"For another six months after filming, I went red-haired"
An hour and a half in makeup each shift — this is how the appearance of Harlequin, one of the main characters of the musical film tale "Pinocchio", was created. Ruzil Minekaev unexpectedly turned red. Trying to maintain a balance between psychologism and popularity with a teenage audience, Minekaev did not abandon the legacy of the role that made him a superstar. Minekaev told Izvestia on the eve of the premiere of the film about what Marat from "The Boy's Word" and Harlequin have in common and what it's like to play with "blue Pinocchio".: The new adventures of the wooden man will be released in wide release on January 1.
"Sometimes you look at adults and realize that they still need to be educated themselves."
— Ruzil, do you remember your reaction when you were offered to play in the new film adaptation of Pinocchio? Do you have any childhood memories of a Soviet film or cartoon?
— Yes, of course. I have wonderful memories of that movie. I've watched it many times. And when they showed me the script for the new Pinocchio, the first thing I thought about was how great it would be to take part in this film and generally be related to this story. And when I was approved, I immediately started preparing.
It was a big responsibility. After all, it was necessary to present the character correctly. I understood that the film has its own fan base, people who grew up on the previous version. And I really didn't want them to see Harlequin as a character radically different from the one they were used to.
— Did you put any drama into your character? For example, Karabas, played by Fyodor Bondarchuk, has a whole history of unrealized acting and directing ambitions. Does Harlequin have a similar background?
— Director Igor Voloshin and I have been thinking about this. I offered my ideas. The whole story of "Pinocchio" is about relationships, about parenting, about the bond between parents and children. And all the time I was trying to put there the idea of the consequences of education — or, conversely, its absence. I tried very carefully, through microlinks, to show what a person can be like who grew up without love, without a full-fledged family.
— So the Harlequin who constantly offends Pierrot is an unhappy child himself?
— In general, yes. It's all a mask. Unfortunately, I am not so well versed in psychology — perhaps if I were an expert, I would do it even more emphatically. But maybe it's lucky. I tried to show his injuries and the consequences of family circumstances not directly, but in small things: in behavior, in facial expressions, in some small habits.
— Outwardly, your Harlequin is a cross between a punk, a Pennywise clown from "It" and a Joker. There are many recognizable associations in the image. Have you discussed this with the costume designer? Or, perhaps, they themselves were guided by some kind of references?
— To be honest, I didn't watch "It", so I didn't have any associations with Pennywise. And we didn't discuss it with the costumers on purpose. But if you imagine that Harlequin is 40 or 50 years old and it would be a dark adult film, then, probably, some similarities in fate could appear. We have a children's movie after all. Yes, this is a new vision of the director — in makeup, costume, presentation, but there was no task to show the character as a deeply destroyed, dangerous person.
— What is the most important thing for you in this story: a fairy tale or those deep adult overtones that are embedded in it?
— Of course, there are adult implications.
— And besides the theme of fathers and children, what other meanings can adult viewers consider?
— This is a difficult question. Sometimes you look at adults and realize that they themselves still need to be educated, along with children. Explain how to react, how to talk, how to interact with other people in general. Therefore, there are also many topics for adults: friendship, loyalty, honor. "Pinocchio" carries a huge amount of moral values.
"Dancing was the most energetic and one of the most fun moments"
— What turned out to be the most difficult part of the job? Apparently, there were a lot of technical issues: several Pinocchio dolls, computer graphics, tricks.
— The hardest part was probably sitting in makeup for an hour and a half. I had a complicated hairstyle, my hair, which was dyed, lifted, fixed every morning. I was told that the paint would be washable, but in the end it stuck and I went red for another six months. I even managed to participate in several projects in this form. And after filming, I just shaved my hair.
The second difficulty is the technical shooting itself. There is a lot of CG, that is, computer graphics. Instead of three or four shots per scene, you shoot 15 technical ones. You just stand there and wait for the blue Pinocchio to pass, for the balloons to pass, for the lidar to be installed and the room to be scanned. And you want to play, to be in the process.
—It's exhausting. Especially since you also dance a lot.
— Dancing was, on the contrary, the most energetic and one of the most fun moments. There were almost no technical difficulties: outdoor shooting, scenery, live extras, live artists. We rehearsed a little bit, and then we just worked, and it was a pleasure.
— Does Igor Voloshin like to rehearse or does he quickly put himself in the frame?
— We had readings, and we rehearsed directly during the shooting day. Everything was happening in the process.
— Are you planning to come to the premiere with your son and show him Pinocchio?
— I plan to come with my wife, but so far without a child. This is a very important premiere for me, and I want to be there from start to finish. And my son is only three years old — there is a risk that we simply will not finish. Even the funniest children's movie at that age is a challenge for him.
— Among the partners were Mark Edelstein and Anastasia Talyzina, with whom you have already worked. Did it help at the site in any way?
— Nastya and I hadn't crossed paths before: "Moscow does not believe in tears" was already after "Pinocchio". And Mark, indeed, was filmed before. It was my first big project where we played the main roles together. I wouldn't say it helped much in the frame, but rather during breaks: there was a lot to talk about while we were waiting for lidars, HDR and other technical stuff.
"As they say, girls like bad guys"
— It seemed to me that Harlequin is similar in type to your other characters: Adidas Jr. from "The Boy's Word" or Shirmik from "Overheard in Rybinsk". Outwardly prickly, but inside fragile and ironic.
— Yes, that's right. Of course, there are similarities.
— Why do you think the audience likes such characters so much?
— That's a good question. I don't know… As they say, girls like bad guys. It's probably about confidence and charm. Such characters always have a dynamic, evolving line, they are interesting to follow.
A shot from the TV series "The Word of a kid"
— Do you have a dream about a big classical dramatic role — a conditional Hamlet?
— There is one project that cannot be launched in any way. It's just that complicated, unusual, completely different from previous roles. I used to really want it to start as soon as possible. I thought this was my chance to show off my acting potential.
Recently, we finally shot a teaser, and I realized that I was a little out of my depth. For such roles, which are radically different from your psychophysics, you need long rehearsals so that everything is authentic.
— Do you have any common features with Harlequin?
— Actually, yes. All three of the characters you're talking about are similar in some ways—and to me, too. After "The Boy's Word", I had a thought: I urgently need to do something completely different, deep, to show that I can be different. But over time, I began to think differently. Probably the best thing an actor does is what is inherent in him: the experience, the background, the environment in which he grew up. That's why these roles are similar. Otherwise, I would probably have been approved for Pierrot or Artemon.
— Do you have a desire to break out of this role?
— This desire used to be especially strong. But now I think a little differently. And what I said above is a pretty fresh thought. She's only a couple of months old. I'm still processing it.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
