"It's a misconception that I'm a very funny giggler"

New versions of fairy tales have the right to life only when they make sense, and not a "vinaigrette" of special effects and attempts to please everyone at once, says the star of the film "Policeman from Rublevka," actor Sergei Burunov. He transfers the same principle to television. In the new detective reality series "Secret Millionaire" he saw not another show, but a story in the spirit of Agatha Christie. Burunov compares a month without phones, living in isolation and shooting in the contrasting Indian Jaipur with rehab and honestly admits that he would not have dared to do such a thing himself. The actor spoke about the filming of the project, belonging to the "club of anxious people" and the problems of the comedy genre in Russia in an interview with Izvestia.

"I did not expect that the participants would begin to transform in the same way as people in everyday life."

— "The Secret Millionaire" starts on February 15th. Usually viewers watch on TV how the stars undergo physical tests, but here is a story in the spirit of Agatha Christie novels. What is the special feature of this project for you?

— Because it's a detective reality show. I did not expect that the participants would begin to transform in the same way as people in everyday life. Money, of course, does wonders to people, and big money does wonders instantly. And these metamorphoses were happening.

— Were there any noticeable transformations when one of the participants surprised?

— Yes, but very thin. It's not like something has changed just like that. People were changing very delicately, literally before our eyes.

— Would you like to be in the place of the participants?

— No, I would not like to. Reality TV is very hard.

- why?

— Well, first of all, you have to live there for a long time. They had been staying in this palace for almost a month. Secondly, your phone is being taken away from you. This is at rehab (a rehabilitation center for people suffering from addictions. — Ed.) It looks like. That's why you're under a lot of stress all the time.

I haven't been sleeping well for years, and I don't think I would have slept there at all. Not only do you live in unusual conditions, but you also have to constantly think about who to suspect. This requires a healthy mind. And I'm a man from the anxiety club.

— Would it be easy for you to deceive other participants?

"Honestly?" I am a very empathetic person. I have this problem—although I don't know if it's a problem or not—but sometimes it gets in the way. I felt for them very much, but at the same time I had to keep a straight face.

— Which trials are particularly memorable?

— It was a very beautiful competition with balls. The chess test turned out to be difficult: I had to carry a chessboard and run. And for a while. All the tests there and the project itself as a whole are difficult. One big test.

"I knew it was going to be bad, but I didn't know it would be so soon."

— This is your first time in India as part of a reality show. How do you like the country?

— To be honest? Well, Jaipur is a city of contrasts, I would say so. I will never forget this 21 day.

— What memories did you bring with you to Moscow?

— How was it with Viktor Tsoi: "I knew it would be bad, but I didn't know it would be so soon."

— What was particularly shocking?

— Absolutely everything. I did not imagine that in the 21st century people could live in such inhumane conditions. Ruin, misery, poverty, unsanitary conditions. And I am a man of comfort and very clean. It was a huge stress for me.

— What stereotypes about India did you come to Jaipur with and which of them were dispelled during the filming?

— India is big. Unfortunately, I've never been anywhere but Jaipur. Therefore, I cannot say that I had any stereotypes. Quite the opposite: everything that people have told me about India has been confirmed. People weren't lying when they warned you to be on your guard.

— Did you watch Indian films in your youth? After all, they were incredibly popular in the Soviet Union — for example, "Disco Dancer", "Zita and Gita".

— Except that only in childhood. Raj Kapoor was incredibly popular in the Soviet Union. I still remember the lines from the movie "Mr. 420": "I'm dressed up like a picture, I'm in Japanese shoes, I'm in an English shirt, I'm open in a jacket." But modern Indian cinema is not close to me. I only knew about Bollywood, but there's also Tollywood, Kollywood, and Mollywood.

"I can't say that I glow like a light bulb all the time"

— I know that you twice refused the role of the king in "The Bremen Town Musicians" with the words: "The new version should either be done well, or rather even better, or not at all."

— Yes, I agree.

— How do you feel about the fact that many fairy tales have new versions today? Isn't there a sense of a conveyor belt in this passion?

— Please let new versions appear, if they make sense and have a clear idea. And when the new version adds everything at once — special effects, sound, video sequence, and at the same time you still need to reach the audience, you get a vinaigrette.

When everything gets mixed up, the main thing disappears — what is the fairy tale about? And the movie turns into fast food. And I don't like fast food. Because it's not tasty or healthy.

— Many of your comedy characters are funny, but they almost always have a breakdown, fatigue, or anxiety. Is it a conscious principle not to play pure comedy?

— Comedy is a very difficult genre. Anyway, we're playing people who have pain. We just cover up this pain with some things. Naturally, I broadcast my pain as well. And I have it, believe me. There's a lot of it.

— Are you more of a cheerful person in life, or a heavy, serious one?

— I can be both heavy and serious — different. I can't say that I glow like a light bulb all the time. Although many people think this way: Burunov is coming now — there will be laughter, fun, jokes, charades and contests. And he's sitting sad for some reason. What's the matter?

It's a misconception that I'm very funny and a giggler. I laugh when it's funny. But since we are from the "club of anxious people", the levels of cortisol and adrenaline are high, dopamine is not very high, and there is no serotonin at all.

— Do you have a feeling that comedy in movies and TV shows has become impoverished today? Or, on the contrary, has she become more honest and angrier?

— It has become difficult with the comedy genre now. It's hard to make sense, because what is there to joke and laugh about in the current situation? That's why it's not easy right now, not just with comedians. It became difficult with taste, with talent, with professionals. Not just with comedies, but with everything.

"Our profession is climbing a mountain without a top"

— You speak quite harshly about the falsity in the profession. Do you have an internal criterion by which you understand that the role was done honestly, even if it didn't turn out to be perfect?

— Do you understand what a thing: We don't have a standard. By what measure? By what criteria? And where is the benchmark — is the role well done or not? What matters is how honestly it was done. How sincere. That's what matters.

Our profession is climbing a mountain without a top. Therefore, it is impossible to say in advance whether the role will work out or not. We need to do everything possible and do it honestly and sincerely. As Pushkin said: "The truth of passions, the plausibility of feelings in the proposed circumstances."

— Would you agree to star in a low-budget movie if the script or character caught on?

"Why not?" If it resonates with me, if it's interesting, meaningful, and deep, then I'd love to.

— Which of your projects will be available soon?

— In the near future, "Secret Millionaire" will be released — a heroic project, I think. At least for me, for the participants and everyone who made it. We had a very interesting experience for 21 days.

The film "New Mother—in-Law", the sequel to the comedy "Mother-in-Law", will be released on March 5, 2026. It's going to be a whole new story. The action takes place six years later: Victor has a different wife and mother-in-law, and a twin brother appears.

We starred in the film together with Garik Kharlamov, Maria Aronova and Ekaterina Kovalchuk. There will be a lot of love, tenderness and warmth in it.

I played Garik Kharlamov's funny father—in-law, a cheerful uncle with long hair and a mustache who has not lost his ardor and passion for his wife. That's exactly what Maria Aronova and I are demonstrating in this movie.

The second part of "Kuzi's Housekeeper" will also be released. Of course, Garik Kharlamov and I gave our voices to these two charming creatures again: I to the housekeeper Kuzya, he to Nathan.