At 20, he starred in Fyodor Bondarchuk’s Inhabited Island, our first space-blockbuster and the second after Kin-dza-dza! — an example of social science fiction in Russian cinema.
Now he is 22 years old, and he is a student at the Shchukin School. And at 20, he starred in Fyodor Bondarchuk’s Inhabited Island, our first space-blockbuster and the second after Kin-dza-dza! — an example of social science fiction in Russian cinema. Who knows, what if his character will become the hero that our heroless time is waiting for?
Psychologies: Do you have heroes yourself?
Vasily Stepanov: Bruce Willis, because he is a very masculine and courageous hero — to protect everyone, to help everyone. And this is his spirituality, and not just «muscularity». And the Little Prince of Saint-Exupéry. A tiny man with a solid life position. My heroes are people with a strong position.
You are on the verge of major life changes. Perhaps you will become a star. Not scary?
One role — and already a star — it would be impudent of me to hope for this … Besides, if someone likes my character, it will not be primarily my merit. After all, I was only 20 and everyone who created the film worked on my hero. First of all, Fedor Sergeevich (Bondarchuk). And it was scary at the beginning of filming. I thought there should be more… romanticism in this process. But it turned out — work, like everyone else. But in such a large-scale project, there is an amazing feeling of unity — after all, you work among people united by a common goal! It somewhat anesthetized the panic, the fear of responsibility: the budget of the film is huge, and you are its center …
Has the new environment changed you?
I used to be very open, but now I understand: this is not always appropriate. I’m used to the fact that in confidential communication, a person can easily be told about his shortcomings. But it turned out that sometimes it is better to remain silent. And then, I did not understand how each of us is individual. And now I know: you need to accept a person as he is.
How did your family feel about you filming?
Mom was very happy and supported me! She once dreamed of becoming an artist herself. She sang beautifully and played the accordion. She comes from a small village and could not go to enter the theater. Yes, and courage, probably, was not enough — she is a very modest person, her grandmother raised her like that. And dad is more skeptical about all this …
Did you make a sensible step when you decided to become an actor? After all, this profession requires the fulfillment of other people’s instructions and the pronunciation of exclusively other people’s words …
«Inhabited Island» Why, we all depend on those we love, on our colleagues. And this is a good addiction, this is independence from loneliness. I don’t even know if it’s addiction. I would say responsibility.