This year there are five films with her participation. But there is also a theater, work in the charitable foundation «Artist» and repairs in a country house, which takes a lot of effort. On the eve of the premiere of the film «Billion», which will take place on April 18, we met with the performer of one of the roles, actress Maria Mironova, who manages everything — and at the same time spends much more time than before with her loved ones and herself.
Maria’s Mercedes arrives on time for the shoot. She drives herself: her hair in a bun, not an ounce of makeup, a light-colored down jacket, jeans. In everyday life, the Lenkom actress prefers a completely non-star image. And before entering the frame, Mironova admits: “I don’t like to dress up and make up. For me, this is a «tale of lost time.» Favorite clothes are T-shirts and jeans. Probably because they do not restrict movement and allow her to quickly, quickly run wherever she wants …
Psychologies: Maria, I thought you liked dressing up. On Instagram (an extremist organization banned in Russia), you are invariably “on parade”.
Maria Mironova: I need Instagram (an extremist organization banned in Russia) for work. In it, I talk about my premieres, the premieres of my son, and announce the events of our Artist Foundation. And besides, I’m researching. It was really interesting for me to find out what makes thousands of people, like in Dom-2, demonstrate something to others every 20 minutes. After all, behind this is the loss of a sense of reality, communication. I saw pages with millions of subscribers — their creators have a life to sell, and there is no time at all for what is actually called life. I even got to things like stats, engagement, where your posts are sorted in terms of how many people you have attracted, one or a million…
And what did you discover? What photos in swimsuits attract more than others?
Well, it goes without saying. Or interacting with an audience. But it is one thing to discover these mechanisms for yourself, and another to use them. And because I probably will not collect a million subscribers. I can share, for example, a photo from Brazil — I’m on vacation, and it’s so beautiful there that it takes your breath away. But filming yourself in front of a mirror, all those heart-shaped ears… (Laughs.) No, it’s not mine. And Facebook (an extremist organization banned in Russia) too: a lot of reasoning, people sit on the couch and decide the fate of the country. Although there are so many things in life that you can really do! In this regard, I like Instagram (an extremist organization banned in Russia) more, because there “Oh, how beautiful you are!” — and a flower.
They don’t just send flowers. There are men who confess their love to you and jealously ask: “When will you marry me?” And there are those who condemn — for example, because you sent your mother, the famous actress Ekaterina Gradova, to the Perfect Repair program, although you probably could have repaired her apartment yourself.
I do not respond to messages from jealous lovers, because I have been happily married for a long time. A long time ago. It’s just that I don’t advertise it: there are territories that are dear to me and that I don’t want to let outsiders into. As for the “Perfect Repair” … You see, about each such program they write: “Couldn’t they afford …” They could. It’s not about that. Mom is a very modest person, for many years she has not appeared either in the press or on the screen. I was happy that she took part in the program. And she was pleased that the Ideal Renovation team wanted to do something for her. Most of all, she liked the chairs with initials — this is now our family rarity. Repairs in her part of the house helped me, construction is a terribly expensive business.
OK then. Do the hype in social networks about movies not touch you? A recent example is the Garden Ring series with you in the title role. So much has been written about him — both good and bad. That there are all scoundrels, that this cannot be shown on the central channel …
Even when I was filming, I understood that it would cause a storm of emotions. Because in the «Garden Ring» everyone is not just bastards and scoundrels, but people whose psyche has been traumatized since childhood. And if it were possible to check all the inhabitants of our country with psychotherapists, then there would be a majority of them — with injuries and deviations, with complexes and inability to love. That’s why the series is so captivating. Spectators were touched to the quick.
Your heroine, a psychologist, lived for a long time in rose-colored glasses, with a rich husband. But when her son disappears, she has to go through the drama, take a fresh look at her loved ones, at the life that she did not live, but lived, and learn the terrible truth about herself — that she does not know how to love. Was it hard for you to play?
Yes. I have never had such fatigue from the schedule (we shot in large chunks, quickly, for three months), from the intensity of passions. And from this what only happened to me. For example, I went out through a closed glass door when we were filming in my heroine’s apartment. On the second floor there was a bathroom with a glass door, and I «entered» it, hitting my forehead hard. And it would be okay once — three times in a row!
Then, during a break, the director of the picture (Alexey Smirnov. — Ed.) We talked about something enthusiastically. During the argument, I ran out of steam and decided to sit down — I was sure that there was a chair in the corner. And so, continuing to discuss something with Alexei, abruptly — hop! — I plop down on the floor. You should have seen his expression! This has never happened to me. And it would not have happened — but with my heroine it could well have happened. Well, when, according to the script, she finds out about the disappearance of her son, I became physically ill, I even had to call an ambulance.
In the film, all the characters go through trials, but only your character changes. Why?
It is a big illusion that trials must necessarily change a person. They may or may not change. Or there may not be any difficult events, like my heroine, but the person still wants to become different, feels the need for it. As it was, for example, with me. We once talked with a friend — she is a successful woman, she has a big business — and she said: «It’s easier for me to break down all the barriers on the way and go through all the obstacles than to admit that I’m going in the wrong direction.» This has always been the most difficult for me as well. I saw the goal, went to it, but having gone halfway, I could not admit that this was not the goal, I could not let go of the situation.
And what helped you?
My passion for philosophy, which grew into a passion for psychology. But if philosophy is a dead science, it only develops the intellect, then psychology is alive, it is about how we are arranged and how we can all become happy. I am convinced that it should be taught in schools. So that already in early childhood a person discovers for himself the laws by which we all interact, so that later he does not encounter life dramas, insoluble conflicts. In order not to be afraid to turn to a psychologist — after all, in our country, many are still convinced that this is some kind of whim, a whim of rich people. If you find a professional, you will be able to get rid of the wrong attitudes, you will be able to change your life — because you will begin to look at what is happening differently, the angle will change.
What changed your view of the world?
Once I was presented with “Book No. 1 about happiness” by Kline Carol and Shimoff Marcy — this is some kind of children’s even literature, McDonald’s for the reader, where everything is clear and accessible. There was a mirror on the cover, and I liked this image so much! Our whole life is like a reflection of a person who looks in the mirror. And with what look he looks there, this life will be like that. This book is simple, like everything ingenious, it gives an explanation of the basic law of life: you and only you can change your world, your destiny. No need to suffer, trying to influence the child, partner, parents, others. You can only change yourself.
Have you worked with a psychotherapist?
Yes. It was just about the difficulties in letting go of the situation. And I tried to control everything and everyone. Work, a child … I was rarely late for something, I calculated all the nuances. I never liked to ride with a driver, I got behind the wheel myself — so the illusion appeared that everything was really under my control. But when I got into situations where nothing depended on me — for example, I got on a plane — I started to panic. Everyone who flew with me joked about it endlessly. Pasha Kaplevich (artist and producer. — Ed.) once said: “When you fly with Masha Mironova, it seems that she, like Atlas, on her shoulders, holds the whole plane. She thinks that if she stops holding him, he will collapse.” (Laughs.) At some point, I gave up flying altogether. But in the end, this fear helped me — without it, I would never have understood the reason and would not have begun to get rid of this controlling addiction. Which, by the way, ate a lot of time and effort.
And millions of people do nothing about their phobias. Live with them, suffer, experience.
Since childhood, I have been acutely aware of the phrase memento mori (“remember that you are mortal”). And it’s strange to me that many people live as if on a draft, as if everything can be rewritten at any moment. And at the same time they constantly grumble, judge, gossip. These people have everything — life, opportunities, arms, legs, but they — you understand? — dissatisfied! Yes, all these discontents of ours are such disgusting (I ask you to leave this word) and ingratitude towards people who have experienced real difficulties — wars, hunger, diseases! By the way, our Artist Foundation helped me realize this.
Together with Yevgeny Mironov and Igor Vernik, you help honored artists, stage veterans, many of them in difficult life circumstances. What motivates you to do this?
If you do not exist within the framework of “left the house — got into the car — went to work — came home”, but at least look around a little, then you cannot help but see how many beggars are suffering around. And you can’t help but want to help them. And this action — help — it gives some kind of unreal feeling of life. You understand why you need to get up in the morning and go somewhere. It’s like with the gym — it’s hard, reluctant, but you go and start doing the exercises. And — oops! — you suddenly notice that your back has already passed, and lightness has appeared in your body, and your mood has improved. You build a schedule, run somewhere, visit a veteran for at least an hour. And then you see his eyes and you understand that a person needs to speak out. And you sit with him for two hours, three — and forget about your stupid schedule. And you leave with the feeling that the day was not lived in vain.
It always seemed to me that the problem of any charitable foundation is to determine who needs help more. What is the criterion?
Our fund began with the filing cabinet of the director of the House of Cinema, Margarita Alexandrovna Eskina, who herself was in a wheelchair for the last years of her life and still continued to collect orders for stage veterans, tried to find at least three kopecks and help them, arranged charity dinners for them. After the death of Margarita Alexandrovna, this card file passed to us. It contains not just dry information about a person — everything is in it: whether he is single or family, what he is sick with, what kind of help is needed. Gradually, we went beyond the Moscow Ring Road, took care of veterans in 50 small towns … I remember that in the second year of work, Jude Law came to a charity auction organized by our foundation. I tried to explain everything to him, but he did not understand — to whom are you collecting money? What for? In America, if you star in at least one film, you will receive a percentage of the rental for the rest of your life. And there are trade unions that help. It is impossible to imagine that, for example, Laurence Olivier died in poverty. In our country, great artists leave, not being able to even buy medicines.
Now that you’re talking about great artists, I’ve been thinking about your mom and dad. Which of them are you more like? Are you Mironovskaya or Gradovskaya?
God’s me. (Smiles.) In the same family, I see such different people that you wonder — where does this dash come from? And this one, and this one? Take, for example, my adopted brother — outwardly he does not look like any of us, and this is understandable, but by nature he is absolutely ours, as if he grew up with me from infancy! Who do I look like … I can’t even say who my son looks like, there are so many things mixed in him! (Laughs.) Recently, by the way, we talked to him, and he admitted that he loves to dream. And I can only dream for a minute and a half, and then I go and do something. I don’t like dreams or memories, it’s all a strained pastime for me. Life is what is here and now. And when you come to the point of no-remembering and no-throwing expectations into the future, you become truly happy.