world of cinema have probably watched the comedies “8 First Dates” or “Love in big city" The director of these light and kind comedies is.

Marius gained popularity after the release of these comedies. Many criticized him for such films, citing the fact that they make no sense. Many people loved these comedies. And as the director himself says, no matter how much he was criticized, the films were a commercial success and their costs were recouped several times over.

The director now lives in America, where he moved immediately after graduating from VGIK to further study directing. There he met a charming American Michelle Wilson. Their relationship was light and cheerful, like the comedies that Marius filmed. The young people felt good together, but they did not intend to give official status to their relationship. After five years of relationship they broke up, but remained with each other a good relationship.

Next romantic relationship Marius was associated with actress Ekaterina Shpitsa. They met on the set of the film “8 First Dates.” For a long time the couple hid their relationship, since at that time the girl was officially married. After Catherine's divorce, the couple confirmed their relationship, but it did not last long. Less than a year later, the lovers broke up and chose to remain friends.

Afterwards, Marius was credited with many novels, including with Vera Brezhneva, but they all ended quickly. Everything changed after the director met Natalia Bardo.

Director in love

Marius and Natalya hid their relationship for some time after they met. They became known much later, when the girl moved to America to live with her beloved. The couple lived in a civil marriage and did not think about marriage.

Natalya led a luxurious life in America, rode expensive cars, attended closed parties with friends. She posted photos about this on in social networks. But, at a certain point, the number of photographs decreased. In those few published photographs, the actress was captured from the waist up. Then everyone started talking about Natalya’s pregnancy.

Their guesses were confirmed. In 2016, Natalya and Marius had a son in one of the elite American clinics. But the parents did not immediately share this good news with fans. This became known when the baby was two months old.

What followed was no less happy event in the life of a couple. Natalya received a marriage proposal from the director. She informed her fans about this by posting a photo online. wedding bouquet and a wedding ring.

Now Natalya and Marius are happily married. They found a balance between family relationships They have proven both through their work and through their example that this can be combined.

The star of the series “Flight Crew” spoke about the first vacation in her life, which she recently took, about family budget and about an important secret that she used when choosing a nanny for her child.

The long-awaited premiere of the second season of the series about pilots is on the STS channel. Filmed the first season famous director Marius Weisberg. Main role, pilot Polina Ovechkina, Natalya Bardo plays in the film, she is also Marius’s wife. We talked with Natalya about what it was like to work with her husband on the same site, and about the family life of two creative people.

— In the second season there will be more romance, more relationships, many scenes outside the plane. We left the cabin at real life, descended from heaven to earth,” says the actress. - There will be a lot of jealousy. As a result, Polina finds herself between choices. Either she forgives Kulagin because she still loves him. Or you need to consider someone else. Most importantly, in the second season, my Polina changed internally. She realized: a career is important, but it is not the most important thing in life. I realized that I wanted to love. She became more feminine, she began to think about family and children. She began to want it.

—Have you also experienced something similar in life? For some time we lived only by work and career, but in the end we decided to become a mother. Or was it all more harmonious for you?

Natasha was born in Moscow. As a child, she practiced basketball, ballet and rhythmic gymnastics.

- No, I have never been harmonious. I have always been a careerist, I always thought only about work. I do not hide the fact that Marius and the child came into my life very suddenly, unexpectedly. It seemed to me at that time that it was not even at the right time. I was cast in several leading roles when I found out I was pregnant. I even had severe depression about this. It was quite difficult for me to understand that family is important, that a child is wonderful.

Understanding came only with time. Already when the child began to grow up. I only recently thought about the fact that it is impossible to be busy with work 24 hours a day. And for the first time in my life I took a month-long vacation.

- And what are you doing?

“I just fly where I want, do what I want.” Or I don’t do anything at all and don’t feel remorse because of it. I've never been able to relax. I didn’t know what it was like to sit and not think about work. I didn’t understand how it was at all.

— Is your son Eric spending this month with you?

- No, Erica is at home. He has his own schedule there. My trips are still somehow connected with work. Thanks to social networks, I am invited to vacation by barter. And they can’t always offer family vacations, because it’s difficult and expensive. Moreover, for a two-year-old child, numerous flights can be tiring. That's why he's in Moscow, at home, with my mother and nanny.

— How does Marius let you go on such long trips?

— Absolutely normal, because we work a lot together. And everyone needs to rest. Now he is editing a film, so he cannot leave. Of course, he would be there if he could. He himself understands: why should I sit in Moscow, where snow has already fallen, if I can be at sea? At home, of course, it’s wonderful, but why not go if there is such an offer?

“My husband and I have a separate budget”

— You play a female pilot. Have you ever flown on an airplane with a woman at the controls?

- Yes. A couple of times. This was just after filming the second season. After “Flying Crew,” I began to pay attention to who was the pilot and who was the flight attendant, and began to delve into this life. I recently had a trip to France, and I saw a female pilot with the same ponytail as mine, also blonde. It's like my heroine. It was very symbolic!

— A woman pilot is still a rarity. They have to win their place at the helm.

- Yes exactly. Constantly prove that a woman can also be strong, capable of making serious decisions, and bear responsibility. Right now I’m thinking a lot about the topic of whether a woman should be so strong? About feminism and so on... Are those women happy who fight for independence, shoulder everything on themselves, and are on the endless run, like cornered horses? I've been so tired over the past 12 years that I seriously thought about it.

- And what did you come to in your thoughts?

“I haven’t come to anything yet.” Just thinking about it. Although I myself live according to the principle of self-sufficiency, I achieve everything myself. Both my husband and I have a separate budget. I always believed that I had to do everything myself. But now, in recent months, I’m thinking about the topic: am I truly happy?

And maybe for women like me, men stop doing certain things? They think: “Why do it? She’s all on her own, she likes independence.” And thus it turns out that the man has nothing to do! It's a double-edged sword. It’s not clear: is it the men who relaxed and the women who became independent? Or have women become independent and thus relaxed men?

— You have a classic movie situation in your family: the wife is an actress, the husband is a director. Does it still help in work and in relationships? Or does it interfere?

“At home we talk absolutely calmly about cinema and work, and support each other. Many people at first said: “Oh, great. Her husband is a director, he will direct her in all his films.” But in fact, I was faced with the fact that in some sense this interferes.

- Why?

- Firstly, we cook in the same pot, and we know everything about each other. We don't have enough new topics. There is nothing left to discuss at home in the evening. All the conversations are about the same thing, you get a little tired of it. Secondly, other directors, for example, do not film me because I am Marius’s wife. And we, they say, will discover new faces... One bird told me on its tail that I was no longer perceived separately from Marius and his projects. So a husband who is a director is not always the key to success. Of course, I would like to participate in other projects. And I think that Marius would also like to shoot new, different actresses.

- And what will you do about it?

— I recently talked with Marius about the fact that we need to slightly change the concept of working relationships and still try to work separately. Together, of course, it’s great. But I would like to have some other topics for conversation at home.

— Did he support this idea?

- Well, it seemed strange to him, although he tried to treat it with understanding. At the same time, he continues to send me some scripts (laughs).

“I managed people at the bank”

— You said that you weren’t quite ready for Marius, then Eric, to appear in your life. Do you feel like you have changed now?

- Yes, the child gives me a lot of energy. And there is no longer this point in my head, like many women have: I’m 30, I don’t have children, I need to hurry. This point is now closed for me. Of course, I adore my son. For me he is the most best child, the most talented and beautiful. Everything is like any mother (laughs). But, of course, there was more trouble. We need to monitor the nannies, the upbringing, and the training. I have never in my life thought so much about everyday life as I began to think after the birth of my child. And I had to show my organizational skills.

— Unpleasant situations Have you already been with the staff?

— I have no problems with this, because in personnel selection there is a huge and very important secret. You need to take a piece of paper and write down what specific person you are looking for and what you want from him. Then, when you hire a nanny, you need her to read and sign this piece of paper. It is important that the person understands what your expectations are for him. And so that you understand exactly who you are looking for. You just need to be able to clearly set the task - and then there will be no problems.

— Did someone advise you to do this or did you come to this point through experience?

- No, I myself, intuitively. I have a love for organizing things. And some managerial skills. And by the way, I am fighting in my family to ensure that agreements are strictly implemented. For example, my mother may ask the nanny to clean the extra room or wash the dishes. I swear and say that a person should not do this. That's not why he was hired. He is taking care of the child. What do many people do? They hire a nanny and try to pin everything on her. It is not right. If you want to hang it, pay extra. Everything needs to be discussed in advance; no innovations should be introduced unexpectedly.

— You also have a banking education. Is it somehow useful to you in life?

- I always thought no. But recently I came across the fact that yes, it helps. When serious acting contracts began to appear, when you have to cooperate a lot with banks, count some percentages, that knowledge is immediately remembered. Plus, of course, they developed us quite well intellectually there. And this even helped me get into a theater university. We were accustomed to work, it was very difficult to study. That's why all this probably helped. Well, again, communication with the staff. I had an internship where I managed people at a bank.

— Do you have any plans to give Eric a brother or sister?

- No no. For now I think I will have a lot of work to do.

— You were very worried that you would fall out of the picture because of pregnancy. And this is a fairly common story among career girls. If you now had to support a friend in the same situation, what would you tell her?

- It all really depends on the woman. There are those who are afraid of falling out of the cage, then they fall out of it and are happy at the same time! They began to sleep normally at night, to be glad that they had a child and a beloved husband nearby. They began to relax together. That is, someone gets only pleasure from this. If you don’t want to fall out of the clip, then you don’t have to be afraid of it. You just need to give birth to the baby, organize everything and get back to business. Now I don't see a problem here. If you don’t want to fall out, this won’t happen to you. There are nurseries, kindergartens, nannies. Everything can be resolved.

Another question is that when I was thinking about having a child, I decided for myself that I would become a mother quite late. And she planned to raise the child herself, without nannies. It seemed to me that a nanny is bad, that in this case a child grows up without parents. Now I'm faced with the fact that we have a nanny. And all my fears are just fears. Eric knows that I am his mother. He loves me. And it’s complete nonsense that children begin to love nannies more than their parents. I know many people are afraid of this and talk about it. This is all untrue. I consciously decided that my child would have a nanny. And in the end, I don’t see anything wrong with this. Here you have to choose. If you want to be on track after childbirth, you definitely need some help - your parents or someone else.

— Now you have “Flying Crew” coming out. What can viewers expect next?

— In January there will be “Granny of Easy Virtue-2,” where I took part. There is another project that is still kept secret. And perhaps there will be a third season of Flight Crew if viewers like the second.

“It’s crazy that children start to love nannies more than their parents.”

— By the way, what can viewers expect in the second season?

— In the first season, my heroine fought for her place at the helm. She said: “I’m not a flight attendant, I’m a pilot.” Polina Ovechkina is a very purposeful girl, a careerist who always wants to be the first and the best, she is a truly talented pilot. Apparently genes play a role; her dad is a famous pilot. In the first season, Polina fought for her career. Although there were also personal events - she fell in love for the first time in her life, became attached to a man, Lesha Kulagin, played by Alexey Chadov. True, their feelings were based not on romance, but on the love of airplanes. In the cabin they constantly argued, quarreled, and sorted things out for various reasons. And at the same time they got to know each other so well that they realized that they couldn’t live without each other.

In the second season, a third character appears - Lesha's brother, played by Makar Zaporozhsky. Polina will reach the rank of first pilot, and a partner is being selected for her. And she is already used to flying with Kulagin, she cannot let anyone near her. Just imagine: being in a confined space for hours with some stranger- it's hard! On the one hand, she is very offended - after all, Kulagin betrayed her, on the other hand, she does not want to see anyone else around.

In the end, Polina finds herself in the same cockpit with Kulagin's brother, he becomes her co-pilot. Family ties however, they are not immediately clear. And the most interesting thing is that in the end, of course, the guy falls in love with her. It turns out to be a classic love triangle. And I’m sure it will be very interesting to watch its outcome!

Private bussiness

Natalya Bardo was born on April 5, 1988 in Moscow. Graduated in 2012 Theatre Institute named after Boris Shchukin, majoring in acting. At the age of 14, Natalya visited the set for the first time and fell in love with the process. At the age of 18, she first starred in Natalia Bondarchuk’s film “Pushkin. The Last Duel" She played in the TV series “Barvikha-2”, “Veronica. Lost Happiness", in the films "Granny of Easy Virtue", " Night shift", "To Russia for love." Natalya is in a relationship with director Marius Weisberg. Has a son, Eric.

Congratulations on the premiere of the film “Grandmothers of Easy Virtue.” In whose head was the enchanting scenario about a swindler hiding in the guise of a grandmother from bandits in a nursing home born?

Marius: The idea was proposed by Sasha Revva, who loves to transform. He kept telling me: “Marus, let’s do something together, I have an idea - I’m a grandmother, I’m going to a nursing home.” To be honest, for a long time I didn’t know how to approach this story. At some point I realized that if we make him not just an old grandmother, but one like Barbra Streisand, and take Sasha’s own mother as a prototype, then we could get a very funny, fashionable and fresh story. I started working on the script, and it took us a long time to get it perfect. It is clear that there is nothing new in the concept itself, because artists have been dressing up as women since the days of Some Like It Hot. The hardest thing was to make a truly fresh film on an old theme.

- What do you remember about filming?

Marius: For me it was an extremely difficult film from a technical and production point of view. There are a lot of tricks in it, plastic makeup, which took two and a half hours shooting day, many objects, elderly artists. Moreover, we started filming in the fall, and it instantly, almost two weeks after the start of filming, turned into bitter winter.

Natasha: With rain, hail, blizzard and frost...

Marius: In the scene where Natasha comes out of the entrance with a suitcase, we had to literally break and melt the ice, remove the snow from under our feet and cover the ground with golden leaves.

Natasha: A piece of autumn was recreated in the yard, but it was winter all around, and I was standing in a summer coat, waiting for Sasha Revva. Or there was another scene, after which I came down with a sore throat, where I climb out into the hatch of a car flying into the cold at breakneck speed. I asked Sasha not to speed up, but he was driving 70 km/h. I have a bottle of champagne that is almost freezing, sticking to my hand, wild cold, and I shout: “We are happy, we are rich!” There are two blankets wrapped around your back - it’s not easy to stick out of the car hatch at such a speed when the wind just blows you to the hatch. They did several takes, and in the end I had a big bruise on my back; no amount of blankets could save it.

- Was this your first time working together as a director and an actress?

Natasha: Yes. By the way, when Marius and I met, it turned out that I had watched his films, but did not know that he was their director. He saw me somewhere, but did not understand that I was an actress. It so happened that we first developed a personal relationship. And only then, after a while, Marius began to try me for his projects.

Marius: Natasha turned out to be an excellent comedic actress. To be honest, it was unexpected, in my opinion, even for her.

Natasha: In “Granny of Easy Virtue,” my role is small, but quite bright. I play the accomplice of a swindler - the hero of Sasha Revva, trying to scam him out of money. And Marius later, after filming was completed, realized that comedy was mine, and I understood that too. And in January another film by Marius is coming out - “Night Shift”, where I have the main role. I play a stripper there. For this project, I learned to pole dance.

- Marius, I remember you said not so long ago that you were going to make a thriller. Are you ready to change your favorite genre - comedy?

Marius: The story is completely unique. I spent four years chasing this Hollywood script, trying to buy the Russian-language rights to it. And finally the writer gave me the rights to a Russian-language remake. I'll start filming in the spring next year. Sasha Petrov will play the main role, I also want to invite Evgeny Mironov. I haven’t decided on the heroine yet: the producers are talking about Sasha Bortich, in principle I don’t mind - I like the actress Bortich.

- What is the story about? Already have a name?

Marius: The film is called "Down". A story about two young happy newlyweds who are expecting Honeymoon. The guys run into the registry office, sign, then run to their dad for money - a girl from a rich family, happy, kissing, filming each other on an iPhone - in general, complete happiness. They run into the elevator of a skyscraper, and a third man, a man, enters with them. They are riding down in the elevator and on some floor they get stuck, the three of them are in this elevator, they are late for the plane. At first, everyone is giggling and giggling, trying to call the dispatcher, but at some point they realize that they are stuck for a reason and that this man is with them for a reason... I liked this story primarily because it somehow managed to deduce her into a dramatic plane. That is, I hope that I will be able to create a sense of drama, with a philosophical background about what family is, what real love, how is it different from the first happy family year, when there are butterflies in the stomach.

Two halves of one whole

- It must be difficult to be together all the time, both at work and at home?

Natasha: We are two Aries, very similar in many ways, but in Lately We often understand each other without words. Marius can say: “You know, it seems to me that this should be there, you can hang this here...”. I say, “Okay,” without asking any questions, because I understand what he’s talking about. That is, we think, live, work, love in unison. For me, family is a priority, despite the fact that the work is busy and the character is difficult, but Marius treats this with understanding. I’m hyperactive, and, unfortunately, I don’t cook at all, for me the kitchen is something very alien... A year ago I promised myself to learn, but everything got even worse - I cook scrambled eggs, they burn. I’ve completely forgotten how to do it, although I’m making some attempts, I’m trying. Marius says to me: “Well, I poured some oatmeal, poured boiling water over it, here’s your breakfast.” So I'll definitely get burned, or I'll drown cold water, because I forgot to press the button on the kettle to make it boil. That is, well, not my thing at all. I am grateful to Marius that he treats this with understanding. Otherwise, I can do whatever I want: I organize my life according to full program, garbage is thrown out on time, the house is cleaned, everything is clean, ironed, washed.

Natalya: I don’t cook at all, for me the kitchen is something alien. But Marius treats this with understanding. Photo: Andrey Salov

- That is, you are an ideal housewife in everything except cooking.

Marius: She is the ideal top manager of the farm (laughs). But for me it's not that important. That is, of course, it is important, but I understand that ideal people can not be.

- Maybe Marius is a wonderful cook?

Natasha: He doesn’t cook either, well, that’s not our story. Nobody cooks here, but we are so beautiful and slender, we don’t bother at all about food.
Marius: In general, I think you should do something that brings you pleasure, that truly inspires you. A person who loves to cook comes to the store and thinks: “This will go with this, but now I’ll add this.” Cooking - absolutely creative process. Natasha cannot be forcibly realized in the kitchen, she is realized in something else. For me, family doesn’t necessarily mean cooking. If this aspect did not work out for my beloved woman, for me it is not a tragedy at all. There are other things she is great at, like a wife.

- What talents of Natasha’s will you note?

Marius: Firstly, she is an absolutely brilliant repair engineer, she has golden hands. For example, Natasha can easily assemble a cabinet, design a kitchen, her hands are shaking, she likes it so much. But I can’t even come close to this, I don’t understand where and what to twist. He doesn’t know where our tools are at home - a screwdriver, a drill. Natasha has an engineering mindset, she could be a very cool architect.

Natasha: Just yesterday I assembled three bookcases. Although there are masters, I take their work away from them, saying, “You screw it in crookedly, slowly, I’d rather do it myself.”
Marius: And then, she is a devoted person, whom I completely trust, with whom we have absolutely the same worldview. And this is many times more important to me than cooking. She and I truly, as they say, live in perfect harmony, we understand what everyone likes, without intruding into each other’s space when it is not necessary. We have found a certain harmony and symbiosis, and at the same time we live as a really happy, healthy and friendly family. This is the first time in my life.

- I wonder what your longest breakup was like?

Natasha: Marius recently went to Vyborg for two whole days for a festival, I missed him so much.

Marius: Well, we separated for a long time when Natasha was pregnant and lived in our house in Los Angeles, and I was working here in Russia

- Some couples say that it is necessary to separate, it is very useful for the relationship.

Natasha: I used to think so too, but now I can’t understand why we have to break up? But we still part during the day - he goes to sports, I go to sports, he goes somewhere and I go about my business. But we don’t have such a situation that we get tired of each other, we feel good together. We have a feeling that we, like puzzles, in a sense, complement each other, like two halves.

Marius: I have never had such a good time with a person... What can you rest from when you don’t get tired? Moreover, I know what it is to get tired of a person. When he has a different energy, a slightly different worldview, and so on, then either she or you have to adapt all the time, and this happens very often.

Natasha: We don’t burden each other, we can be close and silent, hugging, but everyone is working, busy with something of their own, I’m reading, he’s doing something. I can tinker in the kitchen, put together another cabinet, for example, Marius is editing his movie, but, nevertheless, the feeling that we are close is there, and this makes it good and comfortable. We don’t tell each other that if we met, we must solve some problems. Because I have this trait and Marius has it, but somehow we don’t have any problems.

Marius: Natasha and I have the same worldview, and this is much more important to me than cooking. Photo: Andrey Salov

- So, these problems arose in past relationships?

They arose. That is, we met: “Okay, we need to solve this, do something about it.” People always have such conversations, about jealousy, and about everyday life and something else. We don’t have this at all and, thank God, because we have neither the time nor the desire for this. Everyone's life is so crazy now, I wish I could find time to just hug in silence.

Director's wife

Natasha, do you, as the director’s wife, have the right, as they say, on the first night - to be the first to read the script, to choose a role for yourself?
Natasha: No, I don’t want to choose a role for myself just because I’m a wife. And I tell Marius this too. I read the script and go to auditions like everyone else. Although everyone tells me, “What’s the big deal, all directors film their wives.” I won’t be offended if he gives the role to another actress, and even more than that, I even offer him actresses.

Marius: Yes, she helps me a lot with casting.

Natasha: I help with casting, I already know all the actors, and many of his friends star in leading roles. Because it is important for me that Marius has successful project. There are roles that don’t suit me, or I don’t want to, or I can’t play them, or I’m even afraid. The situations may be different. And then, I wouldn’t want him to have any limitation - a wife...

Marius: And I can’t really imagine that I’ll be filming it in explicit scenes...I have serious love lines, where I need two people to have fire, romance. I won’t be comfortable with Natasha, I won’t be able to invest in it myself, I won’t be able to really direct it.
- Does everything have to be real for you?

Marius: Yes. And here, firstly, for an actor, this is my wife, that is, he plays completely differently. It turns out there is a complete conflict of interests within.

Natasha: Of course, I don’t want to participate in this either. So that it would be to the detriment of the film or to the detriment of the relationship. Who needs these unnecessary emotions?

Marius: But I understand, of course, that she is an actress, this cannot be avoided, but I personally am not going to take part in this myself. Natasha consults with me in any case, but we have no taboos or prohibitions.

Natasha: It’s as if by default in our family we have this agreement: you are wise. Everyone is responsible for themselves, but everyone understands in their head how clean they are internally. In comedy it’s all easy, there are basically no such passions, after all, the genre is different. But now I wouldn’t want to play some kind of difficult relationship, love, passion. I’m not ready to act in this because I don’t know how to act and I don’t feel, I’m completely immersed in the role. But I don’t want to experience all this because it would go against my family values. There is quite a lot of other work, a different genre, where you don’t have to break yourself in some way and hurt a loved one.

I've been trying for two years

- Readers, of course, want to know the story of your acquaintance. Who has his eye on whom?

Marius: I've had my eye on Natasha for a long time now. Although we didn’t know each other, I just saw her in photographs, maybe on TV once. I wrote to her on Facebook for a while, tried to ask her out on a date, organize a meeting at work, no matter what, I just wanted to get to know each other. I came up with various reasons, but for a couple of years there was complete silence. I thought - in a relationship, he probably lives with someone, and I didn’t want to get involved. But I unobtrusively wrote something once every six months, you never know, suddenly the situation will change... Then we finally met.

Natasha: We met in person at a party two years ago. I remember we were sitting with some girlfriends, and someone brought Marius to our women’s table. He sat, looked at me carefully and said goodbye, “I’ll write to you again.”

Marius: Yes, she never answered me.

Natalya: we are two Aries, we are similar in many ways, and lately we often understand each other without words. Photo: Andrey Salov

- Why were they ignored?

Natasha: Firstly, I was in a relationship, and secondly, I had never met anyone on the Internet at all. I have never been attracted by the prospects, neither directorial nor monetary, nor anything, it doesn’t matter to me. I only have this: I saw it, I was hooked, that’s it. But still, fate brought us together.

- Marius wrote again, and you still answered?

Natasha: Wrote. I already realized that it wouldn’t work out directly, I started sending me scripts, and I told him: “This is a small role, I won’t play it.” But he behaved so gallantly, wrote so kindly, and called for his birthday, and called everywhere. And most importantly, unobtrusively, but regularly. And I decided that I still need to pay attention to this. She wrote: “Well, okay, we can drink tea, just talk about work.” We met and sat on our first date for six hours, the restaurant was closed, they kicked us out, but we couldn’t talk enough. Everything comes together: about work, and about prospects, and about hopes, and about dreams, and in general about everything. And there were five such dates, we sat for five or six hours, could not close our mouths for a second, and then we never parted.

Marius: I went to Kyiv to make a movie, we talked on the phone, I flew in as soon as I could for one day. It was such a beautiful story.

Natasha: He generally flew in in the morning, flew away in the evening, walked with me for a day and left. I was in Kyiv and constantly sent flowers with postcards. An unfamiliar number would regularly call me, I would pick up the phone and hear: “Hello, where can I deliver flowers to you?” And all the time there were such romantic cards if I got sick or something else. I still have them all.

- For you the most valuable quality in Marius, his main feature character that captivated you?

Natasha: He's warm and he's responsible. This is something I very rarely see in people. That is, if Marius said it, he will do it. In addition, he is well-mannered, very kind, sympathetic, he will always regret. If there is any problem, he will help. If I get sick, he will run all over Moscow buying medicine. In general, for me he is the ideal man.

- All these qualities were influenced by the fact that Marius has been living in America for more than 20 years?

Natasha: Yes, there is merit in this. Because many Russian men They are constantly looking, it seems to me, for some kind of trick: “Where is the poop?” We all live like this: “Now something will happen.” But this is not the case with Marius, he always believes everyone, looks at the world with open eyes. And he doesn't have anything in his pocket. I also started learning this from him, and I’m already scared, because I’m also becoming the same, kindness consumes, and everyone seems good to you.

Natalya: Marius took me to Hawaii and proposed there. It was so cool, just magical! Photo: Andrey Salov

- Where do you spend most of your time, where is your home now?

Marius: We used to live in Los Angeles for a long time, but now there is a lot of work here. It’s been six months since we settled in Moscow that we’ve been furnishing an apartment and finishing off the construction of a dacha.

The wedding is just around the corner

- A year ago there was information that Marius proposed, and you are preparing for the wedding. But still not a word about the wedding itself. Did you get married after all or not?

Marius: No, we haven’t gotten married, but we will definitely get married. This year has been very difficult for work, we just physically can’t keep up.

Natasha: Marius took me to Hawaii and proposed to me very beautifully there. It was so cool, just magical. This is a very personal moment for me; I haven’t told many people about it. I just posted a photo on Instagram that day with the date and wrote: “Let it stay here.” We have already bought the rings, but there is absolutely no time yet.

Marius: We choose a place in Moscow and take aim. You have to organize everything really well, gather all your friends. And now we have a lot of things: we built a dacha outside the city, renovations in the apartment, work. But we don’t have anything that needs to be done urgently, urgently, we have nowhere to rush, because everything is great with us anyway. On the contrary, there will be something to look forward to.

Natasha: We're in no hurry. The wedding will not escape us, the rings are there, all that remains is to invite our friends. I'm in no hurry because I'm a bride. Every day I wake up as a bride. I prolong my pleasure. And it's so cool.

They wanted a daughter, but they gave birth to an awesome son

- Why has no one seen your son, Weisberg Jr., where have you been hiding him for the second year now? What's his name?

Natasha: They named him Eric, in honor of Father Marius. And our godfather is Pasha Derevyanko, our big friend. We are not hiding our son on purpose, we will definitely show him, but we are waiting for some special occasion and moment for this. We live almost our whole life in public, everyone sees everything, everyone knows everything. Somehow I want there to be something of my own, so that the child doesn’t have to be terrorized with these photographs. Because this is his world, which we relate to warmly and reverently.

- Tell us about Eric, what is he like, who is he like?

Natasha: Oh, he's so cool, just an angel. To be honest, sometimes I’m even afraid to show it to my friends. Although I am not superstitious, I think that people are all different, and some are not very kind. I don’t want there to be any negativity towards the baby. He's so cool! He looks like Marius, a real daddy's son. Smiling, laughs constantly. Now Marius will show you.

Marius is scrolling through photos on her phone of a charming blond toddler with long wavy hair. Little Eric is very similar to his dad, but his eyes - bright blue - are exactly like his mother's.

Marius: when I met Natasha, I immediately realized that this was the woman with whom I wanted a child and everything else. Photo: Andrey Salov

Marius: We have a wonderful child. But he is still so small, so defenseless, that it is very scary to destroy that idyll where the child is in a cocoon of happiness and love... He is happy, smiling, he is, ugh, ugh, ugh, healthy. And why, why do we publish his photo? I don’t think that a small child should be taken somewhere, shown, because it’s stressful for him... Let him mature a little, be formed. When we came with him from America, Eric was just a baby, but now I look at him and see that he has already become stronger, he is already such an independent man, he walks on his own. Now I feel comfortable going somewhere with him, taking him with me so that he can communicate with someone. Our wonderful grandmother, Natasha’s mother, helps us a lot. Soon my mother will fly in to help.

- Did you immediately want a child, or was this news pleasant, but unexpected?

Marius: To be honest, we didn’t plan anything, it just happened that way. But we treated each other so tenderly and touchingly that we could not imagine that now we would do anything other than give birth. In general, when I met Natasha, I immediately realized that this was the woman with whom I wanted a child and everything else. Maybe, again, because we are two Aries, everything is quite organic for us. We don't plan anything, we don't force anything. But we value some main things, we treat them with care, so as not to offend each other, not to hurt each other in any way, we protect each other emotionally. Our son is now the most important thing for us, as they say, our main common project. We conceived him in Spain. And after some time Natasha says to me: “Can you imagine...”. I exclaimed: “What a thrill!” That's all. By and large, it all happened so naturally that we didn’t have any dilemmas, we did it, gave birth, and are now raising it.

- Was it important to you who was born, a boy or a girl, or didn’t it matter?

Marius: They both wanted a girl, but an awesome boy was born, and now I can’t even imagine that it might not have been him...

- Well, you probably won’t stop at one child?

Natasha: I just want Marius to get fat next time, give birth, and then lose weight (laughs).

“Granny of Easy Virtue” is already in cinemas

Marius Weisberg

The first thing that attracts people about Marius Weisberg is his charm and cheerfulness. For a long time the director lived in Hollywood, and to the Russian viewer gave us such comedy films as “Love in the City,” “dating” franchises and “Hitler Kaput!” In addition to his works in secular circles, Marius is known as a conqueror women's hearts. But actress Natalia Bardo has become much more than just a hobby. The director is ready to offer both his hand and his heart to the woman he loves.

In this case, I just want to exclaim: how small the world is! Last summer we talked with Natalya, did great interview. The actress spoke tenderly about the man she was in love with, but did not mention his name. Then we could not even think that we're talking about about Marius Weisberg. However, the director appeared at the GQ Man of the Year ceremony with Natalia Bardo. “Everything is serious and exclusive with us,” they commented, laughing. And skeptics soon became convinced that this was indeed the case. It seems that on the eve of his 45th birthday, Marius has finally found his love. And he is ready not only to become an exemplary family man, but also... a caring father.

— Marius, first of all, what is an indicator of success for you?

— Success for me is self-realization, a feeling of satisfaction from one’s own progress. Not how people perceive you, but your own feeling of how well you meet the requirements that you place on yourself.

— Your father, Eric Weisberg, was a famous film producer who worked with legendary directors. Did you choose your profession under his influence?

- Yes. My father was the director of several films by Andrei Tarkovsky, including “Mirror”, “Andrei Rublev”, and Sergei Bondarchuk. Our families were friends with both the Mikhalkovs and Andron Konchalovsky. I grew up on film sets. Of course, this profession seemed fabulous to me. In addition, I am a humanist by nature: I was good at languages, I wrote poetry, literature was one of my favorite subjects.

“Wasn’t it scary to take this path when you see talents of such magnitude nearby?”

“I was a very confident young man. (Laughs.) And this bravado helped in the early stages of life. But concerns, of course, were present. Firstly, they were caused by the pope himself: he, like no one else, understood all the responsibility that this profession imposes and the level of competition in it. Directors are very nervous and physical exercise, as a result, health problems. Like anyone Jewish dad, he tried to warn me, to protect me from stress. But I was very stubborn, my zodiac sign is Aries, so I listened and listened, but did everything my own way.

— Did you get into VGIK right away?

— I passed the first two rounds myself. He entered under his mother's name Balciunas. Dad didn’t even know that I had applied there. But at some stage, Vladimir Naumovich (Vladimir Naumov, course director - Author's note) found out that I was Weisberg's son, from a film family. They told me: why were you silent? And after that everything became easier. But dad was very impressed that I completed these two rounds myself.

- Why did you start this intrigue? Did you want to test your strength?

- Yes, I didn’t want dad to know about it. Because it turned out that in this way I seemed to ask him for help. And I wanted to prove that I could do it myself. To some extent I succeeded.

— Then the halo of romance of the profession faded?

- No, because for me everything worked out just like in the movies. I studied at VGIK with pleasure, and Vladimir Naumovich believed that I had great potential. But it so happened that in the summer I interned with my father in Andron Konchalovsky’s film “The Inner Circle” and met actress Lolita Davidovich there. Her fiancé, Ron Shelton, came to see her and we became friends. I showed him some of my VGIK works, and he invited me to work as an assistant on his film “White Men Can’t Jump.

- To Hollywood?

- Yes. I asked Naumov for academic leave. He said: I’ll be happy to give it to you and take you back to the course if you come, but you won’t come back. And so it happened. I left and ended up on a big Hollywood production. The year was 1991. For me, an unspoiled guy from Soviet Union, everything was like in a fairy tale: bright, interesting, breathtaking. I realized that I could learn a lot here, and I tried really hard. I watched how Ron worked, how he communicated with artists, producers, and heads of film studios. I knew English fairly well, so I understood everything well and absorbed it like a sponge. They also reacted to me with interest, because I was a kind of curiosity for them - a guy from the Soviet perestroika space. It was a very positive, wonderful period in my life, and I can’t say that any illusions about the profession were dispelled. Then I went to the Southern California Film and Television School, which was also magical.

— From Moscow in 1991 to get to Hollywood is, of course, a strong shock. What surprised you the most?

- All! The contrast was so striking in all aspects of life: completely different colors, culture, way of life. But what was most striking was people’s attitude to work. In our country, comedy as a genre is viewed condescendingly in intellectual circles. This comes from Soviet times, when Gaidai’s paintings were considered “below the baseboards.” The film I worked on with Ron was also a comedy, but everyone was very respectful and responsible in the process. Every joke, comedic timing - everything was so polished, so much effort was put into it - of course I was impressed. There was no such thing in Russia then. Now the boundaries are blurring. When I'm on the mid-budget Hollywood sets, they remind me of my own set, I can't say there's an abyss between them. But the most important thing is that Hollywood instilled in me a professional serious attitude to the comedy genre.

— You didn’t have to conquer Hollywood, like many emigrants. You were immediately invited to work...

- Well, the job actually wasn’t the most glamorous. I was the director’s personal assistant and was responsible for moving his car, bringing coffee, and taking some things to the laundry. (Laughs.) But nevertheless, I realized that I was very lucky. I didn’t have a work permit. I was paid in cash under the table - three hundred dollars a week, crazy money in those days. And I understood that I had a unique chance to learn something in the profession. I can’t say that I fell straight from the plane into the director’s chair, but, probably, fate was more favorable to me than to other emigrants trying to make their way in Hollywood.

— When did your first success come to you?

— I made a film with Christina Ritchie “No Places”, it won many prizes at various film festivals, including Moscow. And I remember, I was traveling from St. Petersburg to Moscow, they called me from Hollywood and said that Kevin Kostner liked my script. He wants to film and is ready to meet in two days! And when I arrived in Moscow, I immediately boarded a plane and flew back to Los Angeles to meet with Kevin. This was an epoch-making event for me. Before that, I worked in independent low-budget films, but here I reached another level, met all the big “Hollywood bigwigs” - agents, producers. I wanted to pinch myself to check if it was a dream.

— Has the film been released?

- No, alas. We worked directly with Kevin for another couple of months, finalizing the script for him. The film has already passed the preparatory period, but the film producers did not agree on the issue of fees, and as a result, Kevin even sued this company. I also got paid for the script. There is still a lot of interest in the film. Maybe it’s for the best that it wasn’t removed at the time. Then there was no question of me directing it myself. And now I can do it.

— What was the reason for your decision to work in Russia?

“Gradually I began to understand that my path was comedy. But in Hollywood, in order to withstand competition, you must not only know the language perfectly, but also understand the mentality. After all, humor is closely related to cultural roots. Yes, I wrote and sold scripts, but at some point I realized that I was competing with people who were here on native soil. It turns out that already at the start I give them a huge head start. Then a very tragic event happened in my life - my father died. I came to Russia for his funeral and... received an offer to make a Russian-language film. In the end, all this resulted in such a long-lasting story.

— Is the fact that you work in the comedy genre related to your character - light, cheerful? Or do you think that the viewer still goes to the cinema for entertainment?

— No, I don’t make comedies out of the belief that cinema exists to entertain people. In essence, a film is the equivalent of communicating with a person, a director. And we all perceive life differently. If Andrei Zvyagintsev sees everything in gray and cold tones, the same James Brooks, whom I love very much, believes in goodness, in the best in people, in the bright side of their nature. Both of them are very talented masters who impose their point of view on the viewer. My vision of the world is much closer to that of James Brooks.

— The film “8” was recently released best dates" There were already “8 firsts” and “8 new ones”. Why are you filming a sequel and what are these stories about for you globally?

— About believing in the best that is in us: celebrating love, humanity and freedom of spirit. This is if it is global. As for the dating franchise, all three stories are completely different. If we call them differently, they will be completely independent of each other. Especially "8 Best Dates", which is not related to the first two even in concept. From my “dates” and “love in the big city” I create a brand that audiences recognize. The fact is that they are currently filming in Russia great amount"plastic" comedy films, it becomes difficult to stand out in the market. We came up with this marketing ploy. So that when people see a poster for a new film, they understand: these are “dates”, they are always funny and pleasant. And, in my opinion, it is not at all necessary that new picture were a direct continuation of the previous one."

- But the actors are busy with the same ones.

— In the third film, Vera Brezhneva is already playing, and not Oksana Akinshina. And the plot has nothing to do with waking up in the same bed. If the viewer reacts positively, we will continue to communicate in this way. We will make a fourth film and a fifth."

— Is commercial success an indicator for you that the movie was a success?

- Certainly. This is not only creativity, but also business. I won’t reveal any sensational news here. To remove good film, need money. It costs a lot, and the money must be returned. So financial success important. Creative success is a much more complex and subjective area. How many people, so many opinions. True, in the case of a comedy it’s simpler: if people laugh, it means the film was a success.

— Do you take criticism painfully? Whose opinion is important to you?

— I have long perceived cinema this way: either it’s alive or it’s dead. For me, all films fall into these two general categories. Zvyagintsev’s paintings are not my world, I don’t feel good in it, but they are alive, so I consider them good. I try to fill my cinema with life, so that it has emotions, a pulse, and a broadcast of inner freedom. This is the only thing that is objective for me. Everything else is a matter of taste. Of course, like any person, I am pleased if my mother liked my film. Or close people whose opinion I care about. In general, I have long been calm about criticism. You can't please everyone, it's a lost cause.

— Working in Russia, are you trying to introduce Hollywood standards?

“I’ve never been spoiled, I’m not Spielberg.” He spends two weeks building the scenery, but he doesn’t like some detail, and he turns around and goes home. I work in real world. There were some things that needed to be adjusted to. Firstly, everything happens much slower here. (Smiles.) Secondly, some professions simply do not exist. For example, a props artist - such a profession did not exist here when I started. But everything was compensated big amount time for filming. I shot Love in the City in twenty-three days in New York, and it was stressful for me. I shot the second part in Moscow, it was thirty-five days, and this is a huge difference.

— The return to Russia turned out to be successful for you and on a personal level. You took your fiancée, Natasha Bardot, to America...

- Oh yeah! (Laughs.)

— Was it love at first sight?

— To be honest, I liked Natasha for a long time. We were in contact on social networks, and I really wanted to meet in person. But Natasha did not give me such an opportunity. She politely declined all my invitations to tea. (Laughs.) At that time she was in another relationship. Besides, she knew my reputation and didn’t want to give advances to such a person...

- Which one?

- Well, I don’t know how to call myself more gently... (Laughs.) I have developed a certain reputation, although perhaps this is not entirely true. I took Natasha’s decision normally, with respect. But then we crossed paths at some event, and then I decided not to miss the chance. (Laughs.) After I managed to drag her out to a cafe on a date, everything began to develop very quickly. Natasha was ideal for me both in temperament and spiritual qualities, I loved her very much. It's just a miracle that it's so dear and loved one I purchased it in such a short time. I thank fate that we wake up together in the morning, like in a movie.

— Was it difficult to re-educate?

- Yes, after all, he’s not a boy anymore. I understand that you can’t just earn such a reputation, there is some truth in this. (Smiles.) But in my heart I always wanted a normal relationship, a family. And when it didn’t work out for me for some reason, I still believed in myself.

- You were already married in student years on American.

- It was a fictitious marriage. Michelle was my good friend, we had an easy, good relationship. When I needed to get a residence permit in America, she offered her help. But we didn’t get married to start a family.

- Maybe you are one of those men who are attracted to an inaccessible object? And when it is conquered, it becomes uninteresting?

- Well, it’s possible. All men are hunters by nature. But in the case of Natasha it turned out differently. I achieved my goal, but at the same time I am happy and don’t want anything more. We've been together for almost a year, which is a long time for me. I don’t want to make any guesses, but for now we feel good, we live and enjoy life.

— An indicator of the seriousness of a relationship is your desire to have a child. This is a huge responsibility. Are you ready for it?

- I'm ready, yes! I think I will make a good Jewish dad, caring and loving. (Laughs.)

-Have you already proposed to Natasha?

- Soon. I want it all to be somehow beautiful, like in a movie. So I'm getting ready.

— Will the wedding be in America?

“We’re thinking about it, but we haven’t decided for sure.” I have many friends in Los Angeles, and my mother lives here too. But, of course, there are Natasha’s parents and friends in Moscow. It’s simply not possible to bring everyone here. You may have to do two celebrations.

— Does Natasha like Los Angeles?

— Yes, it’s very good here, especially in winter. (Laughs.) Plus twenty-three, next to the ocean. We live in my house, Natasha and her mother get along great. Everyone is happy. Natasha has already made friends here; she is an active, sociable person. Now he plans to go to Moscow only for work.

— Some directors are categorically against filming their wives, others do just that. Will you help Natasha in her career?

— As with everything in life, I stick to the golden mean. I have absolutely no prejudices about this. I don’t think that Natasha should be featured in absolutely all of my films. But she's talented beautiful girl- why not invite her if there is one? suitable role.

— Natasha doesn’t give the impression of being a homely girl.

- Yes, it’s true, she is focused on her career. But I didn’t want a wife who sits at home. Therefore, I will give her complete freedom to do what she wants, to realize herself in her profession, otherwise she will not be happy. Why do I need an unhappy wife?!