On December 22 the film "East-West" was finally premiered in Kostanay (Kazakhstan). The final credits were not finished yet, but we were already afraid of being mistaken in the actor. He would come up onstage in a few moments - and would damp down the tragedy of his character with unintentional banality - a common feature of such meetings. A first question, a second… Thank God, neither the film nor the meeting with the idol disappointed the audience.


East, West and Menshikov

- I met the director of this film during the film festival "Kinotavr" in Sotchi. He wanted me to act in his film. There Regis Wargnier also met Sergey Bodrov, and this story was conceived. It may be partly fictitious. But I know there were stories better and worse, happy and horrible. Like in every epoch. Screenplay is a creative thing, it presupposes fantasy. Besides, the film was made by Frenchmen, not Russians. Respect towards our country with which Wargnier made the film is prepossessing. And I'm bowing down to the ground before him for that. There is neither craftiness nor tall tale in it.

- Was it hard to act?
- "Hard" is not the right word. In fact, I enjoy doing my work a lot. But I wouldn't wish an enemy to act speaking a foreign language. You are constantly afraid of letting your partner down, of saying a wrong phrase. Sound is recorded right away there, so when I mispronounced just one word, we had to re-shoot the whole take. I was constantly tensed; moreover I had to play something - love, suffering…

- How did you communicate with French actresses?
- The same way as with Russian ones. "French women" - the idea of them being something special was inculcated in us. Well, we have more beautiful women (joking). The same thing was with the French perfume. You had a bottle of it and you turned from a human into a celestial.

- What about Catherine Deneuve?
- You know, she could also be an Italian woman. I never watched her career closely. But then I met her - and at that informal meeting I was greatly impressed. And I am not surprised at all that she was proclaimed the living legend of the French cinema. This actress is so womanly. She has such charm, such grander… Well, she is the queen, that's all.

- Say something in French.
- I swear, I can't. (The audience didn't believe and laughed. Menshikov thanked.) Can you imagine it when French people ask me to do it? The boy who played my son came up to me once and began speaking French with me. I stood there thinking, "Well, well, little one, go on". They explained to him, "He doesn't speak French". The boy walked away. Then the boy and I were to play in a take and I began to speak… When everything was over, I suddenly noticed two red teary eyes staring at me from a corner. That was the first time I understood everything what he was saying to me. Without translation, "You lied to me…"

- Don't you think that your roles in "Burnt By The Sun", "East-West" are of the same type?
- I was told about it already. I was also told that Kostik from "The Pokrovskie Gate" stuck strongly to me… After all, all of them have the same parent. That's true. Well, they are alike. You know, I don't feel like proposing riddles to the audience. Even if they didn't recognize me, what would be of that? You know, there is a constant controversy in the art: what is important - "what" or "how"? A wise man said that "who" is important in the art. Deceased Oleg Borisov didn't use make-up or some art of transformation. It was not because he didn't want to. He didn't need it. He came onstage and no one could take their eyes off him. There are others like him. Innokenty Mikhalych Smoktunovsky, who was a born actor. That's simply an acting type. It doesn't worry me at all that my characters seem alike. I live my life. That's the way of communicating with the world that I chose. Through my roles, meetings given me by life; through directors, actors I cognize myself.

- What do you like more being an actor or a theatre director?
- I don't - and this is not coquetry - consider myself a director. I just invite people I like and who like me I hope to work together. If tomorrow I am not able to do that for some reason, then I won't.

- When did you play your first role?
- I was a third year student, I was 18. There was a film "I Wait And Hope", I played a guerilla. It was a naive film about the war; but for me these are touching memories.

- Why did you become an actor?
- This is something I can't understand to this day. I had no theatre shocks in childhood; I never participated in amateur theatricals. I was going to enter the Moscow University or somewhere else. Someone brought me a note with the rules of admission to the acting faculty of the Shepkin Higher Drama School. I prepared a poem, a fable; recited everything. And they told me - ok, young man, bring your papers.

- How could you play a seventeen-year-old cadet Tolstoy in "The Barber Of Siberia"?
- Why is he exactly seventeen? There could have been student of rather mature age in the Alexander military school. But of course, not at the age of 40. It was not the age that was hard to play. The most important thing was to grasp something internal. If it could be done, then everything would be okay. When Mikhalkov said, "So will we take a risk?" - I asked him, "What stops you?" "Well, we'll take the years away", - he answered, - "But how will we hide the eyes?" That was the truth - we couldn't hide the experience I gained with years behind contact lenses.

- What was your work with Sandrine Bonnaire like?
- Sandrine is great. Actually when foreign actors start doing something they become very firm. That is a big advantage of theirs. This is something we lack. 'Oh, talent will help us get through!' In fact, it doesn't always help.

- You are so tired, we are sorry for torturing you with questions. There is a phrase - "If you have come up onstage - do your best then". Do you always follow it?
- This is a good phrase. Lately the responsibility for the profession has begun to disappear. Actors keep making claims on somebody. But the first person you should make claims on is yourself. You came up onstage - and that's it, no one cares about anything then. Then you'll be explaining in your memoirs why you failed.

- Every successful film is a joint project? Why is that? Is it impossible to make a Russian film without it?
- I am not an economist, I don't know… But everyone wanted to go there, to become famous there. I guess, we outgrew that. We want to have something good at home too.

- Are you familiar with Kazakh cinema?
- No. I would give the same answer about Russian cinema. There is no such thing as "Russian cinema" today.


This frank reserved idol

- Were you really taken hostage during the shooting of "Prisoner Of The Mountains"?
- I found out I was being held hostage when I was in Moscow. They just announced that in a news program. They didn't even make certain it was true. They just said it. Can you imagine what my Mum felt?

- What do you think about journalists?
- Nothing bad actually. For some reason I am considered to ignore and hate them. I don't ignore them… It's just that sometimes journalists have some particular qualities that annoy me. For example, they are impolite or anxious to worm themselves into things they shouldn't even come close to. Nothing is forbidden in their opinion. But every person who considers himself moral should stick to the opposite. Actually, such qualities would annoy me regardless of the profession. But for some reason, there are more such people among journalists.

- Still you are considered very reserved.
- That is another fable. The point is I can't be like… There are several people, who are literally everywhere. You can meet them at every party, at every event. That's their way of life - attending these parties; but this is abnormal, really… When I have to attend some event for some reason - I'm there. But in fact, it is not too interesting at all - everyone laughs, smokes, drinks champagne, pretends to be having a good time. Well, if you want to have a good time, gather your friends - it'll be 20 times more fun.

- Were you a member of the audience watching a film long ago?
- Oh, yeah. Friends picked me up - that's the only possible way to drag me somewhere. I can't even remember now what the film was about. Some heads were sabred.

- If a viewer leaves the cinema hall, does it show the value of a film?
- I don't think so. People go to the cinema to have some rest as well. It's OK unless it interferes with the others. Besides, not everyone can like everything, tastes differ.

- Do you live more for theatre or cinema?
- I live neither for theatre nor for theatre. I live my own life. And theatre and cinema help me to understand my life.

- Don't you think you have become a socially significant person lately?
- Good Lord, no!

- But they are interested in what you think and listen to what you say.
- Well, it's good if I can transmit something… Everyone hears things he wants to hear. And the more people want to listen to me, the more responsibility it is for me. Sometimes it is pleasant, sometimes it is less pleasant. But I am glad that it may be interesting for somebody to talk to me.

- Are you on friendly terms with politicians?
- I can't say that, no.

- What do think about talented people of art go into politics?
- I think it's normal. But I don't want to have something to do with politics. Things that are not always moral are not interesting for me. It is my point of view. They can have some other one.

- Don't you think that for them politics is the way to continue acting, some roles they didn't play onscreen?
- Probably. But they play with fates there, they should take a big responsibility. Or forget about some personal qualities.

- Is it possible to speak about some national Russian idea featured in every film of yours? Take for instance those directed by Mikhalkov.
- Nikita Sergeevich is obsessed with the idea of national revival of Russia. I can only welcome that. I embody it within my role. And he puts it on a higher level.

- Is there a director in whose film you would agree to play any role?
- Mikhalkov.

- How long would you like to live?
- As long as I am destined to. That's our fate, but I am sure we can change it for the better. How? It may sound banal, but I try to never lie. Neither to the others nor to myself. I try to respect myself and the others. As soon as you lie once and make something hoping to get through… You won't. Somehow somewhen life will return it to you.

P.S. The gift was really precious - Menshikov in Kostanay. Thanks. There is no disappointment, but there is a bitter regret. Because the cinema hall was lit up badly. (As Oleg Evgenyevich joked, anyone could have been standing there. Nothing could have been seen from the third row.) Because journalists couldn't have a thorough talk with a famous, smart, intelligent man. There was a chance, and "thanks" to the press-conference organizers it was lost. We had to look like those journalists, the actor mentioned so unflattering - ill-bred, interrupting one another trying to ask a question. A short one, for there were only 10 minutes for 15 journalists. The meetings with the audience before and after the film saved us from a professional failure. So, everyone who was there is a co-author of this article.