"I liked the story—it's magical, romantic and very touching."
The tears themselves flowed right during the work, Natalia Surkova recalls filming in Andrey Razenkov's melodrama "The Postman". Her heroine is afraid that her youngest son will run away to the front, and does not yet know that the elder "heroically fighting" is a deserter. Because the kind, foolish postman brings her and her fellow villagers fake letters from missing and deceased loved ones. "The Postman" will be released on April 24, but the premiere will take place earlier, at the 47th Moscow International Film Festival, which starts on Thursday. Natalia Surkova talked to Izvestia about this and other roles.
"The choice of Alexander Petrov for such a role seemed somewhat unexpected"
— You were the first actress in the casting of the film "The Postman" to whom the script was sent. It was very important for the director and producers that you play Valentina. What got you hooked on the Postman's story?
— I didn't know that the script was sent to me first. Apparently, I was a good fit for the director. I liked the story. She's a little magical, romantic, and somehow very touching. There are very few decent scenarios right now. And anyone who catches you when reading it already has the right to further work, for consideration. "The Postman" is really a very touching and extremely unusual story. So I didn't think long.
— What's unusual about it?
— It's about people who suddenly decide to make the world happy in some peculiar way. I was touched by the script because it's very human. That's why it's unusual. Everything that is happening around the main character, played by Alexander Petrov, his world, an unusual condition caused by mental illness and difficult times for the whole country, is very well thought out.
A shot from the movie "The Postman". Alexander Petrov.
— How would you rate the choice of the main character? Alexander Petrov often stars in action movies, blockbusters, and here is a village idiot who works at the post office during the war.
— We all do action movies, we're used to adventures or love stories. But the stories about the man are a little lost sight of. The choice of Alexander Petrov for such a role seemed somewhat unexpected. But it's also very interesting.
There are examples in the world of cinema when an actor is perceived in the same image. And then he gets a chance to play another role. And it turns out that the actor is multifaceted and he does not have a certain framework.
Sasha and I had very little contact on the set. But it worked very harmoniously. He is extremely delicate. We've been working on every scene together. They asked questions to the director, the cameraman, and offered something from themselves.
A shot from the movie "The Postman". Alexander Petrov.
— Your heroine Valentina is a beautiful Russian woman who works in a factory and does not do women's work. One brings up two children. Was there a real prototype from which you created your heroine?
— There are millions of such prototypes in our country. I've seen these women. As a child, I saw how hard people live. Although it was already the 1970s and 1980s. One can only wonder how a fragile creature can find the strength to bear the heavy burden of material and psychological responsibility. It's hard to raise children alone, and you also have to work. You see, raising a child is basically a feat. I believe that there is a certain sacrifice in motherhood. It's a vocation, but it's common to all women: children come first, and their interests come last.
I've seen a lot of women like that. And I treat them with great respect, love, and tenderness. There was no need to look for a specific prototype for my character. Valentine is a collective image.
"I can't understand what was happening to me then."
— Valentina has a difficult situation: one son is eager to go to the front, and the other is a deserter. How can a mother survive such a disaster?
— Valentina doesn't know for a long time that her eldest son has deserted from the front. She is convinced that he is fighting heroically. There was a period of time when she did not receive any news from him. Then envelopes began to arrive with stories about what a hero he was. Valentina did not know what kind of son their Postman wrote, who simply felt sorry for her.
Letting my eldest son go to the front, you know, is not easy. And the youngest, though not yet grown up in years, is eager to go there, like many of his other peers. There's no telling what might happen to him tomorrow. But I think it's natural. Even in peacetime, we worry about our children.: where are they, why haven't they called for a long time, maybe something happened.
A shot from the movie "The Postman"
I recently read somewhere that no action-packed movie can compare to what goes on in a mother's head when her child doesn't answer the phone. And Valentina, when funerals were being held around, when the country was in a difficult situation, how could she relate to this? Of course, this is constant anxiety and stress. The amazing thing is, there were such scenes in the film that you need to prepare for in advance.: with tears, with hysteria. Usually you have to work on this for a long time — to imagine something for yourself, to let it pass through you. But here, in every scene, tears just poured out of me in streams.
I couldn't understand why. Apparently, when I read this script, I thought so much about these women of war that I accumulated this burden. And at one point, the director came up and said, "Natasha, this is all very good. But we already have this paint. Let's make it easier here." I really didn't plan on crying so much. And I can't understand what was happening to me then. I guess I was so immersed in this story that it brought me to tears every time.
— Now people have stopped writing letters to each other. They communicate on social networks and messengers. How do you feel about this?
— Modernity dictates its own conditions, it's more convenient this way. Of course, this replaces communication between people. Generally, the epistolary genre is very difficult. Writing letters is an art form. Well, yes, it's in the past. You know, I keep thinking, what happens if the lights go out somewhere?
A shot from the movie "The Postman"
— Everyone will be like without hands.
— Yes, it will be, because we even turn on the gas now without matches. When the phone appeared, it was a shock to people. How is that? What is this? What should I do now? You can talk at a great distance. The Earth has been through a lot. Empires died and new ones were born. So, well, today it is, and tomorrow we'll see.
"I didn't expect it to be such an amazing town. I'm just fascinated."
— The film was shot in Ryazan at the Ivan Pavlov Museum Estate. How were you allowed to work in the house of the great physiologist?
— I was surprised that such a historical site was chosen. He preserved the spirit of the times in everything. Wonderful museum staff helped us, surrounded us with care. I don't know how the producers managed to come to an agreement and arrange the filming. I was happy there. And I really liked Ryazan. This is the first time I've been there.
And the factory was rented in Kasimov. Honestly, I didn't expect it to be such an amazing town. I'm just fascinated. A great place, an opening for me.
A shot from the filming of the movie "The Postman".
— We were given sanctions so that we could travel more often in our own country.
— I absolutely agree. And, by the way, I've been doing this for the last few years. And thanks to filming and touring, I visit cities that I couldn't even imagine. Kasimov is one of them.
— Before filming, did the museum have any instructions on what not to touch with your hands, not to slam doors?
— I understand what a museum is. You know, I shot at both the Catherine Palace and Petrodvorets. You don't need to warn me. The caretakers of the Ivan Pavlov Museum took me through the rooms where outsiders are not allowed. We were relaxing in the garden of Academician Pavlov. But I didn't feel any over-control.
A shot from the filming of the movie "The Postman".
It was good to shoot there. A feeling of provincial tranquility. So that nothing annoys me during work — this rarely happens. This is exactly the case when I felt harmonious. I love this state, even if it's not for long, but it's important to me. Thanks to the producers that everything was so well organized: neat, delicate, precise, on time. Such filming provides an opportunity to dissolve after the madness of the capital.
"I've already imposed so much that my family can't take it all"
— There are a lot of crowned heads in your creative biography. The series "Pavel the First and the Last" was recently released, where you play Catherine the Great. Tell me, what qualities should artists have in order for directors to approve an actress for the role of the queen?
— Yes, I don't torment myself with such questions, I'll tell you honestly. If I'm offered a role, I consider it. Can I play it or can't I play it. And sometimes I refuse because I'm either not interested or I don't feel strong enough. But if I feel strong, then I go and dive into this river, I try to swim.
Each director plays his own solitaire game. He decides for himself who he would like to see in one way or another. And these actors must be combined with each other in the frame. I played Elizabeth and Catherine, and there were many other heroines. There will be a couple more now. And, thank God, there is a place to shoot.
A shot from the TV series "Pavel. The First and the Last" Natalia Surkova as Catherine the Great
— In Nikita Mikhalkov's film Tired of the Sun 2, you play a selfless woman who is ready to go to the enemy with a pitchfork. Is it hard to give a part of yourself to your heroes?
— Well, it's a natural process, because I only play with my own colors, I don't borrow them from anyone. Of course, I spend a part of myself on my heroes.
— And how to recover?
— In different ways. I've been working in the theater for many years, so I already have some training. Besides, I can't say that there are any recipes. Of course, sleep, tranquility, walking, jogging in the park, after all. Knitting is a wonderful meditation for me. Half an hour, an hour in the evening, whatever you get. My hands are working, my head is resting, and everything fits together very well. I like to think over the roles while knitting, repeat the text.
— Are you knitting or crocheting?
— Knitting needles. I'm knitting a sweater for my daughter right now. I can knit blankets from the remnants of the threads. And then I give away friends to the children. Someone had a baby, and I already have a gift for that. I've already imposed so much that my family can't take it all. By and large, no one but me needs it.
— You live in St. Petersburg. Do you have time to go to museums?
— Last year, I didn't leave the museums for six months. It was shot without interruption in historical interiors. And despite this, I feel the need to definitely go to the museum. Go to an exhibition at least once a year. The Hermitage or the Russian Museum — everything is fine. There are many living artists in St. Petersburg, and I go to see them.
— What kind of role do you dream of? Would you like to star in Nikita Mikhalkov's film again?
— I will never refuse to act for Nikita Mikhalkov. If he calls, I won't think at all, I'll go. I think if he has a role for me, he'll invite me.
I can't say that I have any role that I would really like to play. There's world literature, Gertrude in Hamlet or something. For an actress, this is a training, an opportunity to discover something new in this role. That's how I feel about it. The roles look at you and evaluate whether it's worth coming to you or not. Because if I had a dream of playing someone, it's not a fact that the role wouldn't have appeared. Cinema is an ephemeral business.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
