"I watch everything related to Russian cinema"

Two Petrov's at once, "bad" and "good", are trying to survive in the sultry Mexico in the action comedy "Vasily". Extreme shooting is a common thing for an actor, because, as he tells himself, he never learned to take care of himself and stop taking risks. But in between dozens of projects, he works on a poetry chamber club and tries to watch more original movies, writing out quotes from Fellini's characters. The actor told Izvestia about this and many other things before the release of the film "Vasily" in national distribution.

"This is Mexico, cool!"

— At what point in the script did you connect to the story in the movie "Basil"?

— I usually choose scripts like this: I read the first page. And I understand whether you like it or not. I was already interested in the idea here, when many years ago the Hydrogen Studio and producers Misha Vrubel and Sasha Andryushchenko said that a project about two twin brothers was being prepared. I immediately said yes. It's interesting as an actor, and I have a lot to do with the Hydrogen Studio, and we'll be working together for ten years soon. Therefore, I didn't have to look for something to connect to, it was immediately clear what I liked, suitable, and interesting. Well, this is Mexico, cool!

— Mexico — yes, cool. Did you have a poster of "Double Whammy" on your wall when you were a kid?

— I don't think so. When I was a kid, I dreamed of becoming a football player, so everything was covered with posters of football players.

— And here, when you found out about the project, did this association not work? Double Van Damme — double Petrov?

— It seems to me that things are not very similar, they cannot be compared. The only thing they have in common is that they are twin brothers. As it is, there are different concepts.

— They say that filming in Mexico was extreme. They say that people with machine guns made it clear that take it off here, but don't do it here, go here, but don't go over there. Was it scary?

— There was no such thing, no one told us that you go there, don't go here. The filming was prepared in advance by the Mexican production. They know well where to film, who to negotiate with, and whether security or police are needed. It happened that we were told that this place was unsafe, so it was better to remove everything as soon as possible. But on this stretch of the road, from one city to another, it is better not to go in the evening or at night. And if you're driving, don't stop. If you are prepared and you have an understanding of how and what to do, then everything goes smoothly.

— We can say that all these stereotypes about Mexico, where there are only drug cartels or corrupt politicians, are rather a vivid background for the plot, whether it's "Basil" or "Emilia Perez", but in fact Mexico is not so different. from any other country?

— If there is such a thing, it certainly did not concern us. Perhaps it exists in parallel somehow. But, for example, in Mexico City, I felt completely safe. At any time of the day. In the city center, people walk their dogs at night, it's always warm, restaurant verandas are open everywhere, and there are a lot of happy people on the street. It was obvious that they were in no hurry, living in pleasure. It was fascinating.

Dogs are generally a local fetish, it seems that they are in every family. And at night their owners wander with these dogs in parks. It's a great atmosphere. I quietly went for a walk alone at night, since my hotel was in the center. Not once, anywhere, did I feel any danger there.

— Have you watched "Emilia Perez" yet?

— Not yet. But I really want to.

"I have long wanted to work with Lesha Chadov"

— The film "The Most Valuable Cargo" is being released next week. You're voicing the narrator there instead of Jean-Louis Trintignant. What interested you in this animation about the Holocaust?

is a good text. There are no other reasons here.

— Trintignant pronounces the text as if it were a fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm. Did you have the same approach?

— It looks like it. I was trying to make it sound enveloping. The director just asked me to read the text as if I were telling it to a small child.

— Of what you are currently working on, what is the most expensive?

— Filming of the series "Comeback" by Dinar Garipov has recently ended. A very interesting experience! TV series for platforms with my participation have not been released for a long time, the last experience was "In Two" by Valery Petrovich Todorovsky. The script was well written, the drama was excellent, and the role was unexpected for me. It's a pleasure to work on such material. I think it will be an interesting story for the audience, for critics, for people who love movies.

My hero's name is Compote. He's lost his memory, lives on the street. He accidentally meets a group of schoolchildren because he helped them in a difficult situation. And it begins with them — I won't say that friendship, but interaction. They help him remember who he is and how he got to this point. The series starred great artists, and I've wanted to work with Lesha Chadov for a long time. The last time we starred together in some past life was in the movie "Love in the Big City 3". It was one of my first experiences in cinema, and Lyosha was already a big star back then. In the Comeback, he plays the main antagonist, and we have some very bright, cool scenes with him.

Brother by brother: Petrov flies to Mexico, "Kholop" - to Turkey

What to watch at the movies this coming weekend

— When "Attraction" was released, Fyodor Bondarchuk kept telling about you that you don't take care of yourself. If you cut your arm or pull a ligament, you're still working on it. Have you changed your attitude with age?

— Nothing has changed. I've become more careful in terms of tricks: I don't do them right away, but after the stuntmen have rehearsed everything several times. I am watching, trying to understand the moments where it can be dangerous, but I will do it with the same zeal as before. I still don't take care of myself on the set.

— Have you had any injuries lately?

— There were no injuries, just because I became more attentive. But I don't pay attention to the bruises.

— Are you looking at Tom Cruise and wondering what you'll do next?

— I don't think so. Of course, he surpassed everyone in this, he puts the main emphasis on this. And I'm betting on drama, interaction, inventing characters and stories.

«Why can't a young man in Moscow invite a girl to a poetry evening?"

— You often write about your new play "25/01" on social networks. What's it?

— The idea came up to make a "Poetry Club" — and I did it. It's developing slowly. I want it to bring together a large number of people who write poetry and love to read it. And my big dream was to make a chamber performance for a small audience, because my previous poetry performances were stadium performances for five– seven– twelve thousand people.

I loved that rock and roll feeling. And then I wanted a small playground, a mystery. For people to gather there for some kind of miracle. So that everyone would be close to each other, but everyone would be comfortable. So as not to rush there in a hurry, being late, and not to sit down clutching a coat in your hands.

No, it is necessary that a person be calmly welcomed, escorted to the table, treated. I myself would like to be treated like this as an audience member. Then the action begins slowly — with poems, with stories from my life, which are "packed" into a poetic performance.

— Is it a VIP story, not for the masses?

— The only way to make this massive is to film and broadcast this performance. But to create an atmosphere, you need to do it like this, paying attention to every detail — and not just on stage.

Somewhere they say that this is how I decided to make money. But unfortunately, you can't get cheap tickets here, and I'm definitely not going to earn anything here in the coming years. I'll just spend it. (With rushing.) It doesn't work like a big business. We'll talk about it in ten years, of course, but for now I just need to make this format. You see, so that when a person buys an expensive ticket, he knows that he will be guided, cared for, so that he does not get distracted by anything, so that he has an aftertaste.

I just wondered one day why in Moscow a young man can't invite a girl to a poetry reading on his day off? To listen to poetry. I decided to make it possible. I will develop these evenings, not only with my participation, but also with other artists who write and read poetry. I've been to Igor Wernick's poetry recitals several times, and each time I've enjoyed it immensely.

— What will be the frequency of such evenings?

— So far we have played two premiere performances, the next one will be on February 14th, then on March 8th. Ideally, it could be a poetry theater, where different artists would perform from Friday to Sunday, and for different audiences. And with a different pocket.

"Ice" is some kind of big machine that has been around for so many years!"

— A week ago, in one program, you promised to watch the classic masterpieces "Alice in the Cities", "Autumn Sonata" and "Tin Drum" in the near future. How are you doing with this?..

— With this case? It's moving slowly.

— Seriously, which movies do you watch most often?

— I always watch everything related to Russian cinema, because this is the territory where I work. I try not to miss all the series and new ones. I'm not going through everything, of course, but at least I'm getting started. From another movie, it could be anything. I can start watching Ripley a lot— I really like the aesthetics, Andrew Scott, the way it's done. Or maybe I'm just watching The White Lotus. When I was filming Basil, I really liked Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu's film Bardo. Have you watched it?

— Of course!

— Mexico looks completely different there. And then, when you start talking to the producer from the Mexican side, who worked on the Bardo film, you start to learn the details of this work, it enhances the impression. I really liked Alfonso Cuaron's film "Roma", also about Mexico City. Have you watched it too, of course? Sometimes I get carried away with some director, immerse myself in his work. I remember being captured by Fellini, writing phrases from his films in notebooks.

"I played in Russian, I thought in Spanish, I communicated with Sasha Petrov in English."

Actress Barbara de Rehil - about shooting in the movie "Vasily", Mexican drug cartels and Moscow beauty

— At the end of 2024, critics not only in Russia but all over the world were disappointed to note that big cultural events did not seem to happen. There were bright, unusual, very good things, good luck, but there were no absolute masterpieces or events. Did something really get you hooked, touched, enlightened in 2024?

— The movie "Ice 3".

— Accepted!

— Friends are talking about "Substance", but I looked at it and it's not mine. It's cool and cool, but I have a lot of questions. There are a lot of idiots, but there is no magic of cinematography, the relationship of artists. Cuarón and Inarritu have this magic of life through the lens of cinema.

And "Ice" is some kind of big machine that has been around for so many years. On the set in Nizhny Novgorod, my assistant saw a group of kids aged 10-11 who were freezing next to the actors' trailers for hours and didn't approach anyone. She asked them what they were doing, and they said, "Here we are, waiting for Sasha." I was wearing makeup at that moment. They came in. It turned out that they all, boys and girls, grew up watching the films "Ice", "Ice 2" and "Ice 3". And they're all skating. We took pictures with them, and I signed for them wherever they asked. They were real, willing, with young eyes. In the future, they will carry the values that the three films "Ice" promoted in millions of children. It really hit me when I started to untangle this tangle inside myself, asking these children questions. For them, Nadia and Sasha Gorin are idols who will overcome difficulties, will fight for their truth and their love.

When you understand the scale of these millions of children, you say to yourself: what other cultural value in cinema is more important than this? This is a really important and big story for me. It's much more important than some film that four or five film critics discussed at some festival, and then forgot about, switching to the next one. That's what's important to me. This is what I do and what I want to do next in the audience cinema. Relying on the eyes of these children. This is a shocking and fundamental cultural value that a large number of so-called film critics miss. But it's important. We need to talk about this first.