Good news: Svetlana Khodchenkova stepped into Hollywood. And this is not an extra, not an episode, but the main female role in the film "Wolverine".
Photo: Vladimir Shirokov
Sveta's partner was Hugh Jackman, whose authority in world cinema is indisputable. And soon we are waiting for the premiere of the Russian film with her participation - the disaster film "METRO". And here, apparently, we will see a completely unexpected Khodchenkova. Well, keep it up, dear Svetlana!
Light, I confess, I'm in shock.
What's happened? ( Surprised.)
About seven years ago, when we were filming a program at your home in Zheleznodorozhny, you said that you hated the color pink. And now you're in pink.
Lord, how long ago it was ... I can’t say that my attitude to pink has changed dramatically, pink - it can also be different. Here is a shade like that of my sweater - lingonberry, I like it, but I still don’t have warm feelings for pink. There is such a persistent association - a blonde in pink, and even driving, God forbid. ( Laughs.)
Be calm, this cliché definitely doesn't suit you! About "for a long time - recently." Tell me, at what stage did your life turn from the past into the present?
Probably when I graduated from college.
By the way, did you graduated from the Shchukin Institute? Do you have a diploma? You either studied there or you didn't. I remember you said that because of the filming, you took your exams over the phone.
It was business. No, I never got my degree.
Sveta, aren't you ashamed? Artist Khodchenkova without higher education ...
...and starred in Hollywood. ( laughing.) You know, it's a shame. Insanely embarrassing. I don’t have time to pick up my diploma, it’s not so simple: you need to finish the exams, and for this you need to study. Just like that, no one will give me a diploma for beautiful eyes. And I myself would be embarrassed to just come and pick it up.
What other exams do you need to take?
Russian literature, philosophy and something else... Oh, and the general exam. There are only three exams.
Do you think it's impossible?
Of course available! I can’t say that I’m lazy, you can find time in the schedule, but right now I don’t see the point in this. Here I’ll become a little freer, I’ll take off a little more ...
In Hollywood.
In Hollywood, yes. Then I'll take care of it.
I don't remember the moment when suddenly a good actress Svetlana Khodchenkova started acting in Hollywood. Where did it all start?
I think it all started with the movie "Spy Get Out!". It was a British project with which we went to the Venice Film Festival last year. This film had several Oscar nominations, it was insanely nice.
How did you even get involved in this project?
By some miracle. Miracles happen all the time in my life. Because, you know, I didn’t think, I didn’t guess - and suddenly I, still a very young actress, was in Venice, and now in Australia. If I had been told this five years ago, I would not have believed it.
And how did this miracle happen?
How does a miracle usually happen? Suddenly. They sent the script, recorded samples, sent it by e-mail to the UK, where the director from thousands of people who wanted to see ...
Out of thousands?
I don’t know how it really was, but I like to think that out of thousands. ( Laughs.) At least a lot of good Russian actresses tried.
I honestly haven't seen this film, do you have a big role in it?
No, it's small. Although it was thanks to this small appearance in such a picture that I managed to get into Wolverine.
Are you fluent in English?
Yes I speak English. But it’s still a big problem, because it’s one thing when you and the director speak the same language, and you can explain everything, and you understand everything, and another thing when the director suddenly shouts something to you from somewhere in the corner, and you you only hear an echo.
But it is mobilizing.
It's very mobilizing. Is it true.
Sveta, they say, if a little-known actress is filming with Bruce Willis or Brad Pitt, then the star in the frame does not meet with such an actress. This is true?
I didn't have that. Moreover, Hugh Jackman, with whom I was filming, went to the set just to help me. He was very supportive. He is an amazing person. How he sings, my God! We had a party, just he arranged - he just gathered all the actors, producers, directors. Such a farewell party. Hugh thanked everyone and at the end offered to arrange karaoke. When he started to sing, I was amazed at how gifted he was.
How long have you been on The Wolverine?
Two and a half months. We filmed in Japan and in Sydney.
Tell me, after those shootings, did you come to Russia as a different person, as if you came back from another planet?
No, I don't think anything has changed. The only thing is that now I probably understand better what is right and wrong on the site. At the same time, I cannot say that I arrived spoiled by that good life, it just seems to me that now I know what the norm is, I know how it should be.
And how should it be?
There should be respect for the actor: he comes to the site - and everything is ready for his work: make-up artists and costume designers are already at the start, so that the actor immediately begins to prepare for the exit, and does not think that the dress is too big for me, because they didn’t hem it, or they didn’t buy something for makeup, and now the tone doesn’t suit me.
Sveta, after all, almost none of our actors in Hollywood made a career, no matter how hard they tried. You seem to have illusions about this.
There are illusions, yes, I am a little conceited in this sense. I want to work there. I don’t quite agree with you: many of our actresses are filming there, for example, Yulia Snigir starred in Die Hard. I am very happy for her. Again Olya Kurylenko. I don't know, can it be considered ours? However, she also speaks Russian.
Tell me, did you easily endure these few months in a foreign country, or were there psychological difficulties?
No, it wasn't easy, it was hard. Far from home, all the time in a foreign language. I wanted to return to our traffic jams, to my native snowy city as soon as possible. When I shared these thoughts, I was told that I had lost my mind. I would never have thought that I would miss my home so much. Now I get such a buzz from the fact that I stood in a traffic jam somewhere on the Moscow Ring Road for four hours. ( Laughs.)
For the first time I hear such joyful words about Moscow traffic jams!
Well, I know that in four hours I will arrive and I will be able to communicate with my friends, I will be able to communicate normally with my mother. And do all the work, and go to any institution you want and at whatever time you want, and not like in the West - everything is closed at nine, and you won’t get anywhere. In that sense, it's hard.
And you love spontaneity, don't you?
This is just how it all happens to me. Everything that was planned did not come true, and everything that was not planned, that was not even dreamed about, was not dreamed of, everything turns out.
I wonder what was planned and did not come true?
I wanted to become a doctor, but I was not friends with chemistry - it didn’t work out. I wanted to work in the theater - it didn’t work, because who would take me with such a schedule.
It's clear. Sveta, you just filmed in Japan. But this is not your first Japanese epic. You, while still a schoolgirl, went there under a contract - as a model. It's amazing that your mother let you go to Japan alone at such a young age.
Yes, amazing. After all, I still asked my mother for permission to take a walk with my girlfriends near the house, but she let me go to Japan easily. She said that the situation is different there - no one on the streets will offend.
It was scary - for the first time to go so far from your home?
It was very scary, of course. It was the first time, in general it was my first trip abroad. I even called and asked my mother to pick me up. Like children calling from pioneer camps, I cried the same way.
Well, it's emotions. What prompted your decision to become a model? Did you want to escape from the hustle and bustle, from the semi-colorless life in Zheleznodorozhny near Moscow?
I didn’t think about anything like that, I just wanted to walk the catwalk. I remember, when I was in elementary school, I watched all these programs about fashion, about models, rehearsed at home, defiled, then I taught girls at breaks. I wanted this. Then, already at the modeling agency, they told me that my height was a little unsuitable - too small for the podium, that I should move towards shooting for magazines. I cried so much! My mom and I were talking about this recently. Why were you crying? ( Laughs.)
You told me that your classmates didn't like you. Why?
I remember that they, mostly boys, were very surprised that Khodchenkova went to work as a model in Japan. In general, I was modest: I didn’t make up, I never really stood out. She was such an ugly duckling. It always seemed to me that I was too thin, my ears were not the way they should be. The other girls seemed so beautiful to me! I began to like myself more or less when I already worked as a model and when they began to tell me that I was good at it, and that’s also nothing.
Tell me, were you sociable as a child?
I had one girlfriend or two maximum, that was enough for me. And now, just the same, I can’t say that I have some insane number of friends, five people are the best, and I don’t need any more - why spray. There are acquaintances, good acquaintances, but there cannot be many friends.
You have a rather modest family, your mother, it seems, is a builder?
And now he works as a builder?
And now it works.
And could it happen in life that you would follow in the footsteps of your mother?
Hardly. Since childhood, I understood that this is not easy and I don’t want to. All the time I dreamed that I would live somewhere abroad, I would earn decent money and help my mother. I have always wanted to help my mother. This is the only thing I knew about myself then.
Are you helping your mom now?
Certainly. It so happened that I am now with us for the eldest. ( Laughs.) I really want to take care of my mother, protect, groom and cherish.
You and your mother lived together, there was no father?
No, it was not.
Did you feel the absence of a full-fledged family?
No, I didn’t, because I had nothing to compare with. It's one thing when a child grows up in a complete family, and then suddenly dad leaves. I grew up from the cradle in this situation. My mother was both for my mother and for my father - “map”, as they say.
And you didn’t even know your dad, didn’t you communicate with him?
No, there were moments when we talked, when I became older.
As a child, did you have complexes because, perhaps, there was not enough money for something, because you dressed more modestly than others?
In this regard, there have never been complexes. Mom sewed and knitted, and did everything so that I would not look and feel worse than the rest. I didn't feel bad. It was hard in some material sense, but my mother somehow tried to explain this to me, and I understood that you couldn’t ask her for more than what she could give.
I mean, you weren't spoiled.
No no. I hope I'm still not spoiled.
This is good. Sveta, after all, before the theater institute, you first entered some other university. Because you didn’t know yourself yet or were you afraid of something?
Yes, it was. Entered the Institute of World Economy and Informatization. I don't know if it exists now. Probably, it was also a search for myself, and partly I did it out of respect for my mother, because she wanted me to have a profession related to the economy so that I could earn money later. And the fact that I studied a foreign language was also my mother's desire, because at first I was rather cold towards English.
Why did everything change and why did you decide to become an actress?
I've seen enough of your programs.
In terms of?
I remember once watching your program “Who is there ...” on “Culture” about aspiring artists. Somehow this intrigued me, interested me, I had never thought before that you could just enter the theater just like that. It seemed to me that it was possible to act only on the pull. And suddenly I saw people who are not well known yet, but, apparently, successful artists, since Vadim Vernik is filming a program about them. I thought: why not, why not try?
I am very pleased to hear that.
And I'm glad that it all started with your submission.
Later, I already shot a story about you in “Who is there ...”, when you starred with Stanislav Govorukhin in the film “Bless the Woman”. You were focused, detached, and much fuller than you are now.
I gained a lot of weight when I entered the first year in the theater. I recovered on a nervous basis, because I was terribly afraid that I would be expelled. I'm a pioneer - I always had to be on time at rehearsals, at the institute ...
How much did you score?
I don't remember exactly... fifteen kilos.
Really a lot. You suffered because of this, purely girlish?
As a girl, yes, I was very uncomfortable. But then, when I returned to my normal form, they began to write nasty things about me that I was on diets, starved myself and fainted.
Wait, you mean to say that you gained 15 kilos perfectly organically, and then...
Just as organically came into shape.
But after all, Govorukhin would not have approved you in his picture if you were the same as now?
I don't think I would approve either.
Tell me, did the fact that you played a major role with the cult director Govorukhin early enough give you self-confidence?
There were doubts, because after the filming of this film, offers did not fall on me. And it wasn’t that I woke up famous the next morning: I calmly rode the subway, no one asked for autographs. Something changed when I already shot in the second film with Stanislav Sergeevich - “Not by Bread Alone”. The performances began, but there was no such thing as offering new shootings.
But you were still noticed in the cinematic world.
Probably, someone said something to someone - after the premiere of these films, some acquaintances appeared.
You recently starred with Valeria Gai Germanika. She is a very talented and at the same time extravagant girl, and it seems to me that you are completely different.
I was sure that we are very different. I was trained by Stanislav Sergeevich Govorukhin, and Gaius Germanicus ... I watched her films ... through my fingers. When I was invited to audition for the Short Course on a Happy Life project, I just came to meet her. I frankly said, with her and with the producer, that I would not audition, I came only for the sake of acquaintance. The whole country only spoke about Gaius Germanicus, shouted directly. I wanted to look into the eyes of this man. I looked, and I liked what I saw and the way we talked. And I was even convinced to try, well, just in case. We tried it, everything happened, and I'm proud of this project. Sometimes it's embarrassing for me to watch my films and see myself on the screen. Here I believed myself, I believed the director. I believed in everything I said. And since we were allowed, even convincingly asked to speak on our own, and not according to the script, somehow everything worked out - a loop-hook, as artists like to say.
Listen, maybe you don't need a diploma from the Shchukin Institute anymore? It was just necessary to star in Govorukhin and Guy Germanicus, and here they are - acting universities.
Still, no, I think an actor needs education: it's one thing when you have texture, you are organic in the frame, another thing when there are some things you need to know.
Did you have any conflicts on the court with Valeria Gai Germanika?
We had a working relationship. I cannot say that we have remained great friends. She communicates with everyone very respectfully - exclusively on you. Last winter, we met at some event and were again on you.
High relations!.. You already have many pictures and many leading roles.
Yes, a decent amount, I never counted how many. I probably have a bit unconventional ideas for an artist about how to choose projects. Let's say I more or less like the script, but if the partner is great, I definitely agree. For example, in the film "Metro", which will soon be released on screens, I was bribed by the fact that Sergey Puskepalis and Anatoly Bely are filming there. Well, the story itself.
Is Metro a disaster movie? Did you feel the atmosphere of mystery on the set?
I had the feeling that I was playing a role from the wrong movie, because we were so divided by the border of this underground world: almost all the characters are underground, and I am above the ground. My heroine rushes about in search of her husband, daughter, plus the family relationships themselves are not easy - a love triangle. As an actress, it was important for me to arrange everything in such a way that in the end it would not turn into Yaroslavna's crying. I was interested in dealing with it.
Tell me, are you happy in your personal life today?
Absolutely. I can say this: I am absolutely confident in the person who is next to me, I am confident in my tomorrow.
Didn't it happen before?
This was not the case before.
Despite the fact that you were married, was there still "student enthusiasm"?
Don't know. Now everything is different for me. Reliable, solid.
You were married to an actor. Or maybe it’s generally better when an actress lives not with an actor, but with a person from another world? Actors are often conceited, narcissistic people, obsessed with the profession.
I cannot say this one hundred percent, because there are a lot of happy acting families. But for me, probably, yes, this is not my option. There should be only one actor in my family. And that's me.
Still, why?
Why? You put me in a dead end with such a simple question. ( Laughs.) Probably because I don't trust actors, I have a feeling
that they always play, and even off the set they behave like they are on the set. I don't know, maybe it's my stupid phobias. This is despite the fact that I have a lot of artist friends, good acquaintances of male artists.
Your current boyfriend is not from the world of cinema?
No, he's doing something else. ( Smiling.)
How long have you been together?
Let me think… ( Laughs.) I'm not a typical girl, I forget important dates, sometimes I'm so embarrassed ... Two years, in January it's just two years.
How are you planning to celebrate?
I have the 21st. And we celebrate a common birthday on the night of the 20th to the 21st. But it’s very good, our friends get together, a common company.
Did you meet on vacation?
No, we met through our mutual friend, Nastya Zadorozhnaya, and ended up in the same company here in Moscow.
Tell me, did you see George and immediately realized that this was your man, or did it take some time to pass?
Listen, this is so embarrassing, I fell in love at first sight. I saw him and fell in love. I even confessed to Nastya. Then a year passed, until I figured out myself and something happened.
Has he been patiently waiting for you all this year?
Egor did not know at all that I was in love with him. At some point, I didn't even think about it. And then he somehow helped me in one issue, he also helped, just like that, in a friendly way. And I began to understand that since a person does so much for me, he probably loves me. You know, I'm lucky, because I always knew that my man would cook well. And he cooks amazingly, some restaurant masterpieces. And now I have my own, feminine concept: feeds - it means loves.
So he cooks and you don't?
I’m cooking, but everything should converge at one point for me - mood, time and that the products I need are in the refrigerator.
And for George, the main thing is to catch your mood and cook what you want, right?
He feels, he does not need to catch anything, he feels everything. By the way, with him I finally began to eat meat. I didn’t eat meat for many years, and not because of some vegetarian beliefs, I just didn’t want to. At some point, I realized that I had lost a lot of weight, and the doctors said that this was due to the fact that there was not enough muscle tissue, because I did not eat protein. And then it hit me right away, I had some kind of “meat” withdrawal began - I began to eat a lot of protein. ( Laughs.)
Sveta, seven years ago you told me that you are not familiar with the Internet and you are not at all interested in it. I hope things have changed.
Time passes, everything changes, and even Khodchenkova put on a pink sweater and learned how to use the Internet. ( Laughs.)
Now, I see you use an iPhone.
Now yes, I am an Instagram person - I live there. Are you registered there?
Now I will definitely register, and next time we will meet with you already in this beautiful world.
We will definitely meet! We leave pictures to each other. ( Smiling.)
Just yesterday, the film “Bless the Woman” was shown on TV, the heroine of which, of course, is fundamentally different from Lady Bathory, who kills children. And which Svetlana Khodchenkova is closer to you?
Both are equally close to me. In the first case, my heroine waits, hopes, believes - completely dissolves in a man. But this story is not about me at all - everything should have its own framework. And as for the "Bloody Lady Bathory", then naturally, the murders in no way can be close to me.
But this can also be seen as a metaphor. For example, are you ready to go over the heads?
No. Of course not. I don't see the point
Is it difficult to play a heroine with whom you have absolutely nothing to do with?
It's difficult and interesting. But Elizabeth Bathory was extremely unpleasant to me. I even sometimes asked not to show me the footage - I was afraid. Once I had to watch an episode to repeat the take, and I became very scared after that.
How did it happen that you ended up in this project?
The director really wanted me to play this role. Why is a question for him. For my part, I read the script, I realized that the story is interesting and unique for the actress. I still had characters of this type. I wanted to try. About the history of this woman, Countess Bathory, I did not know anything before, but during the preparation for the role I read a lot.
"Bloody Lady Bathory"
Central Partnership
"The Bloody Lady Bathory" is called the "Russian Maleficent". Will the main character's villainy also be justified in this film?
We tell our story from the point of view of a crazy person. There is no way to justify her actions. Of course, as an actress, I tried to justify some things for myself, so that the viewer could understand the motivation of the heroine.
Do you judge people harshly in life?
I try not to judge at all and to the last look for a justification for the act, so as not to quarrel. I am an absolutely non-conflict person, I want to be more diplomatic and solve problems right away.
Your filming schedule is scheduled until August. And all this - again the role of "bad girls"?
Not everywhere. Now the Horoscope for Good Luck is coming out, although even there I don’t have a completely positive character ... But a fun one! I can also name the historical drama "Viking" about the times of Prince Vladimir, but I can hardly talk about other projects yet.
Do you have a desire to return to a soft and gentle image?
I have now tried to do this in Alexey Andrianov's project "Warrior", which should be released soon.
"Bloody Lady Bathory"
Central Partnership
How is your career in Hollywood developing: are there difficulties, like a Russian actress?
This is different: I myself am not so interested in working in the West. After "Wolverine" and "Spy Get Out" they send offers of heroines that I have already played: something like Viper from "Wolverine" or Vera from "Bless the Woman." I also want something new. I don’t come across stereotypes about Russians, although I have a sober attitude to life and I understand that I have an accent, and with such English I’m unlikely to be able to play really big roles yet.
Do you have a dream, or maybe a plan, to be at the Oscars as a nominee?
Eat! So far, only a dream, but which I will definitely realize.
Who is your Oscar-winning role model?
I really like Meryl Streep - she makes me feel a storm of emotions. By the way, I know her personally.
Do you have a dream partner?
Bradley Cooper!
As an actress, are you accustomed to being praised for your talent? Or do you still need compliments and approval?
I think everyone needs it. I don’t always understand myself that I’m good in this or that role. Rather, I rarely even realize this and constantly criticize myself. Although, perhaps, thanks to this, there remains a desire to go further and achieve something, and not be content with what I have.
Secular columnist Anna Gorbashova
The cinema "October" hosted the premiere of the film by James Mangold "Wolverine: Immortal" in 3D. The Hollywood action movie about the legendary character from the X-Men world was presented by the Russian actress Svetlana Khodchenkova, who was lucky enough to play the mutant antagonist Hugh Jackman.
Writer Pavel Sanaev with his wife, model Alena Fonina, actresses Olesya Sudzilovskaya, Daria Poverennova, Ravshana Kurkova, actors Pavel Derevyanko and Stanislav Duzhnikov, TV presenter Anfisa Chekhova with her husband Guram Babliashvili, and editor-in-chief of Interview magazine Alena Doletskaya attended the premiere of the Hollywood film with the participation of the Russian star. .
Since the action of the film takes place in Japan, the surroundings in the cinema were appropriate. Guests were greeted by Japanese warriors in medieval armor and geisha in kimono, with umbrellas and baskets of lilies. The buffet served sushi, Japanese beer and sake. The only thing missing was cherry blossoms and yakuza, which the film couldn't do without.
Showman Grigory Pogosyan at the Oktyabr cinema before the premiere of James Mangold's Wolverine: Immortal
Svetlana Khodchenkova appeared on the red carpet among the last guests and immediately disappeared into the VIP bar, where television cameras were waiting for her. Until Svetlana appeared in the hall, the guests were entertained by a group of Japanese drummers - they drummed for a long time and to the conscience.
Vadim Smirnov, general director of the 20th Century Fox CIS film company, was the first to greet the audience: "Thank you for coming, but you couldn't help it, because you got the tickets for free."
Smirnov was joined by 20th Century Fox Europe President Paul Higginson. "I'm upset, I thought that Vadim would now introduce me as an understudy for Jackman. We wanted to do something unique, special. I think you will see that we have achieved this," Higgins expressed hope and invited Svetlana Khodchenkova to the stage.
“I am very glad that you are here. This is a very important evening for me. Everything that I taught has gone out of my head, I am so worried,” Svetlana apologized. - I hope you enjoy it. I have not seen the movie and will watch it with you. We had an amazing team. I am proud of this work. Everything that I did, I did for us - for Russia, no matter how pathetic it may sound. Enjoy watching!"
The screening began with a video greeting from the lead actor Hugh Jackman: "Hello Russia! I would like to be with you, but now I'm busy with another project." By the way, Hugh visited the capital a couple of years ago as part of the promotional tour of the film "Real Steel".
According to the plot of the film, the hero of the popular Marvel comic book series Logan (Hugh Jackman), a mutant known to the whole world as Wolverine, ends up in Japan, where he has not been since the Second World War. In 1945, he, the immortal, managed to save the young soldier Shingen Yashida from a nuclear explosion in Nagasaki. Many years later, Yashida, dying, summons Wolverine to entrust him with the protection of his granddaughter Mariko, the sole heir to a gigantic empire. But that's not all that the ungrateful Yashida wants from Wolverine...
On the run from the Yakuza with a wealthy heiress, Logan is surprised to discover that he is no longer immortal. And the fault is the doctor Yasida, she is the mutant Viper, played by Svetlana Khodchenkova. Svetlana's role is small, in general - for 15-20 minutes of screen time, but nevertheless a key one. If not for the Viper, Wolverine would not have had a chance to feel like a mortal and think about it. In the last episode, the Viper, as it should be for a snake, "takes off its skin" - and the beautiful Khodchenko appears before the audience completely bald. By the way, Svetlana's shaved skull (even if it is "consignment note") does not spoil Svetlana at all.
RIA News. Ekaterina Chesnokova
Actress Svetlana Khodchenkova at the Oktyabr movie theater before the premiere of James Mangold's Wolverine: Immortal
According to director James Mangold, he wanted to break the canons of a film based on a comic book, so that all the action and tension were not connected with action-feats, but with the character's character, his inner world. And James succeeded. It is not clear why the 3D format was needed for endless close-ups and dialogues with a claim to drama...
In the disaster movie "Metro" Svetlana Khodchenkova plays an unfaithful wife, whose husband and daughter were at the epicenter of the disaster in the Moscow subway. By the release of the picture, we decided to recall the most interesting images of the actress and found out what kind of cinema Svetlana loves and why she appreciates foreign film sets.
You rarely see Khodchenkova in the role of a negative heroine, and Liliana from the detective thriller The Trap is one of the exceptions. Indeed, it is difficult to imagine a fair-haired beauty in the role of an insidious villainess.
“You can probably say that the directors do not see me as villains, they do not feel the negative potential for these roles. I rarely play evil heroines, but they are in my filmography. For example, there was a mini-series "The Trap". In Vasilisa Kozhina, at first I wanted to play the role of Vasilisa's sister, Dasha, she has a tougher character. But I got a different character, and in the end we all realized that all the actors were in their places. And Dasha turned out more with another actress.
In fact, in every image you can find both positive and negative. For example, Irina from Metro. On the one hand, the character is negative: he cheats on his husband, lacks attention to his daughter, destroys family values. On the other hand, she is very worried, confused in love relationships, trying to find a way out. It seems to me that it is necessary not to evaluate according to the “bad-good” principle, but to look for the facets of character. A diamond without a cut is just a stone, but with facets it turns into a diamond.”
Irina, "Metro"
Directed by Anton Megerdichev, 2013In Metro, the actress plays Irina, an unfaithful wife whose husband, daughter and lover end up in a flooded subway tunnel. Irina, having learned about the tragedy, finds no place for herself and tries to get the authorities to save people.
“Irina is an interesting character, there are a lot of things in her character, a lot of those same facets. It was interesting and important for me to be able to reflect them. My decision to participate in this or that picture depends on several approximately equal things. First, the script. The main thing is that he is interested in me as a person, he hooked me with something. Secondly, the director and partners. But sometimes my final decision is complemented by some points. For example, in general, I liked the Metro project. But the main question that worried me was whether I would have to sit in the water for the entire filming period. When it became clear that no, I immediately agreed to act in film.
Nastya, "5 brides"
Directed by Karen Hovhannisyan, 2011Svetlana Khodchenkova suits historical images, and it was nice to see her in a nostalgic comedy about the post-war period. The actress, by the way, herself is rather old-fashioned about watching movies and appreciates Soviet films.
In the series, which takes place during the Patriotic War of 1812, Khodchenkova got the role of a partisan peasant woman who organizes a detachment to protect her native land. It turned out a kind of Jeanne d'Arc Russian bottling.
“For her time, she was an unusual heroine. At that time, not every woman, and even a peasant woman, would have dared to say harshness in the face of the owner, not every woman would have gone to defend her homeland. Now women are different. Not that they have become feminized, but we have more determination to stand up for ourselves, for our family. The character of Vasilisa is transformed throughout the picture. At first, he is softer, more flexible. Then the heroine becomes more active, tougher, more courageous, stronger. In the end, love conquers all."
Irina, “Spy, get out! »
Directed by Thomas Alfredson, 2011Svetlana Khodchenkova beat many other contenders for the Soviet spy job and landed a role in a top-notch British detective thriller with an excellent Swedish director and excellent actors. However, the actress has a long list of those with whom she would love to work on the same site. I would like to wish that these dreams come true.
“If you dream, then from the directors I would like to work with Woody Allen, with Robert Rodriguez, with James Cameron. From actors with Brad Pitt, Javier Bardem, Robert Downey Jr. Here you can walk through all the handsome men, and a week is not enough to list.
Viper, "Wolverine: Immortal"
Directed by James Mangold, 2013After "Spy, get out!" Svetlana's international career went up, and in 2013 we will see her in the same film with Hugh Jackman. This experience gave her the opportunity to compare the process of filming in Russia and abroad.
“In some places the process is very similar to ours, in some places it is fundamentally different. Both in that case, and in another, their pluses and minuses. But one of the most important factors for me personally is that it's much quieter on set. Rather, there is no noise. They speak into some small devices, I don’t hear what doesn’t concern me as an actress. I liked it very much. I came to the site and began to work calmly, without being distracted by extraneous sounds and noises.
Vera, "Bless the woman"
Directed by Stanislav Govorukhin, 2003The first major role, the first full meter - and immediately with the recognized master Stanislav Govorukhin. Since then, Khodchenkova has gained experience in a variety of projects, but she still remembers the advice received from Govorukhin at the Bless the Woman site.
“Stanislav Govorukhin gave me valuable and most important advice that is relevant for all actors and on any projects: to know the text of the role 100%. Otherwise, you will not be able to give yourself to the game. You know the text - you play the way you want, the way the director needs. When I came to my first film set, I was checked as a schoolgirl. Since then, there has been a sacred rule in my work: when I go out on the set, I must always know the text.
“And also in the field of ballet, we are ahead of the rest,” Yuri Vizbor sang almost 50 years ago. Now our singers, athletes, actors, and models are in demand in the West. How do they feel there and is it difficult for a stranger to succeed abroad?
In 2013, the film "Wolverine: Immortal" was released from the series about the X-Men, comic book heroes with supernatural powers. In this Hollywood blockbuster, Svetlana played the main role, the villain nicknamed the Viper, the mutant Wolverine, played by Hugh Jackman, is at war with her. Our actress was lucky after Jessica Biel turned down the role, which the producers originally wanted to cast.
Svetlana Khodchenkova, actress
But in the West, Khodchenkova was recognized in 2011. Then the film "Spy, get out!" co-produced by Great Britain, Germany and France. In it, the actress played a small role as the wife of a Soviet diplomat. The picture participated in the competition program of the Venice Film Festival, and Svetlana represented it on the red carpet. In addition, the tape had several Oscar nominations. “It was thanks to a small appearance in this picture that I got into Wolverine,” says the actress.
For samples, Khodchenkova recorded a video, several scenes from the film and sent it to the studio. By the way, she starred in two forms: in a black wig (because she read that Viper is an Armenian and she has black hair) and without it, but at the studio, contrary to the original, they preferred the second option. “I asked the producers why they chose me, but I never got an answer,” says the actress. “You did well in the audition and we liked you,” they said.
Svetlana speaks good English, but admits that it was not easy to play: “I can improvise in Russian, and therefore it is easier. Improvising in a foreign language is difficult. In addition, it is more difficult to communicate with the director, to understand him. I studied the language all my free time. And after filming, she continued to learn, and it was American English. But the accent still remains, you can’t completely get rid of it. ” And for Svetlana's colleagues it was a test to pronounce her last name. They tried, but in the end everyone called her Svetti, which, according to the actress, she was pleased.
Khodchenkova developed a warm relationship with Hugh Jackman. He tried to help and even specially went out to the site to throw up remarks from under the camera. “I was told that this is an unprecedented thing for an actor of this level to throw cues to someone. But this happened to me, and I'm proud of it, - says Svetlana. I often remember our acquaintance. I came to the site, and suddenly Hugh runs. Shouts: "Sveta! Hello! Let's get acquainted!" And hugs. I thought I was going to faint."
Photo: frame from the film "Spy, get out!"
According to the actress, there are only two differences between filming in Russia and America: language and scale. “The Wolverine pavilions seemed incredibly large to me,” she recalls. – Wall-to-wall storyboards, while our directors often neglect them. And also, and this surprised me, there is no strict schedule. A shooting day can last 20 hours – people work as long as the mood is there.”
After the release of Wolverine, Svetlana assures, nothing has changed in her life, and she did not feel special glory. “Do I dream of a career in Hollywood? Of course, deep down, every actor thinks about the Oscars. And I would like to work in America,” she admits. - But I will not choose films by country. American studios found out about me, offers began to arrive. But there is a lot of work in Russia too. It happens that good scripts come from Hollywood, and I have to refuse, because I'm already filming. Producers are the same everywhere: they don't like to wait. American acting agents have one condition: that I live in the USA. And I don’t want to move there, because all my relatives are here. And I can’t be away from home for long, I love Moscow too much.”
Mikhail Gorevoy, actor
In 2002, he played a Russian scientist in the James Bond film Die Another Day. On December 3, Steven Spielberg's thriller Bridge of Spies is released, about the release of an American pilot captured in the USSR, where he played one of the main roles - the second secretary of the USSR Embassy in the GDR, Ivan Shishkin.
- I became the hero of a famous actor's anecdote, - Mikhail smiles. - Spielberg calls the actor, calls him to act, and he answers: “Sorry, I can’t, I have Christmas trees!” I played with Steven. He got into his film "Bridge of Spies" in a civilized manner, without stepping on anyone's heels - the casting passed. This is how it is done in America. Actors interested in the role are sent the text of several scenes of the film, asked to play, record on a medium and send it to the studio. I speak English, I starred in a Bond film twelve years ago, and in December there will be a film with Jackie Chan called On the Trail.
And in the director, and in Tom Hanks, who plays the main role in the "Bridge of Spies", there is no pathos at all. When I first came to the set, Spielberg grabbed his elbow, as if he was just waiting, took me aside and told me about his Jewish family from a small town, that his father speaks Russian. He appreciates his actors and is genuinely interested in everyone.
Photo: frame from the film "Bridge of Spies"
In general, I came to America in 1992 and lived for four years. He worked as a taxi driver, a nurse (cared for a mental patient), a waiter. This made it possible to learn the language and absorb the foreign format of life into the blood. Everything is different there: the attitude to money, women, religion. Americans will drive three kilometers to a gas station where gas is one cent cheaper, but, for example, there are no more generous rich people. They donate huge sums for research. And the cinematography is different. The cinema is private, there is no state cinema, like ours. No one climbs into someone else's work. If a specialist screws in a light bulb, then five do not advise how to do it. But in America there are no jelly banks with milky rivers, everyone works hard and tries to live happily. Having the baggage of life there, returning to Russia, I felt like an American, European Russian. But I am strongly local, my passion is connected with my homeland. Here I play in the theater, as a director I stage performances, I teach at VGIK, I act in films.
Anna Skidanova, actress of the series "Catherine", "Moon", "Closed School"
She played in the films "Scary Movie - 5", "Christie", "Hercules", "Woman in Gold".
When my friend was going to the Cannes Film Festival in 2012, she asked her to get me an accreditation. It was there that she first met producer Harvey Weinstein (the films Shakespeare in Love, Gangs of New York, Pulp Fiction. - Approx. "Antennas"). A friend introduced me, and I, getting acquainted, asked his name again. Harvey was surprised by this turn.
A year later, again in Cannes, we again crossed paths, and he recalled this situation. She did not hesitate and, taking the opportunity, asked: “Do you have a role for a Russian actress now?” He asked me to transfer the contacts to his assistant, and a few days later they called me, invited me to Scary Movie 5. It was a real gift of fate! Yes, the role is small, but during the filming I became friends with Julie Rappoport, who works for the Weinsteins, and she offered to try out for the Christie thriller, to play a student. Then, thanks to her acquaintance with the vice-president of the company, Harvey Victoria, Parker got into the film "Hercules" and the film "Woman in Gold", which I am very proud of. Victoria invited me to the BBC series "War and Peace", but I had to refuse, because by that time I had created my own production company "October 24" and was engaged in my own project.
Anna with director Simon Curtis
Filming in Hollywood for the first time was scary, everything is unfamiliar, you don’t know what will happen and how. At first, I was surprised at the number of trailers, dressing rooms, a huge selection of food that was delivered to the set. Now I can say that actors in the USA are more professional, the work process is organized according to the highest class, everything is accurate - minute by minute, such training is worth learning. But the American filmmaking machine is still somewhat soulless. Our group relations go beyond the scope of the project, but they do not provide for this.
What is my secret to success? I think that three factors played: spontaneity, appearance, what can we say, in Hollywood they pay attention to this; and a strange situation when meeting Harvey: he remembered a girl who did not recognize him.
Timur Bekmambetov, director and producer of Hollywood films
Filmed: "Wanted", "President Lincoln: Vampire Hunter", "Apollo 18", "Phantom".
Spends most of his time in Los Angeles.
Here I am on a business trip - a long one. When it will end, I don't know yet. Hollywood is an opportunity to make new films, to work with interesting people, such as Tim Burton. In Los Angeles, you sit quietly in the studio or on the set - working on a film. And at six o'clock in the evening the light is turned off. Everything, the work is finished, and you are already at the resort. Do I feel like a Hollywood director? The main thing is to be yourself. And so in America they consider me a Russian director. There is probably jealousy. Something inside tells me: you jumped high, boy. Even though no one said it to my face. I have good relationships with many people. For example, with the actor Elijah Wood (the hobbit Frodo from The Lord of the Rings. - Approx. "Antennas"). Since I grew up in a different cultural environment, I have no fear of Hollywood stars. For me, the star is the actor Andrey Myagkov. Here I am in awe of him. Why didn't our actors succeed in Hollywood? Because we have our own wonderful cinema. Our films have a huge audience. And she loves her stars. And why would they go to America to film in this case? This poor Schwarzenegger had nowhere to turn around in Austria, so he went to conquer Hollywood.
Natalia Vodianova, supermodel, lives in France
Vodianova with her second husband Antoine Arnault
Larisa Kusakina, Natalia's mother, says:
- Natasha first went abroad at the age of 17, when recruiters of the Viva modeling agency, after casting in Nizhny Novgorod, strongly recommended that she go to Paris. Oddly enough, the daughter was not torn there at all. Firstly, she was not fixated on a modeling career at all and did not believe in the bright prospects that recruiters drew for her. And secondly, at that time she was in love with a young man named Sergei and did not want to part with him at all. By and large, if the representatives of the agency had not shown rare perseverance, Natasha would not have gone anywhere at all. But we were constantly called, and my daughter gave up. Like, I'll go, see what's what, and come back. It took six months to complete the necessary paperwork. During this time, Natasha still had to learn English, but for the reasons indicated, she did not show much zeal in this matter, so she went to France with a very conditional knowledge of the language. She is now fluent in both English and French.
Paris shocked her, of course, especially the shops. After all, at that time it was a problem for us to buy good things even if we had money, but here there is such an abundance! True, at first all this was inaccessible to Natasha, and her Parisian life was not at all easy. 80% of her earnings went to the agency, she was left with mere crumbs. Natasha and other model girls pooled rent an apartment, they lived in terrible crowding, eight people in a room. Due to lack of money, they also ate not what is good for health and figures: all sorts of semi-finished products, fast food. Natasha still remembers with a shudder the fat breaded fried chicken.
She liked French cuisine immediately, although she had no money for delights. But then, and now, she misses rye bread, borscht, vinaigrette and herring. I remember once in Paris we went to a restaurant with her for dinner, ordered a fish plate. So Natasha chose only herring from this cut, which consisted of a variety of delicacy fish, which surprised the waiter a lot. And now, when I go to visit her, I bring herring and Borodino bread as a gift. And for breakfast, we like to drop in with her at some bistro and drink coffee with croissants. Natasha loves them! And he eats them, generously smearing them with jam and butter. So many Parisians have breakfast, while there are practically no fat ones.
It was in Paris that she met Justin Portman, her now ex-husband, and moved to his homeland in England. They bought a large old estate Mill a couple of hours drive from London. She lived there for ten years, but she never got used to England. First of all, because of the climate: Natasha does not like dampness and fogs.
It so happened that today, by the will of fate, my daughter returned to the city of her youth - Paris. Together with Antoine Arnault, her civil husband, they rent a large apartment in the center of Paris. In terms of mentality and rhythm of life, Natasha is already French. He likes late dinners, after which Antoine plays music on the piano. She still loves Russia, but she could hardly live here. It is there that her home is now, the children study at a French school, she also communicates with her loved one in the language of his country and lives in accordance with the local way of life. But, you know, she keeps repeating that since her departure to France, life
In the States, everyone celebrates Thanksgiving, Christmas. And now I do too, because my friends often invite me to these holidays. In turn, I call them to our traditional New Year, birthdays.
Some of my American friends still think that we have bears walking the streets. Of course they say it in jest. But at the same time, such jokes are still relevant. But the most ridiculous question most often asked to me by the Americans: do you have snow all year round in Russia? Yes, they should have seen how it sometimes rains in Moscow in winter!
A couple of phrases
What attracts you abroad?
Ksenia Rappoport, actress, starred in Italy a lot, including in the films "The Stranger", "The Man Who Loves" and others:
Russians and Italians have a lot in common. Both we and they are careless and lazy, but emotional and categorical in their judgments. Just like the Russians, they often hope for "maybe", although there is no analogue to this word in Italian. But thanks to the excellent climate, they are sunnier people. And we are gloomy. For example, I am a completely St. Petersburg person, a typical "bog frog" who constantly mopes and reflects (laughs). We live in swamps and rarely see the sun. By the way, it's funny that because of our climate, the Italians consider us absolutely frost-resistant. When I was freezing on the set in Italy, in winter, in a terrible wind, they were sincerely surprised.
Danila Kozlovsky, actor, starred in the Hollywood film "Vampire Academy":
We have a lot to learn from Hollywood, and honestly admitting this to ourselves is not at all humiliating. First of all, they are super professional. They understand that everyone depends on each other. They cannot substitute each other, they do not want this, because everyone values their reputation, their place and business. And if they are going for something, they do it as well as possible. Hollywood is a powerful industry, perfectly tuned and high-tech clockwork. But I never said that I was going to stay there. I understand that he is a Russian artist, a native speaker of the Russian language and Russian culture, although this sounds loud.
Anna Netrebko, opera singer:
I love both New York and Vienna. When I am in an Austrian apartment, I go out onto the terrace and admire the stunning view of the city. In New York, I live two blocks from Central Park and walk there all the time. And I love Fifth Avenue. There are so many shops!
