“I used to distribute happiness, but now I save it”

I think it is unlikely that anyone other than Sokolov himself suffers from his hyper-responsibility. I’m definitely not. I arrived at the House of Cinema a little earlier than agreed. And suddenly a call: “I’ll be in a minute.” Indeed, exactly a minute passes, and he appears. It would be strange if Andrey was late. We drink black sweet tea. But as always. We talk … And it becomes obvious – for 10 years that we have known each other, he internally became different.

Sokolov nods: “Life changes. And if you resist these changes, you will still be crushed. Not immediately, but still, it seems to me, I catch what’s the matter: “Before, your readiness for happiness was conspicuous.” “It used to be different. I distributed this happiness, this energy, and now I am saving it. I’ve been rattled lately. But everything will be fine. I’m just coming back from the fight…”

Psychologies: Andrey, the topic of our April issue is “Speak openly”. To what extent do you tend to do this?

Andrey Sokolov: I believe that openness, frankness in its purest form is mainly inherent in children. With age, with experience, after the blows of fate, a person closes. It `s naturally. After all, open people are too vulnerable. I’m sure you can only be frank with loved ones. And only having reached a certain level of inner maturity and security, a person can begin to open up again.

When did the doors of your house begin to close?

Everything happened in life. For example, in elementary school, my friend lost me at cards. Then I could not appreciate the level of this meanness. Imagine how naive he was! In addition, I have a strange quality of character – to justify enemies and even some of the most unseemly acts …

But I closed later. After the premiere of the film “Little Vera” gave interviews to the right and left. And when I was talking to another journalist, I suddenly felt terribly physically ill. I felt like I was being torn apart, pulled to pieces. I began to slow down the degree of frankness. I realized: if I don’t close, I simply won’t survive.

Although my self-preservation instinct did not work for a long time. This applies to both communication and actions. He could accelerate in a car at a crazy speed and slow down right in front of a concrete wall, he could hang on his hands on the balcony of the eleventh floor. What was not! My guardian angel let me do wild things that I got away with. And then I felt that the advances were exhausted. I clearly felt this fracture, the boundary that separated one part of life from another.

What happened to you? This usually happens after a major upheaval.

I was in my thirty-third year. In the yard dashing nineties. My close friend was killed. The experience was so strong that it paralyzed me. Not everything, the left side… Since then, one of my biggest fears is helplessness. In general, in my life after sports youth, there were more than twenty anesthesias, and I know what it is to persuade myself: “Let’s go with our legs while the legs are walking.”

I am sure that not the body has a soul, but the soul has a body. One, two, three… One day, on my birthday, a surgeon friend performed an operation on me. Something went wrong, perhaps they went too far with anesthesia. But it happened: I saw a classic light at the end of the tunnel, it was fantastic, very warm. I bathed in it and felt absolute all-consuming love. When I woke up, they explained to me that I actually crossed the line and was on the other side of life. I then realized that death is just some stage … in life, or a chain of lives. As anyone likes.

Did you have a premonition that something might happen to you at that moment?

Not at that moment, but one day a premonition saved my life. I was very young, my father and I flew from BAM, where I had a coven. And just before departure, I felt: it is absolutely impossible to fly! It was the first time with me. I was shaking and even sick from the feeling of danger. Wild panic set in. I couldn’t help myself, and I had to deceive my father. He said that he forgot to close the door in the house where we lived. My father believed me, we stayed. And the plane crashed. When I realized everything that had happened and what could happen, I was shocked. Then I clearly understood – you need to trust yourself. It was a big discovery for me!

What other life discoveries have you made?

Not immediately, but I noticed that cinema and life are sometimes intertwined in a striking way. There were very harsh pictures that tragically reflected on me. If a character in a film suffers physically or is injured, I would get “notches” on my body in the appropriate places. After the movie “Our Man from Sanremo” I was operated on because of the same problem as the main character. After the “Executioner” I had real scars – when the character was killed, the “protection” did not save me, and the blade slashed through my body.

One of the most difficult was the film “The Abyss, the seventh circle.” My hero commits crimes and even murders in order to get an old icon, and he himself is under threat, losing loved ones and loved ones. During the filming, I was immersed in the role with my head and completely devoted myself to work … And then for six months I could not get out of black depression, in my life tragic events from the script happened like a blueprint. And then I made a serious conclusion – you need to protect yourself and even distance yourself from trouble on the screen. I literally inspired myself: roles are roles, and life is life.

This year, your most iconic film, Little Vera, turns 30 years old. Once the picture became the height of frankness in the cinema. What did she give you?

For me, the film was a grandiose springboard! Fame, festivals and so on … Imagine, I was even invited to Hollywood! True, I found out about this much later, the Soviet officials decided not to tell me about it … I can’t even call those shootings work. It was rest. Sea, beach, wine and other pleasures.

After a day of our stay in Mariupol, all neighboring stores ran out of mountain ash on cognac, we had to go for it to a distant region. As soon as we had a free minute, we sunbathed. In general, a resort, joy and pleasure. And yes, they paid money. None of our company, except for director Vasily Pichul, could have imagined that “Little Vera” would become a bomb. And the hype rose long before the premiere. It was known in narrow circles that there was an intimate scene in the picture.

At the premiere in the House of Cinema, cries of “Shame!” were heard, and people rushed to the cinemas. After the premiere, they suddenly began to recognize me. Just a third-year student at the Shchukin School, and I already have crowds of fans. The young ladies wrote letters, called home, told my mother about their love for me. There were cases when a million per night was offered. Or they threatened to kill themselves if I didn’t reciprocate. Of course, female attention was flattering. The actor is cunning if he says that he does not need it.

After this picture, you were number one for a long time. And now you are less and less on the screen. How do you perceive it with your ambitions and vanity? Do you feel like you’re becoming a person from the past?

Of course I have. Everyone sooner or later becomes a person from the past. But it normal. Life is going. Actors are getting older along with their audiences. Natural move. It is not a discovery for me at all that cinema is a product of young people from 15 to 50 years old, there are fewer roles by age than the rest. But if you can’t change the situation, try to change your attitude towards it.

Of course, I would like to calculate everything in order to spread the straw … There is some acting experience that can be useful in directing. Relatively speaking, if it is not given to play Romeo, then you can try to make a movie about him … Now we are working on a new project called “Survivor”. I hope for a TV show of “Memory of Autumn”. The picture was awarded at three dozen festivals, but has not yet reached a wide audience … Filming in The Bronze Horseman of Russia by Vasily Livanov has recently ended … Still, representatives of the older generation, the so-called old school, are really a special layer.

What is happening in your personal life? You got divorced a few years ago, did it change your outlook on marriage?

Not drastically. Until now, I believe that the main thing is family. And in the family, the main thing is children. I value friendship very much, but to be honest, if two boats are sailing, in one of which there will be friends, and in the other – children, and there will be danger, I will rush to the one where the children are. This is the law of life. I think friends will make the same decision, because we are of the same blood. By the way, my close friends and I agreed: if God forbid something happens to one of us, we will help our children, drag them.

Your daughter Sophia is now 7 years old. When she was not yet in the world, you, recalling your childhood, said that at this age the child’s wings grow and it is important that at that moment everything was fine in the family …

I still think so. My parents also divorced, but despite this, I was always under the hood of their love and care. My ex-wife Olga and I are also doing everything to make Sonya feel good, and I am very grateful to her for this. We are adults, and the daughter is also growing up, asking difficult questions. I tried to explain to her that in life it happens that people break up … I really want her and I to have a trusting relationship.

Sonya is now in a crucial period, she went to a language gymnasium. How many languages ​​does he teach?

The first class is still an adaptation. Then German, English. School is a tough time. The first two months were very hard, there was real stress. And this despite the fact that my daughter was lucky – the kindergarten company in its large mass moved to school. She has many friends in the class. But still, lessons are a burden. Especially considering that Sonya is very diligent.

Many busy parents have a guilt complex about not spending enough time with the kids who need them so much…

Yes, there is. Therefore, whenever possible, I am there. In the summer, we went with her and her grandmother to the Scarlet Sails film festival in Artek. There were 5000 children at the opening. It’s a crazy charge. And for my daughter it was a very good lesson in the knowledge of life. By and large, she saw what lay ahead for her …

Summer, the sea, relaxation are wonderful, but can you spend the whole day with your daughter?

Certainly. And not a day, not two … And cook porridge, and do homework. It’s all about joy. Although she is like a spinning top – she does not sit still, it is natural for her. And by the way, I always forgive everything in advance, even if it messes up. Of course, I’m not perfect, I didn’t immediately understand that she was already a person with character, it’s not easy to get rid of a sense of possessiveness. Now we are trying to resolve all disagreements through negotiations. Impulses cannot be extinguished, you just need to direct them in the right direction so that it develops correctly.

Is she a gentle girl?

She is great. One of the most important people in my life.

They say about someone: an eternal student. And you are the eternal bridegroom. Tell me, how do you feel now that you are back in the status of a bachelor?

I have a good feeling of the future – there is room for improvement. But exactly where, I don’t know yet. However, I try to realistically assess the situation, I understand that each vegetable has its own fruit, everything should be on time.

That is, you are such a winter apple.

Winter apple, yes … By the way, the winter apples from my dacha have been preserved chic. I eat them right off the bone.

How has your idea of ​​love changed over the years?

I can say for sure that love exists. It works like a matrix when you are attuned to it and ready for it. If your garden is full of weeds, it is unlikely that something beautiful will grow there. If you do not have a readiness for love inside, it will not appear in your life. After all, what you want is what you get, it all materializes in reality. In a very large number of cases.

It seems to me that you have always lived according to this scheme: thoughts are material, or am I mistaken?

No, you are not mistaken. But if before I just felt it, now I know for sure. And now I have the best optical sight. After all, there is not much time to make mistakes.