"When you hold the helm, you understand what Pokryshkin wrote about"
In the military comedy "There is only a Moment", which is released on November 27, actor Daniil Popov was entrusted with the main role for the first time — and with it the responsibility for a story in which planes, overloads and love exist at the same height. In an exclusive interview with Izvestia, Popov told how he got the lead role and what made him take a fresh look at his profession, military cinema, and even his own memory of his family.
"I wanted to understand what kind of material these people fighter pilots are made of"
— The movie "There is only a Moment" is coming to the big screens. This is your first major role. Tell us about your work.
— There were a lot of emotions during and after filming. The story did not let go, and the feeling of warmth from the entire film crew lasted for a long time. Many thanks to the studio "Voenfilm": real planes, equipment, weapons, uniforms and the entire entourage were completely immersed in the process. You don't have to invent anything — you really live in this reality.
We did a tremendous job: we collected material, analyzed every detail of the events — who, what, from where and why. The cast is very experienced, all my partners are masters.
A shot from the movie "There is only a Moment"
I'm lucky to be around people who I can learn from every day. You absorb every movement, word, and intonation, watching them work with the text, coming up with gags, jokes, and nuances. When the shooting ended and I returned to Moscow in November, melancholy came over me: according to the atmosphere, the command, the rhythm. I wanted to go back.
— How did you get into the lead role?
— It's a very funny story. A friend flew to me, we walked around Moscow for a week. On the last day, right before his departure, Alexander Alexandrovich Zhigalkin calls. He asks if I'm free and if I can come to the studio to film the samples.
I quickly explained to my friend how to get to the airport and drove off. I got the text of the scene and the script in the car. I quickly learned the main points, skimmed the beginning to understand the essence, and arrived at the studio.
Alexander Alexandrovich and I worked in the rehearsal room, shot a sample version, then showed Igor Stanislavovich Ugolnikov, received corrections, and shot another version. The next day, there were paired auditions with approved actors. Only the actor for the main role was not approved.
A shot from the movie "There is only a Moment"
I felt like I was in a shaky swamp: you take a step and you're afraid of falling through. After the first day, I read the script to the end and realized how I wanted to be in this movie. The story is tender, touching, heroic and funny. It was very important for me not to make a mistake. Alexander Alexandrovich set a high pace: there was no other chance, only forward. It's exciting, but incredibly inspiring.
— How did you work on the image?
— I've read biographies of Soviet pilots: Pokryshkin, Kozhedub. I watched films about pilots of that time. I wanted to understand what kind of material these people are made of — fighter pilots who constantly work at the limit of their physical capabilities, sometimes almost without sleep. For the heroic comedy, we took references from Leonid Gaidai's films, something from Shurik, but carefully, without copying.
— There is a love line in the movie. What will the viewer see?
— It's the same as in the real life of pilots. Constant departures, tasks, debriefing — there is almost no time for love. When I read Pokryshkin's biography, I was struck by how rarely he saw his beloved. Polivanov has the same thing: he is all about service, but his need for love is real.
A shot from the movie "There is only a Moment"
— Which is more important for the hero — mission or love?
— Planes are the first thing, and the girls are later. But gradually Polivanov changes, begins to see the value of other things, notices what is happening around. He becomes deeper, more multifaceted, more mature.
"We spent one day filming in a centrifuge, and to be honest, I enjoyed it."
— Who did you particularly enjoy working with?
— I was incredibly lucky: there were masters on the site. I especially remember the scenes with Vladimir Adolfovich Ilyin. We came up with intonations, rehearsed nuances, and composed biographical details. For example, they decided that Polivanov had been involved in boxing in the past, and this gave him inner confidence. Sometimes, after we had already shot a scene, we thought, "Oh, I should have added this detail." It was a bit of a pity, because things turned out to be very juicy.
— Were there any conflicts on the set?
"Not a single one. Everything was family-like: care, respect, support. In the evening, we gathered at home — we cooked, talked, played and sang to the guitar. The atmosphere is warm and friendly.
A shot from the movie "There is only a Moment"
— Sofya Lapunova played Lyubov Vaselkina, your lover. And how did your relationship develop outside the frame?
— Sonya and I have nothing romantic in our lives. She is a wonderful actress, we studied with a master at the Moscow Art Theater Studio School, I often attend their course. Therefore, it was easy for us to come to an agreement on the site, to discuss the nuances.
— How Alexander Zhigalkin and Igor Ugolnikov helped you on the set. Nevertheless, a debut in a leading role is a responsible matter ...
— They supported me both in the discussions and in the rehearsals. Alexander Alexandrovich listened to my suggestions, suggested options himself, and helped if he saw that I was in doubt. Igor Stanislavovich could come up after the scene and say "well done" or "good." That was enough.
— How do you feel about your own work?
— I tend to be reflective. I scroll through the scenes for a long time, I doubt if it turned out one hundred percent. Sometimes doubts begin to spread, and then Alexander Alexandrovich could come up and say: "Everything is fine. Don't worry." This restored the support.
A shot from the movie "There is only a Moment"
— Alexander Zhigalkin is known as a comedian. And how did you see him as a director?
— He is very demanding and very direct. If something is wrong, he will tell you. It will disassemble the scene as much as it needs to until it gets right. Does not omit a single detail. That's why it's exciting to work with him, but his remarks are incredibly accurate.
— Do you have a favorite scene?
— Flight scenes. I was very worried in front of them: I was thinking how I would cope with the rotating cabin. I saw this model spinning in the pavilion and thought, "Should I really go there?" We spent one day filming in a centrifuge, and to be honest, I liked it. It was a pity that the day was over.
The model of the aircraft itself was recreated with precision. The screens around me enhanced the effect, and I literally felt like I was in the sky. I immediately remembered the biographies of the pilots: the feeling of altitude, speed, flight. When you hold the steering wheel and see the dashboard, you understand what Pokryshkin was writing about. Although, of course, we never dreamed of overloads of real pilots.
"I looked at the young guy in the lead role and thought: "That's lucky for him — he lives inside such a story""
— Were there any pilots in your family?
- no. But the great-grandfathers fought. One died in the Volkhov area in 1942, the other reached Berlin. I have a collection of coins from him, from the cities he visited. As a child, it was amazing to realize that you were holding a story in your hands.
I didn't find my grandfather, but I heard from my father what he was like: stern, taciturn, independent. There was a time when I lived with my mom's friend's grandfather. He was a veteran of the Great Patriotic War. That's when I realized that stories about veterans screaming in their sleep are not fairy tales. I myself heard him calling his comrades to attack in a dream. I still have goosebumps. He went to the front as a youngster, ran away twice to be accepted. A determined, attentive man. In fact, there is a lot of Grandfather Dima in my Polivanov.
A shot from the movie "There is only a Moment"
— What war films do you like?
— Of course, "They fought for their Homeland." I was particularly struck by the bombing of the farm. The hair literally stood on end. And then I read Yuri Nikulin's autobiography, "Almost Seriously." He described how, years after the war, they filmed a scene of explosions: the village was falling to pieces, the roar was such that he closed his eyes and felt as if nothing had happened after the war, as if he were back there. This horror, this fear, they are real.
Of the modern films, I was very impressed by The Brest Fortress. I was very young when I saw her, but even then something inside moved towards the acting profession. I looked at the young guy in the lead role and thought: "He's lucky to live inside such a story." Even now, I can't really explain it, I just felt it with all of me. For Pavel Derevyanko, by the way, it was a breakthrough after comedies. It's a great movie, really strong.
I also really liked Fyodor Bondarchuk's Stalingrad. Yes, there's a lot of graphics, but the story itself is authentic, the story of Pavlov's house is so great that every time I think back, I just can't wrap my head around it. How many years have passed, school is long behind us, but still from time to time I read, review something, and return my thoughts there. And every time I feel a thrill, I'm telling you now and I'm starting to tremble.
— What roles do you dream of playing now?
— After this project, tastes have changed a bit. I used to dream about character characters: Rogozhin in The Idiot, Dmitry Karamazov. Now I'm interested in characters who are sensual, sincere, and deep. Maybe Sergey Yesenin. Yes, it's close — a person who is acutely experiencing what is happening.
— And which of the actors do you look up to?
— I watched a lot of war films when I was a kid. Alexey Serebryakov was very impressed in the series "Penal Battalion". I really like the role of Vladimir Mashkov in "The Thief" and "Piranha Hunt". Later he opened "Idiot" with Evgeny Mironov, Vladimir Mashkov and Vladimir Ilyin. Mashkov's Rogozhin was simply amazing there. Now Vladimir Lvovich Mashkov directs the Sovremennik Theater, where I work. But I didn't tell him personally about my childhood experiences. So now it's a big revelation on my part.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
