When Oleg Menshikov was in Riga where he presented his performance "Kitchen" to the Latvian audience, he gave an interview aired by the local radio station MIX FM 102,7. Some questions were taken from the Delfi Internet site where everyone could post his question.

- What do you feel on arriving to Riga? Do you have a feeling of coming abroad?
- I don't think anybody will be surprised if I say that, of course, I have this feeling. Even during the times of the Soviet Union, Riga was considered "a foreign place", and now it is official.
You know, when I am in Riga, I have this strange feeling: I always expect something to happen. And I can't say whether I expect a good or a bad thing. It's remarkable that after my each visit to Riga, interesting things happen to me. Therefore, I don't know what to expect this time.

- This time you have brought your performance "Kitchen" to Riga. This is the second staging of "Theatrical Company 814". Can you describe this group briefly: this is a theatre, an entreprise, who works in it?
- You know, the company was created about 5 years ago. Naturally, it is an entreprise company with the administration staff, but only a financial one and so on and so forth. As for production staff, people are invited for a certain performance. It happened so, that within all this time we staged "Woe From Wit", we played it for two years.
Then we said goodbye to Griboedov and staged a new performance. We have neither permanent troupe nor permanent production staff; and I think it is right, because today it is almost impossible for a theatre to exist on funds donated by the government. Entreprise is not a way out either, but it is a better thing than a state theatre.

- You placed an order for "Kitchen" and it was written by a Kiev author Maxim Kurochkin. Whose idea was it? What was your influence on the plot and the title?
- Well, let's put it this way, - of course, it's better to ask Maxim these questions, but my influence didn't go beyond the title. The title "Kitchen" is not a discovery in the history of the world dramatic art; there is nothing unusual and unexpected in it. But I had an idea, which Maxim transformed into something new - something absolutely new. I liked the scene of action; I liked the sight (the way I thought about it) of the things that took place in the "kitchen". All the rest was up to Maxim.

- Will the last performance of "Kitchen" be as hilarious as the one of "Woe From Wit"? How long do you plan to act it?
- You know, I can't say for how long the performance will be on. Everything starts to bore me quite soon, that's in my nature (laughs). Well, certainly, when we decide to say goodbye to "Kitchen", I think, we will do it with humour, because one should bid farewell to every performance with humour, just like to all the gone years… It is impossible to say goodbye to people with humour, although, maybe it's possible… And as for a performance, your work - you should do it smiling… We'll wait and see…

- "Woe From Wit" was released on video and then aired on TV. Will you do the same with "Kitchen"?
- You know, we have made a contract with RTR [the state Russian TV channel]. When the time comes, we will record it, of course. But it will be more laborious than the same work with "Woe From Wit", as here everything is more complicated with cameras and lighting. Certainly, we want to make a video version of the performance.

- What makes you think the performance is a success: critics' praises, enthusiastic reception of the audience, flowers, ovations, or some inner feeling?
- The inner feeling, of course. What I like most in the performances we stage (take "Woe From Wit" or "Kitchen"), is the fact that they were born… well, so to speak, to be alive. Like people, they develop and grow. Watch a first performance, a tenth and then a twentieth one - you will see three different performances. I don't know, maybe there is the same thing in other theatres too.
I don't care much about it now. What I care about is the destiny of the performances. And the thing is - I am absolutely sure about it - they grow and improve. I can't say when a performance becomes a finished thing, because every actor can feel it any minute. But, at any rate, no critics or ovations can influence it.

- Do spectators need to look for "Nibelungenlied" now or everyone can understand it without reading the epos?
- I believe, we can't demand from the audience to be ready and read "Nibelungenlied" before coming to see the performance. This is stupid! Why is it this very epos then? There are many songs, legends, historic eposes. It's just that this very epos was chosen by Maxim. Therefore, we have Siegfried, Gunther, Krimhild, Brunhild… He knew it. That's where he was the king. And so to speak, he invited a couple of other kings to the creative work. That was his idea. And I really think, those who come to our performance don't need to know "Nibelungenlied".
Yes, it may seem intricate to somebody, but I understand it perfectly well. If you start follow the logic, create some "witty" scheme, you can get lost very soon, because at some point the story turns into some "musical story". I don't mean the reproduction of music, I mean… Well, when we listen to music, we don't look for some logic in it. It exerts influence upon us on the emotional level. We don't understand words, notes; we perceive it as the whole. It can pressure, or, on the contrary, enthuse - something happens to us. So, I think, this can be said about "Kitchen".

- Speaking about music, you said once that while listening to music you relax. How do you choose music for your performances? What music do you listen to: some radio station or records?
- Well, you know, I have already got used to the fact that music is always playing around me - in the car, at home. There is no place to hide from it. How do I choose music for a performance? Everything happens by intuition. For example, we have music by Dvorzhak… well, this theme flashes out for a couple of times. I heard it at Abbado's concert (that's when we were discussing "Kitchen" already) and I realized that his music should be in this performance. There is also Boris Grebenshikov's music [he is a modern rock-musician]. Actually, I am sure he is the only one who could compose original music to this play. The composition that can be heard in the end of the second act was chosen by intuition: a duo from Verdi's "La Forza del Destino". I didn't know the contents - the contents of the opera are not interesting to me, what interests me is the music. And then it turned out, that piece has a bit in common with the plot of our performance. So you see, the intuition doesn't always let down.

- How often do you travel through the internet? Do you visit sites dedicated to you and your performances? Who created the official site of TT814? What was your role in it?
- You know, as far as I know, the official site is closed now.

- No, it's not. It exists.
- Really?.. I don't know… Oh! I guess, they tried to create my official site, yes-yes-yes! There was such an idea. But the most part of questions asked there was for me. You've asked, how often do I travel through the internet. The fact is I never travel through it at all. I don't even know how to do it. But frankly speaking, it is not very interesting for me. I see some abnormality in it - in such associations between people. To me, they can do it if they want to. But it doesn't attract me at all. In fact, I don't really like to hear people discuss me, and to read it when you need to switch something on… No! That's too much!

- What are you afraid of?
- Stupidity.

- What is your dream?
- My dream is trite, you know. I just want to travel across the globe.

- Vysotsky said, "A friend is a person you can say the most disgusting thing about yourself to." Do you have friends? Are they from the theatre world or do something else?
- Yes, sure, I have friends, like every normal person. I guess, it's true that you can share the most disgusting things about yourself with a friend; but he also should know the most wonderful things. Then he is a real friend. We often want to say something bad about ourselves, and people listen to us with pleasure. But if you share something nice with a person, and he is sincerely glad to hear it, then he is a true friend.

- Should I talk my son out of entering a theatrical institute if my main argument is the lack of any connections in this sphere? I don't believe that a "mere mortal" can become an actor without any good connections.
- What can I say?.. Of course, he can! If I knew who this is about, I could say something definite. But it's wrong to think that people enter theatrical institutes only thanks to good connection or money. Many talented people become students thanks to their talent.

- Oleg, why don't you act in comedies? You have a sad face and the role of some loser or, on the contrary, lucky swindler would be good for you.
- Well, if they offer me such a role, I would play it with pleasure. Comedies are my dream. But I don't like the quality of the comedies they offer me now. Let's hope, it'll happen in the future.

- Oleg, does it happen sometimes that you can't imagine yourself in a role? Do you refuse then or try to cope with it? What is your choice based on? Are you the one who choose or is chosen?
- What is it based on? At first, they choose me to offer me a role. Then I decide whether to accept an offer or not. You know, there are many nuances. There are directors I can work with no matter what. Screenplays and roles mean a lot… There are many factors.

- There are many rumours about Stephen Spielberg's offer, about the series based on a Russian rock-opera. In addition, they talk about Nikita Mikhalkov's TV project based on "Fandorin's adventures" by Boris Akunin. What do you think about these projects? Did you get any offers?
- About Spielberg - that's nonsense. About the Mexican series, I read about it in a plane, no one had told me anything about it before. That's also a fib. Well, maybe they want to offer me something, but I don't know anything about it yet. As for "Fandorin" and Nikita Mikhalkov's work on this film, that's the truth. But it is not a TV project. Now Alexander Adabashyan is shooting a serial based on "Azazel", Fandorin is young in it. And Nikita Sergeevich will negotiate with Akunin and then either write a new script or shoot a film based on one of his novels. If it happens, we'll work.

- Do you like books by Akunin?
- You know, I began to read Akunin later than everybody else did. I took his books after he said he couldn't imagine anyone but me in the role of Fandorin. That's when I got interested. Frankly speaking, I was reading the books avidly. I think, it is a very good literature - fiction of the highest level. Boris Akunin takes his fame very adequately and doesn't demand any veneration or some special treatment from the others, and I like that.

- What do you think about Fandorin? What do you think about the way his personality changed from "Azazel" to the latest novels?
- Actually, there, like in any other detective story, it's impossible to trace some special development and growth of character, outlook. Is it necessary at all? This is a special sort of literature, a special sort of cinema. I can just say that I would play Fandorin with great pleasure (especially if I have to work with Nikita Mikhalkov).

- There are also rumours saying that Mikhalkov is about to shoot the sequel of "Burnt By The Sun". And you will be "raised from the dead" in it.
- Yes! It is really so. Now they work on the script of the second part of "Burnt By The Sun". They will raise me from the dead. As far as I understand, Mikhalkov is interested in the war and people, in their relations during this war. Well, let him shoot!

- The other day Victor Suvorov [a writer, a former secret service man] was in Riga. What's your opinion about his version that Stalin planned to conquer Europe and Hitler just struck a warning blow? How can you interpret your character's life during the war in this case?
- That's very complicated. Frankly speaking, I haven't read Suvorov… or have I?.. anyway, it was long ago. Well, how can this thing change the interpretation of my character? He is not Stalin, is he? I don't know…

- You worked in the West for a long time. Didn't they invite you to Hollywood after all the successful films of yours?
- They did, the things they offered me don't do them any credit (laughs). Those were either bad scripts or bad roles. Well, there were a couple of roles I could play… But, you know, their notion about Russia and the Russians… Do I need it? I don't say it's bad; it's just that we have different points of view on this subject.
I can't do things written in their scripts simply because that's a lie. And it seems people have no idea about what they are doing. However, there were some more tempting offers, but I didn't like something in them. No, it's not even "I didn't like", - I guess, I just didn't want to do it, that's all.

- Not long ago Vladimir Mashkov, your partner in the film "Mama", showed up with Robert De Niro in the film "15 Minutes". He was 'killed' during the 15th minute of the film. If you were offered a similar role in a film with Marlon Brando, would you agree?
- You know, I don't think I'd agree to just show up. If I were offered a role or at least some good episode with Marlon Brando, of course, I would say yes. But in the opposite case, I would decline the offer, of course, but I would ask permission to come to the set just to watch Marlon Brando work.

- Or maybe make friends with him and launch some mutual project?
- Certainly, I could dare try it. But from what I heard about him - it's rather hard to get into contact with him. Just to sit and watch him would be enough for me.

- Are you a superstitious man; do you believe in signs? Many actors have special rituals before coming onstage…
- There was such a thing. However, you know, as years pass by, I pay less attention to it. Superstitions disappear from my life.

- An important question about the future of the Russian cinema. Can you name any young actors who may replace those Titans who gradually leave the screen and, unfortunately, this world? Can the Russian cinema revive and attract millions of viewers to movie theatres as it used to do?
- Sure, it can. But I don't know how long it may take and what direction may be chosen. As for young actors, there are many of them. But there is a problem. Where can they show up? Not in any serials, right? Or any poor stagings? Every young actor needs good directing, good material (and classics are the best!). In order to give, one should get something first. And in my opinion, this process is deranged now. Young actors' reference points are displaced, and I don't quite understand, what they are turned to. That's not their fault, that's their trouble. But things will be sorted out.

- This is very important for Latvia, as now we have one or two new films per year. So there is no way young actors can show their worth!
- Well, it's not that bad in Moscow… Although, what does it mean - "not that bad"?... Instead of films, there are so many serials. It is impossible to watch them, but that's a semblance of some work. I don't even know what's better - maybe it's better to have two films per year than that quantity of serials!

- Now there are many complaints that the future of cinema is very obscure. It comes to the Internet, becomes digital and computerized. What's your opinion about it?
- I don't think cinema will be computerized and inter… internetized (laughs). Take, for instance, Lars von Trier and his "Dogma", "Idioterne", let alone "Dancer In The Dark" - a fantastic film! And there is nothing of the kind in these films. He insists that cinema should stay cinema. Europeans try to save it. As for Americans…
When they say about the crisis of the Russian cinema, - the American one is in the same condition! Name a modern Hollywood film equal to "Deer Hunter"! There is no such film. They used to make great films, and what about now? '"Gladiator" - the best film of the year'? Well, excuse me… So I think they'll get over all that computer things, everything will come back. They'll take cameras, set lighting for a long time and film beautifully…

- And the last question, what is the secret of your success? What is Oleg Menshikov's secret?
- You know, when people ask me this question, I always repeat - I try not to lie to myself; I try to live honestly, in chime with myself. I think this is the most important thing.