Beauty, July-August 2005

- Anna, how did you get into movie business? Did you feel that the lifetime of a model is too short?

- Well, you know, they say that "obedient people follow their fate themselves, but it drags disobedient ones along". I wanted to enter a theatre college after school, but my parents were against it, they insisted that I entered the Foreign Languages Institute. Then I went abroad, went to Jack Waltser's school of acting in Paris and met Pavel Lungin at the Cannes festival once. He was going to shoot his "Oligarch", I passed casting, and they took me. Then the "Turetsky March-2" series appeared. I did well again. And some years ago I came to Sergey Solovyov's casting tests, and he invited me to come to his class at the All-Russia State Institute of Cinematography. Now I am in the 4th year of studies. By the way, it was the Institute of Cinematography where I made my debut on stage in the course performance after the play "Even a Wiseman Stumbles" by A. N. Ostrovsky where I played the part of Mamayeva, one of the main characters.

- You have graduated from the Foreign Languages Institute in Nizhnii Novgorod. Why didn't you take up a professional career?

- My friend and I went to the Elite Model Look competition to have some fun. And we had some fun. I reached semi-finals, and my photographs went to the Viva Agency which made a career and a name for Natasha Vodyanova, who is my friend, by the way. Besides that, I wanted to travel a lot, to see the world, and I was offered a model position in France. Everything was quite accidental, I just used the opportunity and did not reject the offer. But the knowledge of foreign languages came in handy in this profession.

- Where did you work in the West?

- In France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Great Britain, USA. I did not take part in shows due to my rather small height, 174 cm. But I was photographed for "Harper's Bazaar", "Cosmopolitan", "Marie Clair France", "Vogue", "Allegra" (German edition cover), "Max", "FHM", "Elle", "Madame Figaro". I had a lot of photo sessions. My brightest memory is the shooting of a photo session on the roof of some deserted plant made by Andreas Bittersnich who photographed for the Italian version of "Max". As for famous personalities, I was shot by Knut Bry and Peter Beard, a friend and a follower of Andy Warhol, for his personal show in New York.

- Did you have to invent images for yourself as a model? Did it resemble your acting experience?

- Naturally, a model's job is generally close to acting.

- How did the transition to a movie career took place?

- I went to casting tests when I worked abroad. I had a part in "La Banda", Italian series, in the "Anima" film directed by Roberto Faenza, took part in two American projects directed by Marynel Maloney, "Aphrodisia" and "Sunsetters" (main part). The premiere of the latter took place in the New York movie theatre of the MGM studio last November. I played a foreigner in all these films, it justified my accent. And I realized that I would never play a local American or Italian character because these were foreign countries for me, with foreign language and foreign culture.

- Is there a bias against Russian actors abroad?

- It depends on the place where you make your acting career. If I stayed in the West, the development of my movie career would have been slower. People don't have confidence in a movie character when a foreigner plays the main part. It is a matter of perception, nothing can be done about it.

- You have already participated in three major projects, "Oligarch", "Dreaming is Harmless", and "Velvet Revolution". Do you feel that your prospects in the Russian cinematography are good?

- I think, yes. I had other parts besides the jobs you cited. They have launched the follow-up of the "Two Lives" series at the First Channel in May, and in June the NTV Channel is going to broadcast the "Full Steam Ahead" series, the directing debut of Andrey Panin, a famous actor. My image is a bit grotesque there: "a ballet dancer and a lover". As for "Velvet Revolution" movie which is to be presented to the public soon, initially I had an insignificant part of a drug baron's niece in it. Yet, during the shooting of the film, my character grew to become the main negative woman personage. This project had no match in Russia as far as stunts and digital effects are concerned, and I am happy that I managed to get into the cast of this movie. It is not just another action shoot-and-race, this film has social context, it exposes problems associated with the drug mafia. It is something like "Traffic" in its effect.

- And what are you going to do after "Velvet Revolution"?

- I have many offers, thank God. Now I am in "The Shift" detective movie. Its plot is based on the invention of some lethal weapon that is to be used by "evil forces" to conquer the world. My character is an anchor and a girlfriend of the main character played by Dmitry Ulyanov. They are saving mankind together.

- Like Milla Jovovich? Do you like to perform in the characteristic roles of this sort?

- There is an opinion that character parts are easier to perform. But I wouldn't say that. My line is lyrical, and even evil women I play tend to be a bit lyrical. They are finishing the shooting of "The Man of no Return", a film directed by Pyotr Stepin. By the way, Galina Loginova, Milla Jovovich's mother, has a part in it. It is a story of the break-up of a happy family. I was literally reveling in the tense drama of the plot: my character, who is successful on the face of it, has a totally miserable private life. I was fascinated by the creation of a psychological model of this part.

- Do you have any cinematographic ideal?

- People often asked this question, and I always answered something, but recently I realized that I had no idols. I like different actresses in different parts. Take, for instance, Renata Litvinova in "The Goddess", or Victoria Tolstoganova in "Velvet Revolution". As for western actresses, my greatest impression recently was an artful "Don't Move" with Penelope Cruz, a European film. I never suspected such intense emotions in this actress.

- What is your attitude to the acting projects of models? It has become fashionable to go into movies at the end of the model career.

- It depends on the person, whether she is talented or not. Charlize Theron and Uma Thurman worked as models for some time when they were young. Yet, generally speaking, there is a clear division in the West: if a girl has won world success as a model, it would be incredibly difficult for her to win the same recognition as an actress.

- Aren't you afraid that sooner or later film directors will be bored by a certain type of women, and models will not be in demand?

- I haven't been offered any parts in a movie for two years after "Oligarch". It was a shock for me. God save me from such a long dead time as Gurchenko had after "The Carnival Night". This is what I am afraid most of all.

- You have left the model business, nevertheless you are still in a wonderful form. How do you manage to keep it?

- Well, firstly, I hope that I have inherited the body type of my mother - she had born three children and still looks beautiful. And I always have my sports suit with me, although I have little time for sport recently. As for appearance, clean and smooth skin is the main thing for a woman, from my point of view. I try to avoid using makeup, I am tired by it even during shooting sessions. I haven't renewed my mascara, for instance, for two years. But I pay attention to creams. Creme de la Mer is ideal for me. It is summer now, so I often use moisturizing gels, by L'Oreal or Faberlic, for instance. Perfume is usually associated with certain moments of life for me, so I always try to have many scent-bottles for various occasions. Now I am using the Gucci light Eau de Parfum.

- What style of clothes do you prefer?

- Vivienne Westwood, I am a champion of British style in general, I try to get my clothes in London. But I am not a label victim. I like avant-garde, sometimes even quite unpromoted brands which I find in small shops all over the world.

- Have you felt a change in your status when you launched an acting career?

- The awareness of myself has changed, of course - I have an opportunity to choose, success is already inside you.

Interviewed by Yuna Zavelskaya,
Photography: Vlad Loktev