"I don't look at skirts — I look women exclusively in the eyes"
Nikita Kologrivy is one of the most sought-after artists today, who manages to release up to two dozen projects per year. He is convinced that mathematical calculation destroys living art, and genuine success gives rise only to sincere courage. "For "the sake of becoming the leader of the Gaza Strip group, he fell in love with punk rock, compensated for the lack of weight for the role of the obese Baron Pampa in the large-scale fantasy "It's Hard to be a God" with frenzied charisma, and in the sixth season of the comedy sitcom "Daddy's Daughters. Novye", which will premiere on STS on October 16, remained himself. Nikita Kologrivy spoke about the secrets of phenomenal performance, responsibility to the musical fan community and willingness to try on the most unexpected roles in an exclusive interview with "Izvestia".
"How did I get to "Daddy's Daughters"? By fraud"
— You have made your debut in a new genre for yourself — a sitcom. Moreover, in the role of himself. Are Nikita Kologrivy different people in reality and on the screen?
— I hope not, and the audience will see my new sides. I intentionally exaggerated the image along with the director and the producers. We were ironic about my personality, some flaws or character traits. I think the audience will be pleasantly surprised: people will have fun, they will laugh. That was the goal.
— So this is Nikita from real life?
— The real one, exactly the same as it is now. However, my understudy is sitting in front of you — a copy for close-ups. He's always fresher and more beautiful than me (laughs).
— Self-irony, apparently, your hero got an abundance.
"What about the Mane?" Yes, of course, absolutely! But the scriptwriters, I tell you, did not spare. They added a spoonful of tar, well done.
— Have you watched "Daddy's Daughters"? Have you ever thought that you will star in a sequel?
— I am familiar with this project and I remember the song perfectly.: "His daddy's daughters… Pam-pam-pam." But I never thought that I would find myself inside this story. I love this series, and also Alexander Oleshko. When we met, he was just wondering if I had seen the old episodes. I'm glad that the sitcom has now received a second life. It's a great topic. I have a daughter growing up myself. I hope Yesenia will watch it too. She's a "daddy's daughter," after all. Therefore, for me it is in a sense a missionary project.
— How did you get to the "Daddy's Daughters"?
— By fraud. I had to call someone and make an appointment with someone. It wasn't easy to get the role of Kologrivy (laughs). But seriously, the guys called and asked, "How would you like us to write such a line?" I replied, "With pleasure. Come on."
Actor Nikita Kologrivy and his daughter Yesenia
— Today, family projects are increasingly receiving sequels and full-length versions. In your opinion, which is more difficult to keep — the nostalgia of the old audience or the attention of the new one?
— Of course, to win new ones. You know, it's harder to make a first impression in life. Growing up with your audience is one thing. And here it is necessary to anticipate the desires of an unfamiliar audience and try to get into their hearts.
I believe that any honest work — good, kind — will find a response. And it doesn't matter if it's a sequel or a full meter. In any case, we offer a fresh perspective, and that's great. Perhaps the younger generation will want to see the original, which preceded the novelty, in order to understand how it all began. That's why it's great that such pictures are emerging. Let them live.
"No realistic film can beat magic in our country"
— You have 16 films this year.
"That's all?"
— A third of the characters are fairy—tale characters. Even in the advertisement for the new picture, behind the scenes it sounds: "The fabulous artist Nikita Kologrivy."
— I'm fabulous! I love this genre and I am very glad that I am invited to such projects. I think this kind of cinema is necessary and right. That's why fairy tales are breaking rental records. No realistic movie can beat magic here. That's the answer. It's great that Nikita Kologrivy is starring in them.
Nikita is the key to commercial success.
— The main secret, it seems to me, is honest and cool creativity. That is all. If the team gives their best with joy, then the audience gets pleasure. And when producers try to calculate everything, predict everything, and apply dry analytics to art, wondering who will go to which movie, it's a failure. You just need to understand what you're here for, bring together cool people, and do what you have to do.
— In the film adaptation of the Strugatsky novel "It's Hard to be a God" you play one of the main roles — Baron Pampa. What was the most difficult part of building this image?
— You know, the catch is that in the book he is described as an obese, huge, loud-mouthed man. I'm still a little bit different in build. Therefore, I had to use what I know best, my temperament. I compensated for his physical breadth with inner content. He created the image of a kind of berserker — a man who was ready to instantly draw his sword if his honor or the dignity of his wife, the baroness, was affected. Pampa is a hereditary noble. I'm sure it turned out to be a great character, the work came out strong.
— Andrey Zolotarev said that this is the coolest and most high-tech project on our screen. Having immersed yourself in the process, can you agree with this statement?
— Yes, quite. Firstly, the filming took place in Iran. It's enough just to put the camera in the desert — and no more artificial backgrounds are needed. Real nature. Secondly, the scale of the site in "Moskino" just amazed me, I had never seen anything like it before. When you get into a space like this, you immediately realize that there should be no mistake. Plus, we've got a wonderful cast.
"I haven't heard a single "Gaza Strip" song
— Among the new works there is also a biopic about the band "Gaza Strip", where you played Yuri Khoy. Were you a fan of this band?
"Never." That's the paradox: I hadn't heard a single one of their songs, didn't know a single word or rhyme. In principle, I wasn't interested in such a musical direction, punk rock is not my thing at all. I grew up listening to classical rap, hip-hop, and club electronic music. I needed to truly love this work, which turned out to be an extremely difficult task.
— Have you found what's bothering you?
— Absolutely. Now I realize how much irony there is in all this. First, it is important to be clearly aware of the context of that time and the reasons for the band's popularity. An amazing contrast came out. The creators told me this: "Nikita, you are a punk rocker in the cinema, and Hoi was one in music. We want you to convey this essence." It got me hooked. I thought: "Wow, a punk rocker in a movie? We must agree."
Naturally, I started actively listening to tracks and learning lyrics. And over time, I realized that Yuri Khoi is a unique phenomenon and an incredibly talented person. Self-critical, ironic, who has followed his own special path. And, like many bright representatives of the genre, he left too soon.
""Guys from the fan community came up to me on the playground and told me, 'Nikitos, we often visit his grave, we constantly go to Voronezh.' Because of this, I felt a huge responsibility to the audience. Many people were waiting for the picture, many criticized it in advance, and that's right. We used such reviews to adjust the image to make it as authentic as possible, and delved even deeper into the material. It gave a powerful creative kick.
— Where else can we see you in the near future?
— Oh, you know, I don't remember all the projects I starred in and which will be released this year. But, as you correctly noted, there will be many releases. I hope the amount of work won't make me lose the quality of execution. I'm sure of it.
"Nikita" Kologrivy, actor, filming the film "Sankya" at the film park "Moskino"
— And how do you choose which to give preference to?
"Nothing." I'll take what they send.
— When they bring you the scripts, do you immediately give the go-ahead?
— Most likely, yes. They bring me good scripts more often. The industry understands that I definitely shouldn't be offered. I'm lucky.
"I look at what women need, and I immediately understand everything — unfortunately for them"
— Not so long ago, Moscow was covered with posters of the premiere with your participation — "Don Juan" at the Variety Theater. I went to the second show and noticed that the audience was fully prepared. The girls specially bought seats at the aisle. They knew Nikita Kologrivy would be walking by, and they had prepared skirts with slits on the right side in advance.
— What are you talking about? I hadn't noticed. I never look at skirts — I always look at women exclusively in the eyes.
— They wanted to seduce. Just like you seduce your role mates. What did you put into this image, besides the fact that it easily charms women?
— The fact that this man knows how to play and change forms. He's an absolute actor. Moliere created a story about an artist. The work, in my opinion, is about how a man with thousands of masks still remains deeply lonely and unhappy. Don Juan is able to transform, invent, and be different with each new companion. For one, he will turn out to be smart, for another — athletic, for the third — a bully, for the fourth — a nerd. I'm ready to become anything to gain favor.
But that's why he gets bored. The hero perfectly understands the rules of the game and knows how to win favor, and that's why he's lonely — he wants unconditional love, not a structured one. Unfortunately, as a strategist, he is a fool. I consider him a deeply tragic figure.
"Really?"
—Oh, come on. In fact, everything was very easy, I didn't have to pretend anything. Everything is in real life. I'm an observant person: I look at what women need, and I immediately understand everything — unfortunately for them.
— Why do you love your job?
— For the people who work in it. I think they are huge enthusiasts, huge hard workers and very interesting personalities. I completely agree with Fyodor Sergeyevich Bondarchuk, who once said: "We are not filmmakers, we are cinematographers." If you take a strong film crew, put it in the conditions of any other business — for example, an office one — and let them adapt, these people will give professionals a head start in any direction. It's all thanks to their insane drive and dedication.
— Did you go to the productions of your colleagues?
— I'm trying to walk. The last performance I attended as a spectator was my own "Don Juan".
— When do you rest?
— When I watch the work of my colleagues, I watch movies and listen to music. I also relax in the company of smart, intelligent people.
— Do you have time for this?
— I reboot right during the process. Since there are no days off, I've learned how to turn life itself into leisure. First of all, I love what I do, and I don't burn out internally. I get tired only physically, but never mentally. There is no such thing as me coming home and cursing everything in the world with thoughts: "God, why am I doing this?" I'm just tired of my body. I just need to get some sleep, get some vitamins, and that's it.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
