Evgeny Gerasimov told how he became a deputy: “Soon I will become a robot again”

Evgeny Gerasimov starred in more than seventy films. The older generation remembers him from his works “The Man I Love”, “Time Has Chosen Us”, “Petrovka, 38”… And in July 2022, “the robot Werther”, as they say, went to the “Moon” – he became the artistic director of the theater of the same name, once booming, but in recent years fairly forgotten. The results were not long in coming – now people are asking for an extra ticket at the entrance to Luna on Malaya Ordynka.

– Evgeny Vladimirovich, let’s start with the past – with “Guest from the Future”. Do you love your famous robot Werther?

“I know that many actors believe that the roles that made them famous have narrowed their creative range. It’s like a mask – it stuck and you can’t get it off, no matter who and how you play later… But the directors saw me as a hero, and I have very few lyrical roles. And suddenly Pavel Arsenov! When he offered me the role of Werther in Guest from the Future, I immediately agreed. At first, the role was small, but still significant. At the Institute of Time, we came up with a gait for the cleaning robot Werther, his famous laugh… Honestly, taking into account the achievements of modern scientists in the field of robotization, I can sincerely consider my Werther the progenitor of modern robots with intelligence and the ideal of the future, that is, capable of feeling. And then my Werther got into the top ten best robots in the world! It turns out that such a survey was conducted, and they even sent me a magazine…

— The film “Guest from the Future” was released in the mid-80s; the special effects of that time seem primitive to the current Internet generation. But for some reason the death of your hero makes a completely different impression. When the space pirates shoot at him, numerous “wounds” on the suit, which according to the script were made of iron, light up, they melt and go out. The illusion of authenticity is one hundred percent. How did they achieve this at that time?

– To be honest, I don’t remember everything – 40 years have passed, and I’m not used to lying. I only remember that there was some kind of protective fabric, but still, when I took off the suit, marks and burns remained on the skin… It’s interesting about the suit itself – I remember that very well! It was made to look like a robot, not a person. And there were completely no attributes of men’s trousers such as zippers and buttons. Therefore, excuse me, when I put it on before filming, I was deprived of all earthly “joys” for many hours – going to the toilet, for example. Therefore, in the morning I didn’t specifically drink or eat anything, and only after filming, when the costume was removed, could I afford to eat or at least drink water…

— Knowing your great demand for cinema, I want to ask how your relationship with the theater developed? You started at the Mayakovsky Theater with the great director Andrei Goncharov.

— I served there for eight years. But, while admiring the results of his work, he did not agree with his methods. Probably, I think, he just wasn’t my director. And I was young, successful in cinema, perhaps overly arrogant, so I left the theater. And I don’t regret it. I received a degree in directing and made my first film, “The Visit.” He acted a lot himself, was in demand… And then perestroika came. And it touched, of course, everyone.

— For example, you got involved in social and political activities.

“I felt like, first of all, a Citizen. Together with friends, he created the Russian Actors Guild and actively helped colleagues who found themselves in difficult situations. At that time, I was sure that my calling was to serve the public. This is how I ended up as a deputy of the Moscow City Duma. Working there for many years greatly enriched my life experience and broadened my horizons. But I never broke the connection with creativity, it was rather a so-called break.

— And yet you returned to the theater?

– Yes. Still broke. I couldn’t resist Mark Anatolyevich Zakharov’s offer to play at Lenkom in the play “These Adults Are Strange People” based on Saint-Exupery’s “The Little Prince”. Of course, I read Exupery back in school and admired his personality and deep understanding of human psychology. I was fascinated by the mystery of his fate. Who would refuse an offer to play the role of the Little Prince and the Pilot in one performance?.. But my wife, whose opinion I usually listen to, was skeptical about this and recommended that I take a closer look at myself in the mirror. At that time I had slightly outgrown the little prince. Well, what if we assume that the Prince and the Pilot are one person? Only at different ages and in different circumstances?! It is from the Little Princes that Pilots grow up! This is how incredibly interesting and unusual this performance was decided to be. Then there was Louis in “The Dreams of Monsieur de Moliere” according to Bulgakov, Vyshnevsky in “A Profitable Place” according to Ostrovsky.

— How did you end up in “Luna”?

“One fine day, Seryozha Prokhanov approached me with a request to take over the management of his theater. I must admit that the theater was dying. From the performances that once thundered, only the names remained. The stage machinery, lighting and sound were in terrible condition. The actors mostly earned money on the side, and in their native theater they simply formally worked out their dues. No new ideas, no new productions – nothing! Less than a third of the hall has been sold for evening performances, and the rest is filled with beneficiaries. Something had to be done urgently! First of all, we breathed new life into the play “Tender is the Night” – the calling card of the Luna Theater. Then they opened the anniversary season with the musical performance “Edith Piaf. Hymn of Love”, which now attracts full houses. Our task was to find an actress who would not only look like Piaf in appearance, but also have the good vocal abilities necessary to play the role of the great French singer.

– In my opinion, the mission is impossible…

– But it turned out to be doable! Believe it or not, such an actress was always nearby – and in the theater troupe. Not only is she very similar, she sings better than Piaf! And then we loudly declared ourselves by playing the play “Mayakovsky” on the stage of the State Kremlin Palace. City Musical” just on the day of the poet’s 130th birthday. And “The Little Prince” became a truly family performance within the walls of our theater – Lenkom gave it to us, so already at Malaya Ordynka I continue to play the Prince and the Pilot! Today this performance has practically become our calling card. But I consider the greatest achievement as artistic director this year to be an increase in artists’ salaries by forty percent. This is a big step forward!

— How do you want to make the Theater of the Moon? How do you see it in the future?

— As a person brought up on the classics, I would like there to be more classical drama in the theater. Because it is always up-to-date and contains answers to almost all questions. Our plans include “Wolves and Sheep” by Ostrovsky and “Three Sisters” by Chekhov. But at the same time, the repertoire includes and will include experimental productions and laboratory work. We are open to new formats and modern interpretation of the material. But still, the main emphasis will be on the classics. You know, when I was at the film festival in Rome with my film “A Trip to Wiesbaden” based on Turgenev, I was received by Pope Paul II, now canonized. I am very proud to have met one of the most educated people of my time, who had an excellent knowledge of world culture and spoke more than 20 foreign languages. This meeting lasted almost half an hour, which is a little more than with Mikhail Sergeevich Gorbachev, at that time the President of Russia. We talked about Russian culture. The Pontiff expressed his firm belief that it is Russian culture and literature that will save the world.

– Who would doubt that…

– Yes, there are doubters… alas!

— At the beginning of the conversation, if you remember, you promised to tell something interesting about the robot Werther…

– Well, since we started with the Werther robot, I suggest they finish the conversation. I lift the veil on the secret. Soon I will again become the robot Werther. But… much matured. It seems to me that the current Internet generation will probably want to get to know their ancestor. After all, nobility, friendship, love, mutual assistance are concepts that do not depend on time and technology.