"Cheburashka lives with me anyway"
To get a role in Cheburashka, it was necessary to pass an exam in the traffic police for knowledge of the engine, otherwise there would be no contract. This is how Sergey Garmash talks about preparing for the image of Gena the gardener, and it is unknown how much truth there is in this joke. The artist calls his audience the electorate and is very happy that these "voters" are becoming more numerous due to the success of the film story. The second part of the hit will be released on January 1. In the meantime, Garmash is working on a film about Galina Volchek, interviews veterans, plays in the "Inspector General" at the Nikita Mikhalkov Theater and performs with Yuri Bashmet — he told about all this in an interview with Izvestia.
"Judging by the first film, Cheburashka became a member of the family"
— This isn't the first time you've played with a hand-drawn character. What difficulties did you have to overcome this time?
— In general, there are none. After all, I studied at the Moscow Art Theater Studio School, respectively, according to the Stanislavsky system. One of the fundamental points of the Stanislavsky system is MFD, a method of physical actions. And the accompanying exercises for memory of physical actions. This is when we pick up a non—existent jacket, a non-existent needle, a thread, and sew a button. The basics of acting. And this is by no means a pantomime, but an exercise in the accuracy of your actions. Cheburashka is both a little actress and a dummy, sometimes he is imaginary, just as if he were in your hands. Therefore, communication with the hero was not difficult for me.
A shot from the movie Cheburashka 2
— Is Cheburashka's upbringing more difficult for your hero gardener Gene than finding common ground with his daughter?
— Well, listen, both are important, as in any family. Is it more important for you to build a relationship with your daughter or your wife? You see, Cheburashka lives with me anyway. It didn't happen right away. And if he's not related to me, then at least he's very close to me. Judging by the first film, Cheburashka became a member of the family.
— The director of the film Dmitry Dyachenko says that the continuation script turned out to be sharper, funnier and more interesting than the first part. What will happen to the characters in Cheburashka 2?
— There is a concept of "scenario mystery" and "spectator mystery". Therefore, I simply subscribe to Dmitry Dyachenko's words that it will certainly be interesting, new and even unexpected.
— According to the promotional trailer, the characters are going on a trip to the mountains. Were there any problems or difficulties with this filming expedition?
— We shot very high in the mountains. And it wasn't even off-road, but an extreme climb to the set. But it was certainly worth it, because nature, which is so high up, is less accessible to spoil it. It is there that the centuries-old firs and firs have been preserved, there is some absolutely fabulous atmosphere there. Fabulous, although we were shooting, in general, not a fairy tale.
A shot from the movie Cheburashka 2
— Have you ever gone to the mountains before?
"Not really. Although I've been to the mountains, I spent my entire childhood in Crimea. But if we talk about conquering the peaks, then this is absolutely not my thing. No.
— Where was Cheburashka 2 filmed?
— Sochi, Moscow. This time there was neither Yessentuki nor Kislovodsk.
"And then I get such an incredibly huge children's "electorate"!"
— Cheburashka is the most successful film in the history of Russian cinema. Does this affect the artists in any way? Maybe on a salary, on some privileges on the set of the sequel?
— No, it is not reflected, because today there is no such practice in our legislation. But, of course, it's nice that the project in which you participate occupies some high positions.
A shot from the movie Cheburashka 2
If you're asking on a personal level, then in fact, of course, if we're not talking cynically, but let's say professionally, then the biggest value of Cheburashka for me is this. I'm at an age when there are fewer offers and roles. And then I get such an incredibly huge children's "electorate"! Those who watched Cheburashka at the age of 10 are now 13. They will watch the new Cheburashka, and this "electorate" will increase even more. At my age, getting such an army of fans is an incredible, rare event.
— The scooter that your Gene rides is similar to the Soviet Tula scooter. Have you ever had such a technique?
— My uncle had a scooter called Vyatka. He's about the same age as in the movies. We really have a Soviet, vintage scooter. A rare technique, "Ant", I think. But I don't remember. If we talk about the engine, maybe I'll remember something.
A shot from the movie Cheburashka 2
"Did you dig that deep?"
— Of course! You understand, we were told in the contract that if I did not know the engine of the scooter, then I would not be signed a contract to shoot in the film Cheburashka. They wouldn't have hired me if I didn't know how the engine works! Therefore, before filming, I took an exam in the traffic police for knowledge of the motor of a scooter.
— This is a different category of transport management.
— Of course, we also teach Cheburashka this.
"People will come to the Conservatory, especially to Bashmet."
— A few years ago, you were going to make a documentary about Galina Volchek. The project was postponed, and it seemed to have been resumed a year ago, but then the process was stopped again. You were the initiator. What stage is the film at now? Will the audience see it?
— The documentary is in the initial stage of production. The working title is "Spinning top. Five Evenings" already means that this film will be dedicated to Galina Borisovna. This is my personal tribute to my great teacher and director of the Sovremennik Theater. I am the author of the idea, co-screenwriter and co-producer. It's hard to say when the film will be released.
Galina Volchek
— Not so long ago, at Nikita Mikhalkov's Workshop 12, you presented the performance "The Inspector General" to the audience. Director Vladimir Pankov took over the production on the condition that you play the Mayor. And why are you interested in this character of Gogol?
— This is a great work of Russian classics, which is 200 years old. And we don't have many plays that are so many years old and that remain incredibly relevant to this day.
— What is its relevance?
— Yes, in almost everything. At least one remark from the same Mayor can say a lot: "Yes, if they ask why a church was not built at a religious institution, for which a sum was allocated five years ago, then do not forget to say that it began to be built, but burned down."
— On the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the Great Victory, you took part in the Winners project, where stars talk to veterans. The average age of the characters taking part in the filming is 100 years. How did they surprise you?
— Yes, I participated in the project. I interviewed a veteran in Yalta. My interlocutor is Anatoly Yakovlevich Medved. The interview was recorded in the Livadia Palace, next to the table where the Yalta Conference was held. Anatoly Yakovlevich was born in 1927, he was 97 years old at the time of recording. He was a prisoner of a concentration camp. In the spring of 1944, having added a year to himself, he was drafted into the Airborne Forces. He fought as a mortar man. I reached Vienna.
— What important things can veterans give to their descendants?
— A living story. Its. The history of our country and the Great Patriotic War.
— It is not the first year that you have been collaborating with the orchestra of the People's Artist of the USSR Yuri Bashmet. You recently had the premiere in the Great Hall of the Conservatory. The orchestra performed Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 5, and you read Requiem (Eternal Glory to the Heroes) to this music Robert Rozhdestvensky. What kind of audience were you hoping for?
— Why should I think about which audience will come? I know that people will come to the Conservatory, especially to Bashmet. And does it really matter what they will be — the young, the middle generation or the retired?
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