MOSCOW, August 7, Anna Nekhaeva. The series “The Librarian” with one of the most sought-after and popular Russian young actors, Nikita Efremov, was recently released on screens. He spoke in an interview about which scene there was the most difficult, what it was like to star in the film “Tetris” with Taron Egerton, and whether international projects are possible now.
— After the series, you look at libraries differently. Did you go there as a child?
— I remember that it was necessary to hand in books, and on time. But my mother’s family are all philologists, there is a very large library at home, everything I needed was there.
Once, already in adulthood, I went to Leninka. I was amazed by the scale, the huge reading room.
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— There are a lot of action scenes in “The Librarian”. Did you do any special preparation for them? What was the hardest thing?
— We prepared with stuntmen. And the hardest scene for me was the scene in the second episode. It was very hot — 35 degrees, we were wearing sweaters, we were filming in the canyon, it reflects the heat. We had to work quickly. Such adrenaline. It's easier for me in the cold.
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— In the series, one of the main lines is between the hero and his father. How important do you think family ties are for a person to get to know himself better?
— There is hardly anything more important than this. Life experiences are passed on through parents, both positive and negative. We receive our first feelings and experiences in utero.
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— Did your family help you make the right decision?
—I don’t think I made any wrong decisions. When I rewind a year or two, I see: something that previously seemed like a failure to me, but in fact turned out to be a new opportunity. It all depends on the angle of view.
At first, feelings may dictate that everything is bad and terrible, but as you grow older, you develop a different view.
— How do you feel about comparisons? Aren't you afraid of them?
— We live in very stressful times. How can you not be affected by this and find something constructive in comparisons? I found a method for myself and have been using it for a year now. If I am “in resource”, I put health first — sleep, sports, nutrition, recovery, then I can handle everything.
— “The Librarian” is also compared to foreign projects.< br />—There is currently an actors’ strike abroad. I would like to see trade unions here too, defending rights, but our industry is still developing. We are just getting back on our feet.
Here I would rather look at our successes: wow, how we are developing! Ten years ago there was no such choice of platforms and series.
—Did your father give you advice? Have you used them?
— Certainly! My father gave me great advice about auditions. At the initial stage, the actor is always worried about this. Dad once said very clearly: “When you try out, forget it.” Unnecessary expectations create disappointments. I gradually learned this.
We worked together on the series “Flight” by Pyotr Todorovsky. There I absorbed, watched my father. He can always point you in the right direction with just one word. I learned a lot from him.
— Did you have impostor syndrome?
— It seems to me that emotions can be stored in the body. If a person is afraid, his shoulders shrink; if he relaxes, his shoulders straighten. Different fears and syndromes are very interconnected.
I have negative patterns and thoughts if I haven’t rested and taken care of myself. If uncertainty creeps in, I understand: “Brother, it’s time for you to go to the bathhouse or to the gym, to eat better food.”
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— What did participation in the Tetris project give you professionally and personally?
— Working with Taron Egerton and Toby Jones is top class. They are professionals. I arrived three or four weeks before filming and immediately realized that the film was ready, all that remained was to shoot it. Taron “played” from the first reading; it’s very interesting to look at such organic things.
There are things that are difficult for our mentality: our film crew becomes a family, and there are more personal boundaries. Moreover, this may be better for business.
Of course, sometimes it was difficult — the education system there is fundamentally different. There everyone tells you: “Good job, well done!”, but here: “Everything is great, but look what needs to be changed.” And there, after the constant “everything is very cool,” you think: something is wrong. But this is my personal suspicion. As a result, I looked at the material and realized: it was actually a good job.
— And the director was John Baird, the author of the films “Cass” and “Mud”…
— Yes , he seems to be a man without an ego. John asked me what was wrong with the script, and we tweaked some details.
For example, one monologue was not about that time at all — they didn’t talk like that in the 1980s. I had to call my mother, she wrote part of the dialogue, then it was translated into English, and it ended up in the series. It’s very pleasant to remember.
On the set I became friends with Anthony Boyle, who played Kevin Maxwell (the son of the CEO of MirrorSoft. — Ed.). We still correspond — very pleasant communication. I hope to see you and work again.
— Are you considering foreign projects for filming, how realistic is this now?
— Realistic. Many of my friends are filming abroad. I heard that foreign artists also work here. If they invite you, I will be happy to participate. But it also happened that they were invited to a foreign project, but it didn’t catch on.
— Were there any moments that delighted or, perhaps, outraged you while filming an international project?
— They have more of a system—everyone understands what they’re doing. Once there were overtimes of 15 minutes. The second director came out and, with great respect for the actors and extras, asked everyone to stay for this time. This is cool.
I also saw what “homework” was: Taron was simultaneously preparing for another role, doing exhausting training.
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— Have your foreign colleagues taught you anything?
— Anthony Boyle said: “Play not with your head, but with your body.” Don't overthink it, trust your instincts. This is cool and not so easy advice to follow.
— Do you have directorial ambitions? Or a topic for a project that you would like to film?
— There are ambitions. I would like to share a topic related to addiction, my experience in this problem.
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— The filming of the second season of “Offline” recently completed . What motivates you to stay in the project?
— There were a huge number of questions from the audience — the same number of people wrote to me just about “Londongrad”. Almost the entire team of the first season has been preserved, new artists have been added, and a third part is likely.
The character has something similar to me, and besides, he is developing further. I myself am very interested — a person leading a double life, will he change or not?
Since March, I have participated in more than eight projects. Such a working year, cool!
«The Librarian» is released on more.tv and Wink.
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