Vyacheslav Dovzhenko about the role of FSB agent, Andrei Danilko and son Ivan Franko
Popular Ukrainian actor Vyacheslav Dovzhenko played one of the main roles in the scandalous film “Bucha”. In an exclusive interview with Telegraph, he explained why he agreed to work in the film, which began to be criticized even before filming began.. And also how he created the image of an FSB officer in her. In addition, why a scandal arose at the Theater on Podol around a character with the surname Zelensky and what future awaits Ukrainian cinema.
Vyacheslav Dovzhenko about the scandal surrounding the film “Bucha”
– You became one of the first professional actors announced in the film “Butch”. Why did you agree to this project?
– I had an answer for why I needed it. My personal message was to show, first of all, to the European audience that there should be no illusions about our eastern neighbor. Although, before the full-scale invasion, we ourselves still harbored certain illusions. And the European viewer still lives in them. My main overarching goal is to show that such an idea as fascism or racism is nonsense in society and how this ideology destroys from within a being that can be called a person. How much does this turn a person into an animal and that he then poses a threat to people. Because those Russians who are fighting here will then return home and the so-called Russians will then live with them. Therefore, I wanted to show the European audience that this is completely unacceptable in the 21st century.
– When there was criticism of this film, which many had not even seen, did you have any idea to leave this project?
– Every person has the right to their own point of view and this is a given. You can't be the yardstick to tell who should do what.. The question is what I asked myself first. If I didn’t have a reason why I was doing this, of course, I wouldn’t take it on.. And so the producer and director and I discussed this issue, I understood why I was taking on this work. I don’t want to sound pretentious, but this is a certain mission of the acting profession – we must sow some kind of seed in the viewer who comes to this or that picture.
– In “Cyborgs” you played a hero, and in “Butch” you play the main negative role. Should an actor who has created a bright image of a positive hero abandon negative characters that interrupt his previous works?
– This question needs to be asked to each actor personally. How does anyone feel about this profession? If you are ready to play one role and turn into a certain monument, then retire and live in that one role. If you are engaged in this profession, then it’s like asking a potter whether you should take up the wheel after finishing the jug.. But for each role you must answer for yourself whether you should play it or not. Are you making a challenge to yourself, or is this some kind of compromise with your conscience?. Those who go to church do not all pray.
– How did you come up with the details of your character in “Butch”? For example, where did the nuance come from that he smokes cigarettes with golden filters?
– He smokes such cigarettes and always adjusts them in his cigarette case. Everything must be neat with him. This is the kind of creature where it was necessary to emphasize his seemingly correct schizophrenic ideas. He puts everything for himself on shelves. And how it all then falls out of his hands and his logic. In the last scene, he then smokes unfiltered cigarettes and puts them out on the table rather than the ashtray.. That is, the ideal device that he invented for himself, the image of the so-called White Guard lieutenant, collapsed and the earth disappeared from under his feet. The director, screenwriter and I came up with all this.
– When you created this image of an FSB officer, did you think about showing some stereotypes created by Russian cinema?
– Undoubtedly. If we take a stereotype, then this is to a certain extent Girkin. Now he is sitting in a Moscow prison and that’s where he belongs. If you remember 2014, when they just entered the territory of Ukraine, he positioned himself as such a White Guard lieutenant. And then 2022, when he sat and criticized his government. He was no longer like that. His ideology has failed him in a certain way. But generally speaking, my character is more of a composite character. It also contains prototypes of white officers from Soviet films.
Vyacheslav Dovzhenko about entertaining cinema during the war
– In one of the new films you played Andrei Danilko. How do you imagine him and are you familiar with him?
– No, I don’t know him. But I can say with absolute certainty that it was not me, nor the director Katya Tsarik, who wanted to portray Andrei Danilko in this film.. If there is a certain similarity there, it's just a coincidence. This is a certain media person who, after the start of a full-scale invasion, asked himself the question, have I done this in this life? Do people need what I did? Who needs the joy that he used to give to people? Each of the cultural figures faced this question. When missiles and enemy planes were flying overhead, even the question of what was expedient in this life arose.. It is thanks to people that he receives the answer that creative support is needed both by soldiers in the trenches and by people who are under occupation.
The artist Ilya Repin has two paintings. The first is how barge haulers pull a barge. This is the absolute code of the Russians. The second is where the Cossacks write a letter to the Turkish Sultan. This is the absolute code of our nation. We always approach any danger and misfortune that happens to us with humor and creativity.
– In March, the film “The Other Franco” will be released, where you played the son of a famous poet. What is more important – to create new modern historical heroes in cinema or to raise the stories of forgotten personalities? After all, Franco’s son is a historical figure forgotten by the broad masses.
– I completely disagree with you. This is a picture about a completely unknown hero of Ukraine today.. But I ask the question, are the heroes of Ukraine known to Ukraine at all? Unknown, because for centuries our eastern neighbor tried to erase our history and our historical heroes altogether. Therefore, it is necessary to talk about both modern and historical heroes. The question is different – how to do this? If you create a monument in cinema, you need to clearly understand what I must force the viewer to do after this film. Show all the achievements of Peter Franko, and he has many of them – he founded Plast, created aviation and was a politician. But does the viewer need all this in an artistic film? Therefore, in this case, the main task was to find his humanity to show what kind of father, husband and friend he was. If you go through this palette together with the viewer, then he may have a question, and he will go to Wikipedia to find out who Peter Franko is. This is the difficulty of reproducing historical figures. For whom they are indisputable, and for whom they are unknown. Therefore, there is probably no point in talking about their achievements, because the film will turn into a historical lecture. But because of his human situations, which he lives and experiences, it will be possible to reach the viewer.
– Is it necessary to make entertaining films now, if even statements about this cause negative emotions among a large mass of people?
– I perfectly understand those people for whom this causes negative emotions. We live in a state of war, so any conscious person is emotionally unstable. Now politics is the basis of our society and now there are many difficulties that we are experiencing and causing negative emotions. As for Ukrainian entertainment content, it is necessary to film it and even about the real thing. It is needed, first of all, for the next generation that follows us and will study this whole history in which we find ourselves.. And secondly, for the modern viewer. Because the guys there don’t want to think or talk about the war. And thirdly, it will become a Ukrainian cultural heritage.
– Despite the fact that last year Ukrainians began to watch more Ukrainian cinema, it still does not bring profit. Accordingly, less money is invested in it. If the war continues for a few more years, what will happen to our film industry?
– In this regard, I am not a pessimist and do not bury the idea of Ukrainian cinema. If we remember 2014, then no one even thought about Ukrainian cinema. But. suddenly a renaissance story happened. This was generally the first wave when Ukrainian cinema declared itself and it suddenly went to the festival and there was a certain number of people who wanted to watch Ukrainian cinema. The next level will be when Ukrainian cinema begins to be made of better quality. It's no secret that there is a category of opportunism. But there are those people who strive to do something of high quality. I believe that there will be a new wave of development of Ukrainian cinema.
– Much less money is allocated for cinema, and some companies are closed altogether. Do you have to reduce your fee and by how much?
– Of course I give in, like everyone else. I cut it about twice. The question now is different, there are roles that you take on, and there are those that you don’t want to take on and this is your personal story. Everyone is now understanding about saving our economy. But this is also a question for our production department. We need to come up with different mechanisms where to look for money. We should not expect them only from the state.
Vyacheslav Dovzhenko about the Theater on Podol, Bohdan Benyuk and the scandal with Zelensky
– The theater on Podol, where you work, has been directed by Benyuk for more than a year. What is his concept – aren’t you afraid that you might turn into Franco’s companion?
– I don’t feel any fundamental shift in repertoire policy. What Vitaly Efimovich Malakhov did by letting in young directors continues. It seems to me that the main goal of Bogdan Mikhailovich Benyuk is not to destroy what was built. On the other hand, I don't see any conceptual art direction. Perhaps its goal is for it to exist in the vector in which it was. As an artist, I wanted more dramatic changes and to see exactly the course where this ship was moving. But this is my personal story.
– Not long ago you had the play “The Master” in the theater in Podol. There was a small scandal around him, since one of the heroes had the last name Zelensky. Did they really think that the president would be offended by the classics?
– In fact, this scandal had no basis. Most of those who raised it did not read Karpenko-Kary's play “The Master”. For those who have read it know for sure. that there is such a character Zelensky. But it's very small. And those who saw the play and know how director Ivan Uryvsky works with dramaturgy saw that there was about forty percent of the play left. In the original it is huge and many different questions are raised there. Uryvsky took on a specific topic – corruption. When he cut down this material and compiled several characters together, the question arose, why would the composite character have the surname Zelensky? Then he decided to remove it. Why does an insignificant character need the surname Zelensky if it has no effect on the plot?. But he gave him the surname of his friend from the theater Franko Ivan Zalutsky. And because of this, new scandals began, as if there was a hint in the surname of our commander-in-chief Zaluzhny. In fact, a story has begun that is not worth attention at all. Unfortunately, now the majority of spectators who have not read the play come to the theater. And when they hear the name of the character Zelensky, they will wonder what the director wanted to say by this. This would be a completely unnecessary emphasis, distracting the viewer from the main idea of the performance.
– Why does a successful actor stay in the theater, where they pay pennies, if he has a job in the cinema, where the fees are big?
– They don’t make money at all in the theater. But this is an alma mater. Where else will you get live communication with your viewer? Communication on social networks or interviews is a completely different matter. Where else will the actor see live the eyes of the person who came to see him? There is nothing more valuable than live communication.
Vyachetel Dovzhenko about how the war changed him
– How do you react to anxiety?
– Not the same way I reacted at the beginning. Unfortunately, we already understand noise. We understand when and what arrives. And unfortunately, you get used to it and don’t worry as much as you should worry. The only thing that still triggers me is the issue of children. I will never forgive the Muscovites for making them go through what they are going through now.
– Has the war changed anything in your character or behavior?
– My attitude towards problems and planning for the future has changed. I value communication with loved ones more now. Now you need to enjoy every day, don’t forget to tell your loved ones every day that you love them.