"Plans to replace live artists with artificial ones are disastrous"
Zoya Berber admits that playing Baba Yaga is a great desire. The actress knows the place of power in Perm, hopes to exist as Meryl Streep at the age of 55, and is proud of her friendship with Theodore Currentzis. Over the past year, she played the mother of 12 children in various films, which cemented the unofficial title of "the country's leading cinematographer." And on the eve of the release of the family comedy Masha and the Bears, I talked to Izvestia.
"Real Boys" is a gift!"
— The audience loved you like Leroux from "Real Boys". Did shooting in the series help you in your career or become a stamp in your film biography?
"Oh, come on! If we assume that the series is something terrible, then why spend 15 years on "Real Boys"? It's a wonderful project where I've worked with people who have become my family. No Oscar-winning film would have given me as much popular love as "Real Boys."
How can I say that it's a stigma? Real Guys is a gift! Many artists dream of such a gift. What is he carrying? People's love — once. Money is two. Three jobs. The opportunity to be a person in the media space is four.
A shot from the TV series "Real boys"
— Nikolai Naumov, Kolyan from Real Boys, was once named the "Man of the Year" by a glossy magazine. Such was the popularity.
"Why not?" The man plays a simple guy born in the provinces, but in real life Kolya is a teacher of foreign languages. He writes poetry, has a military bearing, and is respectful of Orthodoxy. I think it's an interesting combination worthy of the Man of the Year award. Kolya is still filming, making a podcast. Fans will also see him as an interviewer.
— The movie "Masha and the Bears" was released, in which you played the mother of the main character. I was surprised to find Leo Tolstoy's paintings among the screenwriters. It turns out that the classic translated and adapted an old English fairy tale about three bears.
"Is this an English fairy tale?" I thought it was Russian folk.
— The English fairy tale about Goldilocks and the Three bears was so popular in the 18th and 19th centuries that it was translated into different languages. Leo Tolstoy made a Russian version, gave names to the characters — even the bears.
— That's it! So we've touched something great. Who would have known that Leo Tolstoy's work would be included in my filmography in this way? By the way, the Ministry of Culture likes movies to be shot not "off the bat", but to have famous authors and classics in the credits.
— It is difficult to imagine filmmaking without computer technology today. In the movie Masha and the Bears, not a single animal was injured because it is painted.
— No, we also had two kids filming. And our main character Masha had to interact with the painted bears on the playground — she was played by Vita Kornienko. At the same time, she starred in Pinocchio. And that's where technology touched her first. And I'm playing Masha's mom here.
A shot from the filming of "Masha and the Bears"
— Is there a line in your portfolio that says you're the "best mom in the movies"?
— No, I'm just talking about it directly. It's a fact: last year I played the mother of twelve children in various projects.
The little partners say that they are comfortable with me. They might say, "Oh, come on, don't play nice." Or, on the contrary: "Come on, you're not a bully, you're really cute."
"Artificial intelligence has no soul"
— In 1939, Hollywood "cried tears of blood" when he saw Rowe's fairy tales. As in the movie "Vasilisa the Beautiful" Snake Gorynych's head was cut off ...
— Yes, it was magic at that time. Every artist sees in his own way. He believes that he will do his job well. Someone always goes ahead, and others look up to him. At that time, they looked up to us.
— And now they are looking more and more at artificial intelligence. Will he survive the actors from the screen?
— No, of course not. Artificial intelligence has no soul. And when there is no soul, even if you invest all the money in the world, you will not conquer the viewer. Movies have their own magic, beyond the control of AI. All these plans to replace live artists with artificial ones are disastrous.
— Your daughter Nadia is ten years old. She started going to the movies when Marvel and Disney reigned at the box office. Many Russian fairy tales have appeared now. Have you noticed any changes in the child?
— It is not necessary to shift the responsibility for upbringing from family to cinema, especially Western cinema. Mom and dad do this in our family. I've had a lot of Western movies and cartoons in my life, and that's partly one of the reasons why I went into acting.
I didn't notice any changes in my daughter's worldview. But it's great that at the age of ten she knows a lot of our fairy tales. We have learned how to make them efficiently and interestingly. Not all fairy tales were interesting to me in childhood.
Actress Zoya Berber
— Childhood trauma? Did something scare you?
— "Geese and swans" have always been incomprehensible to me. Why would birds steal children? It didn't scare me—I just didn't accept it. But I've always liked Baba Yaga, who used to scare children. That's a character! There is still a great desire to play Baba Yaga. Yes, I'm a very tough person.
- Yes? You can't say that.
"I know." That's why they don't take it. But time will pass… I have a theory: at the age of fifty-five, my inner and outer will converge, and I will move into an existence like Meryl Streep. As she gets older, any role she plays becomes a point. It's going to be the same for me. That's so immodest!
At some point, we stop hiding our uniqueness, we stop being afraid. We have enough confidence and audacity. We stop paying attention to the opinions of others. I don't want to waste my time on this anymore. Well, I want to play Baba Yaga, but they invite me to play the role of moms. In Masha and the Bears, when director Antonina Rouget invited me to audition, I suggested, "Maybe I should play a Kikimora?" She giggled and said the right thing: there are many actresses, but not everyone is invited to play mom.
- why?
— Because, oddly enough, the energy of an artist is very important. There must be something familiar, warm. As the director noted: "You have it. Use it." This is read by the viewer — and most importantly by the children.
"Irina Pegova caused an endless smile"
— The film "The Crazy Empress" starring Irina Pegova as Catherine the Great is coming out in December. Your heroine and her friends evoke her spirit in our days. To what degree of desperation did you reach to resort to such a thing?
— I think it's not about despair, but rather about burnout. Someone has children, someone has a job, someone has no prospects. Girls evoke the spirit not out of a desire to communicate with something otherworldly, but out of a fan, to relax. In the movie, no one expected it to work and begin something that would change their whole lives.
A shot from the movie "The Crazy Empress"
— Have you ever been interested in palmistry? Did you summon the Spirit of Pushkin?
— There is no Pushkin. I remember how my mother had fun: she set up a mirror, asked questions. Well, I'm with her. And after Christmas, some felt boots were thrown, the grooms were waiting. In Perm, they love it — it's fun. No one has ever taken this seriously.
Sometimes you'd stay at a friend's place overnight and say, "Dream of the bride and groom in a new place." Did I dream about my husband? I can't even remember anymore (laughs).
— Don't you play with fate? Have you ever read fortune-telling on the cards?
"I've always avoided it." It seems to me that there is such a "pot of luck": if I start laying out cards or guessing on the tarot, the energy goes out of it. It is better to direct her to work, health, and family. That's why I don't waste time on nonsense.
— How does the "pot of luck" work?
— It's like going to a club at night, dancing from the bottom of your heart, giving everything you have — and returning home, feeling incredibly tired. And in the morning you think: why did all this happen, now I won't be able to work. It's the same with fortune-telling. That's why I don't go to parties right now.
There is an 80/20 theory applied in business: you need to spend 20% of your efforts to get 80% of the result. We usually do the opposite. But it is necessary — so. It's a proven theory. I discovered it for myself, and I really liked it.
And indeed, the older we get, the better we know where to hit, who to communicate with, and what to spend our energy on. We don't waste time on trifles.
— The shooting of "The Crazy Empress" took place in St. Petersburg. How did the townspeople react to Catherine the Great traveling around the city?
— Had fun with us. Irina Pegova generally caused an endless smile. Well, we basked next to each other in the rays of warmth and popular love. We had a carriage car—huge, ornate, red and gold. Rich! But it's not mine. And the Empress liked it.
I love shooting in St. Petersburg. The people are friendly. And you don't need twenty-five approvals for a film crew here. Several night shifts took place in one of the palaces near St. Petersburg. How beautiful it is there! I have a video where I walk around the halls with my mouth open and wonder: "Was it that rich? Like this?" I was shocked by the beauty.
A shot from the movie "The Crazy Empress"
— Some psychologists advise girls to have a crown and wear it periodically to raise their self-esteem. Do you agree?
"The crown?" Interesting… She puts it on and goes to clean the floors? Is there no dissonance? With a mop and a crown. To cheer up, I have expensive shoes instead of a crown. Heels are also a training device. The buttocks are tightened, the legs are in good shape. I've been walking for two hours, and it's already useful. And if you run, it's fine. And you don't need a gym.
"When people saw Theodore and said, 'Oh, maestro!' we were a little shocked."
— You are from Perm. They also served in the "Theater-Theater" there. What makes the Perm acting school stand out?
— Honesty. I was taught by a master who had a Moscow school. My stepfather graduated from the Theater Academy in St. Petersburg. There is a difference: Moscow has a variety approach, St. Petersburg has a deeper one. And Perm looked at one thing, at the other, and made her combo. I call this an "honest existence."
— Perm is loved by cinematographers. For what?
— It started with "Real Boys". Then we shot "Geograph Globe drank" with Khabensky, then the big project "Parma". And we also have our own classic, Alexey Ivanov, who wrote a lot of things. Everyone wanted to shoot his "Dorm on Blood." Perm is a real forge of personnel.
Conductor Theodor Currentzis
— And they also go to Perm to see Currentzis, a world-renowned conductor.
— This is my friend, and we were giggling all the time, what an extraordinary Perm. We have the confluence of three rivers — the Chusovaya, Kama and Sylva. A place of power. And indeed: in Perm, there is a fusion of people of different professions, but very bright. People are coming out of Perm — some into politics, some into creativity, some into business, some into humor. Look — there is one Permian everywhere.
— How did life bring you together with Currentzis?
— Philip Grigoryan directed "Woe from Wit" at the Theater-Theater. The premiere coincided with the premiere at Theodore Currentzis Opera House. It's a small town, and we celebrated at the same restaurant. That's where we met. Then they come to us, then we come to them.
— Along with Currentzis, both the audience and the money came to Perm.
— And we are especially grateful to him for this. Theodore is a great artist, they didn't want to let him go, they tried in every possible way to keep him.
He's wonderful, with an interesting story. He is very talented, difficult in business, and tough in some ways, because he loves music and respects it. People from other countries often came to Perm for festivals. And when they saw Theodore and said, "Oh, maestro!" we were a little shocked. Because for us, he's just a tall, beautiful Theodore.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
