"Germans feel guilty — not everyone there is an idiot"
It's scary to play Hitler, actor Pavel Kharlanchuk admits, but he finds it strange to give up negative roles. His filmography includes a variety of characters: from a German officer to a Soviet agent. Kharlanchuk's new work is the spy thriller "On the Trail of the Beast," which will premiere on May 9 on REN TV immediately after the Victory Day Parade. The plot unfolds on the eve of one of the key battles of the Great Patriotic War: after the defeat in the Battle of Stalingrad, the German command is trying to take revenge on the Kursk Bulge, and the Soviet special services are doing everything to thwart the Nazis' plans. Pavel Kharlanchuk told in an exclusive interview with Izvestia why the actor is particularly interested in spy stories, who "cleans karma" in movies and what prompted him to adopt children.
"All war films are about testing a person in extreme situations"
— The spy detective "On the Trail of the Beast" is inspired by Marshal Zhukov's memoirs about intelligence reports that warned about the German offensive on Kursk in 1943. How did the creators of the series approach the combination of historical truth and artistic interpretation of these events?
— We did not set the task to recreate the operation thoroughly — it is simply impossible when it comes to intelligence. Everything they did was classified. The series features a collective image inspired by Marshal Zhukov's memoirs, which director Peter Amelin told me about. But the narrative has no confirmed details. The purpose of cinema is to interest. I would like to think that among our viewers there will be history lovers who will turn to materials about the battles on the Kursk Bulge, about operations on the eastern front.
A shot from the movie "On the trail of the Beast"
— Your hero Sergei Skorin, on the one hand, was an Abwehr intelligence officer, and on the other, an employee of the NKVD. How did you justify his actions?
— After all, my hero Sergei Skorin worked for one side. It's a complicated story, and that's why it's interesting. Because of their father's unfair arrest, siblings Sergey and Andrey became enemies. Circumstances prevented them from having a heart-to-heart conversation. Yes, Sergei was recruited by the Germans, but in fact he served other ideals.
Viewers will ask questions: why did he live under a different name and speak German? And my brother finds no excuse. It was also a study for me. What happens to a person when they impersonate someone else? When you can't relax and one slip can lead to the failure of the operation.
— What quality of the hero impressed you?
"He's a super—professional double agent. He knows the language perfectly, knows the behavior and manners of the Abwehr intelligence school, and so on. Even in a dream, he has no right to speak, so as not to give away his origin. That's why I was interested in this man who is constantly in extreme situations. In general, all war films are about testing a person in extreme situations.
A shot from the movie "On the trail of the Beast"
For me, my hero is a man of the highest standard. He forgets about himself and his family in the name of higher goals. Such people have a very powerful idea. If you talk to a real intelligence officer, first of all he thinks about the task that has been set for him, and then about some global things. And now there are guys who put their homeland above their personal life. It deserves only respect and admiration.
— In Hollywood movies, the hero single-handedly saves the world. And in Russian cinema, characters don't act alone. Why does the collective prevail in our consciousness?
— American cinema is wonderful, but the model of saving the world alone brings it closer to a fairy tale. People love fairy-tale characters. Our movie is still about personality, about inner achievement, about service. Yes, maybe it's more prosaic, but it's about real life.
In general, I cannot accept competition in art: "we will shoot better than the Americans" or "Hollywood is indisputably stronger than anyone in the world." Such comparisons do not exist for me.
— Is it interesting for an adult man to play spies?
— Of course, an adult man is an adult child. Can you imagine when it's so naturalistic, with real weapons in your hands, you can play scouts and spies? On the one hand, it's cool and more like a man's job. On the other hand, you sit down to talk to someone and realize that we are playing at war, and people were really defending their homeland. And you look at everything with different eyes. That's why when we do war dramas, we want the audience to watch and nothing like this will happen in their lives.
A shot from the movie "On the trail of the Beast"
— The series is packed with action: shootouts, explosions, fights. Have you performed stunts yourself or resorted to the help of stuntmen?
— Of course, if you fall on a motorcycle, it's performed by stuntmen. Well, I'll do the rest myself.
— One of the heroines is a search dog, she helps to find mines, caches of weapons. They say it's impossible to beat an animal and a child. Have you tried?
— Why try to outplay them? I like to shoot with animals. We had a gorgeous border collie on the show. She performed the tasks set by the director very diligently. And how she danced the waltz — not all actors will be able to. So she had a lot to learn from.
"I saw that the Germans feel guilty"
— REN TV also released SMERSH 4, where you play Abwehr Major Markus Schultz. Not all artists agree to portray fascists. Why were you interested in this character?
— I can't understand actors who refuse to play negative roles. Everyone has different reasons for refusing. Someone cleans karma, someone doesn't want to get involved in it, someone wants to be good. I know it's scary to play Hitler. But if the message of the film is correct, then the actor must convince the audience, and in such a way that they believe that this is not a caricatured historical character, but an incredible force that drove the nation crazy. The Germans were proud of the great creators — Goethe, Kant, Schiller, Bach, and suddenly everyone began to march to his tune. This means that man was able to influence the minds of millions. It's strange to give up negative characters when you have the opportunity to be convincing in this role.
Actor Pavel Kharlanchuk
— Your first role was in the movie Babi Yar. The Belarusian-German painting is about the monstrous crime of the Nazis in the early days of the Great Patriotic War. What was the attitude of foreigners working on the site towards the material?
— It was a long time ago. The director is American Jeff Kanew. I was still a first-year student at the time. He played a German soldier. It was a shock to my brain. I had to learn the text in German. I still know him. My partner was Michael Degen. Besides him, several other artists from Germany starred in the film. Perhaps some of them, through their art, wanted to atone for the guilt of their ancestors before the USSR.
At that time, it was noticeable that the Germans had a very serious repentance. It's a big plus for a nation that admitted its mistake at the time. They have been paying reparations for many years.
A shot from the movie "Babi Yar"
As a child, I traveled a lot to Germany with the children's theater as part of the Chernobyl program. I saw it there too — the Germans feel guilty. Not everyone there is an idiot. Although there are still those who believe in fascism. I can say that there are fans of this idea on the territory of the former USSR. In Russia and Belarus too. But they're hiding.
"Everyone in our family, except my brother, received their radiation dose"
— At the time of the Chernobyl accident in 1986, you were living in Belarus. This republic has fallen into the infection zone. Do you remember the aftermath of the disaster?
— Yes, I lived in Gomel. It happened on April 26th. And on May 1, people went to a demonstration, and there was not a single word in the newspapers or on television that it was dangerous. They told me later.
Everyone in our family, except my brother, received their radiation dose. He got hurt less than the others. He spent April 26 in the basement of the garage, tinkering with a moped. And then we drank potassium iodide, which turned out to be unsafe. They started adding iodine to our water. We were also sitting in front of the TV when Allan Chumak performed his sessions.
— Did you charge three-liter cans of water?
— Well, of course. My parents believed that Chumak would help. It all happened. And after the accident, a humanitarian program called "Children of Chernobyl" appeared. This was done for health and recovery. Families from Italy, Germany, and France hosted Belarusian children. I've made a lot of friends. In addition, as part of a cultural exchange with the children's theater, in which I participated, we toured Europe. I've been lucky to see the world.
— According to the second diploma, you are a director. Is there any desire to put something yourself?
— Yes, I'm also a director, but I haven't done this for a long time, although I'm thinking about it. I'm not eager to join the repertory theater, I have something to offer the entrepreneurs. When they say "enterprise", they imagine something with jokes below the belt, played on three chairs. But I have something to say to that. I see the desire of the entrepreneurs to raise the level of drama for their productions. I think I'll do the directing later. While I have to work, I have obligations to my children, and I have five of them.
"We parted with gratitude to each other"
— Your mother taught at a school for orphaned children. Did you like going to her place of work?
— Very much. There were interesting kids there. I could sit with them all day. I liked the way the food was served there. Mashed potatoes with boiled fish and pickled cucumber were served on an elongated metal plate.
I had friends there. I asked questions: how and why does this happen? They explained to me that these are children who grow up without parents. But not all of them. Some had them, for example, alcoholic mothers. I still have relationships with many of those guys.
— Wasn't it because you wanted to help your friends that you took two kids from an orphanage into your family when you grew up?
— It is quite possible that something has sunk into the soul. There was a campaign in Belarus where they offered to take children from orphanages on TV. And my future wife, Anya, and I agreed on the desire to do this. This impulse was not out of pity for the children — we wanted one of them to become a father and mother.
— Worthy of respect. Not everyone would dare to do that. Then why did you break up with your wife? After all, you have three relatives and two adopted children in your marriage?
— We parted with gratitude to each other, with respect, not without sadness, but it turned out that way. The official reason is due to loss of feelings. No one cheated on anyone or left for anyone. Analyzing it, I came to the conclusion that we just took on a lot.
"Failed?"
— We stopped making love to each other. That's probably it. But to this day, we are constantly in touch. We have children together. There are many common concerns. We communicate normally. And I maintain relationships with all the children. Three of them are already adults. Adele is studying at the Moscow Art Theater Studio School in the course of Evgeny Pisarev and Evgenia Dmitrieva. At the recent STD RF "Firsts" competition among students of theater universities, she won in the "Musical Parodies" nomination. She sent me a video where she took the first place. Ivona is graduating from college in Minsk. He will be a specialist in cosmetology.
Philip wants to go into business. Olivia is engaged in a theater studio and hip-hop, she is already filming a little and mastering AI. My younger Paulina and I went on vacation and are planning to do it again soon. I feel a lack of physical contact with children. But our mental, spiritual and emotional connection is not interrupted. I am proud of my children and I love everyone very much.
— May 9 is a great holiday — Victory Day. How do you celebrate it? Whose exploits remain a symbol of Victory for you?
— On May 9th, I remember my grandfather, after whom I was named. Guards Major Pavel Vasilyevich Rogal reached Berlin. On Victory Day, I dream of the most important thing — peace. I'm also watching Rezo Chkheidze's "Father of the Soldier," a film I appreciate for its human history and the incredible lead actor Sergo Zakariadze.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
