Oleg Menshikov have wandered lone through the dull desert of the world and appeared as Lermontov’s Demon in the hit premiere of this autumn.

Dusk. Thunder is about to crash out. Friday, the 11th. We are at the 38th kilometer of the Novorizhskoye highway and wait for Oleg Menshikov. 30 minutes pass by – he hasn’t come yet. Dangerous thoughts come to my mind: our star is tired of the weekend traffic jams, might have turned back and, probably, drove home… And suddenly, out of nowhere, a dark violet Gelendwagen emerges in front of us, the back door opens, and there He is. He shakes hand firmly, smiles charmingly, and says softly: “Oleg!”, and sparkles with the most hazel eyes in the world. One eye seems to be kind, the other – a bit angry. The celestial, whose descriptions always start with “doesn’t” – doesn’t visit social occasions, doesn’t answer phone calls, doesn’t give interviews, doesn’t like, doesn’t want…
He wears a black suit, a white shirt and black shoes – everything just like we asked. Why asked? Because he never allows stylists around him – he is a stylist to himself. He doesn’t speak to anyone during the photo session, doesn’t drink or eat anything. The professional. He had his photos taken, got into the car and disappeared, having sparkled good-bye with the same most hazel eyes in the world. Just as if he has never been here. As if it was just a mirage. And as soon as the varnished Gelendwagen with the number 909 disappeared, the thunder struck. Isn’t he the Demon?
From the poem by Mikhail Lermontov: “His mighty gaze held fast her eyes! And burnt her. In the cloistered shade he glinted poised above her, shining. Inevitable as a blade. The evil spirit overcomes her!”
From the chat after the premiere of “Woe From Wit”: “Alena Z: And his glance is such… freezing… natural horror film. But he had never looked at me”.
From the diary of a Japanese fan at the site menshikov.ru: “At about 11:40, a foreigner appeared at the arrival gate. I knew at once, who he was. Yes, it was Oleg. He was alone and carried two big bags on his shoulders. By himself! He was wearing a pale blue cotton shirt, a sweater and jeans. I don't remember what he was wearing on his feet, but I think those were not sneakers. And he was wearing a fine gold necklace. He was so beautiful! He was incredibly beautiful! What luck! Now I’m going to Moscow to see his performance ‘Kitchen’.” *
We don’t have a more celebrated and mysterious actor, than Oleg Menshikov. He is our pride, our glory and our hard currency. Like oil, gold and diamonds. He was able to turn his life into a legend full of secrets and rumors, and his career – into a PR-project. And take this.
“I have never taken any efforts to do it. The journalists have done it all on their own and keep doing the entire PR job for me. And I’m really grateful for that”.
We sit in an extremely expensive restaurant, though initially arranged our meeting in a different place. Oleg postponed the interview three times, and before that – the photo session about five times. The person difficult to catch, genius of inconstancy, “master of disappearance”, as he was once written about.
Five years ago, in the interview for the first issue of the Vogue Russian edition, he confessed he didn’t need theatre and it was stuffy and boring there. Since then, he has produced three performances: “Woe From Wit”, “Kitchen” and “Gamblers”, which arose a storm of indignation on the part of the snobbish critics. Back then he also said he couldn’t find any coincidence with modern directors – and now he plays the Demon in the production of the chief capital’s provoker Kirill Serebrennikov. He doesn’t like TV-series because of their terrifying quality, but in July he finished shooting in the British detective series “Prime Suspect 6”, in which he plays an ophthalmologist from ex-Yugoslavia. Why? “I wanted to change the environment, to divert and dive into something different. And I have no regrets. I had a wonderful company – Ingeborga [Dapkunaite – translator’s note], Helen Mirren, a famous actress, who has just received some title granted by the Queen”.

Serebrennikov and Menshikov are unified by love for action: “Actually, I don’t like to listen. If a dialog on the stage or screen lasts 15 minutes, I get bored. I lose the thread of events. Why watch, if it’s easier to read a book. And Kirill has both action and idea. Maybe it’s not always easy to decode it, but even if it arouses pure emotions, it is enough for me”.
“And about what is your ‘Demon’?”
“About love, about solitude – they always are at each other’s side. About responsibility for one’s deeds. No matter how much the Demon wanted to love, he committed evil, rebelled against the One who can never be rebelled against. He will have to be responsible for that. For ages. I’m startled by the people who always lament: “Good Lord, why are you doing this to me?” Well, what do you mean – why? Sit and think for about half an hour, and you will understand”.
During the first public run-through of “The Demon”, a stone weighing about 30 kilos broke loose from a rope and slashed Menshikov’s upper lip. Bleeding, with the face dead of pain, he played to the end, and then all night long drove about Moscow with his driver Aleksei searching for a place to stitch the wound. Now he has a neat 1 centimeter scar. Everybody immediately said: “Well, the demon mocked or Lermontov got angry”. In addition, Serebrennikov interpreted the word “demon” at one of the rehearsals: D – day, N – night, E, M and O – the actor’s initials. Menshikov only smiles:
“I’m not superstitious. And not inclined to see different signs. But there’s a belief among actors: never to play dying people, Yegor Bulychev** for instance, and I know two cases when people passed away after this role. When you take someone’s fate too close, it pushes out inside of you, but since I always try to keep distance with a character, I was only hit by the fastening on the lip. And that’s all… Besides, the Demon is not a human, he is immortal”.
Future projects? First of all, “Burnt by the Sun 2”, which Mikhalkov promised to release by May 9, 2005, and where Menshikov’s hero, who has committed suicide, must be brought to life again somehow. By the way, isn’t he the Demon? Second, “The State Councilor”, which Menshikov was going to direct: “Nikita Sergeyevich offered, and during all last summer I was writing a director’s script. And I have written it. But despite our warm relations, I can’t simply come and say: ‘Well, let’s begin, I’m ready’. I wrote it and waited, but they seem to have taken my waiting for a polite refusal. And if it happened so, it should be this way”. As a result “The Councilor” will be directed by Philipp Yankovsky. Menshikov agreed to play Fandorin: “Why not, if the team will be good? But I don’t go into hysterics about it”.
In June Menshikov received the Government telegram informing that he was granted the title of the National Artist of Russia. But the laureate himself is strictly against any titles – “Only firemen should have them in theatre”. And he doesn’t consider himself an artist: “I am rather an organizer of the process, theatre worker, who may perform or may not. And I generally might not be an artist”.
The fact that acting is a tiresome, nervous and dependent activity, Menshikov realized still a young man, traveling from theatre to theatre hoping to find more interesting roles. He got a stomach ulcer, and at the age of 29 left repertory theatre for good. “Freedom is the determining factor for me”. And not simply left, but established Theatrical Company 814 – 8 stands for Oleg’s date of birth, and 14 – for his partner’s. It is rumored that one of the sponsors of the project is Boris Berezovsky, with whom Menshikov has always been on good terms: “Boris Abramovich is a rare person of tremendous energy and always full of ideas. It’s a pity he is deprived of the opportunity to serve the country. But he never helped our company. Once I tried to ignite him with some theatrical idea, but I failed – it’s not his cup of tea. Just imagine a chemist coming to me and displaying his formulas”.
Not an actor, not a director, not a National Artist. But then who is he, Oleg Yevgenievich Menshikov? He is the person valuing life, knowing how to enjoy it and share this precious knowledge with others. It becomes more obvious when we are joined by Kirill Serebrennikov, with whom Oleg wanted to discuss the release of “The Demon” in September. Everything changes instantly, our table is invaded by the dishes of the Mediterranean cuisine, and one white fragrant wine changes another – with Oleg’s indispensable comment: “This one is drier, isn’t it?” Topics, jokes, anecdotes scatter like confetti. The three of us spent three and a half hours at table – all at Menshikov’s expense. Company for him is the most important. After each premiere he invites about 50 guests – actors, friends, designer Igor Chapurin, who permanently works with him – invents some show and parties till dawn.
“Yes, we were actually rehearsing in a restaurant. In the morning Oleg comes to the theatre and announces that today is St. Peter and Paul’s Day and it is a sin to work. As a result we all go to ‘Pushkin’***”, Serebrennikov complains, but admits that it was Menshikov who cultivated gourmet and sportsman in him. Now he goes to fitness club and easily tells good carpaccio from bad one.
“Of course, you must invest into yourself and good lifestyle”, Menshikov supports the talk. “How else it can be? What do you need money for? It is said: money is evil, it means you must get rid of it”.

Twice a week in any weather Oleg Menshikov plays soccer in the open stadium in Luzhniki with his colleagues, among them are “Volodya Iliyn, Pasha Safonov, Maxim Kurochkin keeps the goal just like Yashin****”. Once a week he plays tennis with “the wonderful Marat Basharov”. Also, there are such pleasures – in other words, ways to get rid of money – as banya (often), restaurant (oftener), casino (significantly rarer and mainly abroad), and shopping (always). “I like to dress well. There was a time, I was buying things in huge amounts, and after that didn’t know what to do with them. Now I take three or four variants for a season, and everything is perfect – no stuffed wardrobes and no problem whom to give things”.
“Do you drive a car?”
“What do you think, I ride motorcycle also. Recently I’ve bought chopper Yamaha Drag Star 1100. I’ve dreamed about it all my life, but for the past ten years I was only constantly told it was dangerous. But the desire was strong, and I said to myself: if you want it so much, by it. Especially since, Lesha, my driver, says: ‘Oleg Yevgenievich, I will follow you in the Mercedes anyway’”.
“And do you have a leather suit for that?”
“No, no, no. What for? Simply in Armani and sun-glasses”.
Armani is Menshikov’s favorite designer. “Yes, yes, yes, he is great. He invented wide trousers and soft jacket cut!” In this Armani black-and-white minimalism, detached from everything earthly, we were taking photos of Oleg. This is his gala image, known from various ceremonial broadcasts. Arrogant prince, knight of the sorrowful countenance, “martyr of the free flight”. Quite a different Menshikov sits opposite me in the restaurant – wearing jeans, a pullover and new trainers: “Look, I bought them in London for 30 pounds, terrific”. Mobile, dear and lively – Kostik from “The Pokrovskie Gate”, a bit advanced in years, but still loving to “have a chat”.
What is lemoncello? “Ma-agnificent thing!”, and we have it twice of 50 for each during the evening. Why one should watch “Dogville”? “This is a new word in the cinema form”. Why the Russian oligarch bought the British club “Chelsea”? “For pleasure”. Why all the directors are jealous of their actors? “Because in art everything is based on gender relations”. What an actor needs to become the hero of his time? “Personality”.
“Kirill and I had an idea to find two or three young actors and devote a project to them; not simply promote them in a glossy magazine, but seriously invest in them – money and efforts, and make stars of the guy and girl. But we didn’t find them”.
“But there’re so many young ones now…”
“Yes, there are many good actors, but being a star requires independence and inner freedom. Stars can’t be made out of slaves”.
Oleg Menshikov is not a slave, and that’s why he is a star. He is the absolute hero of the new time. Not on the stage, but in life. He was able to build his own world, free from the world around. To live as he wants to. Director to himself. The actor of one immortal role. The fallen angel. Spirit of exile.
“God’s world lay wonderful and wild... But the proud Spirit looked with doubt and cool contempt on God’s creation, his brow unruffled and serene admitting no participation”.

***

* Quoted from the original with slight changes according to the journalist’s editing of the text.(translator’s note)
** The main character of Maxim Gorky’s play “Yegor Bulychev and others”. (translator’s note)
*** A very cozy and exquisite restaurant just 5 minutes walk from the office of TT814. Excellent cuisine, immaculate service, the atmosphere of an aristocratic club with a light artistic flair. (translator’s note)
**** The legendary Russian (Soviet) goalkeeper. (translator’s note)