Ivan Bosilchich spoke about filming “Casanova in Russia” and the Slavic soul

The reputation of Giacomo Casanova, as the main lover of all time, created a very piquant veil around the series about the Russian adventures of the famous Italian. And in this case, the choice of the actor for the lead role was of great importance. Casanova is in some ways Hamlet, that is, an iconic character, and playing him means greatly embellishing an actor’s resume. Ivan Bosilchich got this role not without problems, but now he clearly has no regrets.

The Serbian actor first appeared on Russian television in 2016, playing a Nicaraguan revolutionary in the TV series Rossiya Hotel. It was then that he was noticed by directors Ilya and Anton Chizhikov, who were just beginning preparations for the project about Casanova. According to the director’s plan, the legendary ladies’ man should be played by a foreigner so that the speech in the frame was with a natural accent.

By the time of the meeting with the directors, Ivan already spoke Russian quite well, but his accent was more like a Caucasian one, which gave Casanova a completely unexpected flavor. However, the incredible diligence of the actor allowed him to speak differently quite quickly, and as a result, he did not even have to be re-voiced. But at the moment when Bosilchich received an offer from Russia, his mood was not at all working. The actor even thought about changing his profession.

– When I was called to the casting, I was on a long and exhausting shoot in Serbia. I managed to shoot a video business card (a short video fragment that the actors send to the directors for the initial selection – MK), but it turned out to be so unsuccessful that I decided not to show it to anyone, – Ivan says in an interview with MK. – At that moment I was so exhausted, I felt so bad, and even recommended to the agent to offer someone else for this role. I really then had a state close to parting with the acting profession. However, the producer and directors wisely waited a few months until I recovered, and called for another meeting.

– And you flew to Moscow …

– Yes, we met in Moscow and for five days in a row – from morning until late at night – we took samples. Then I met Masha Skuratova, Ilya Malakov, Anton Filipenko, Maryana Spivak and many other actors who, after this casting, were chosen to participate in Casanova in Russia. A few weeks later, I learned that I was approved for the role. If I had not come to Moscow then and had not responded to the invitation to audition, I would have missed one of the most interesting projects, participation in which restored my faith in myself and in the development of my acting career.

– In world cinema, you are the ninth Casanova. And you are in good company. Donald Sutherland, Marcello Mastroianni, Alain Delon, Heath Ledgery etc. How exactly did you want to present the famous hero?

– About Giacomo Casanova before working on the series, I only knew that he is a symbol of the greatest lover of all time – and nothing more. Only when I began to study his personality did I understand the versatility of the image: Casanova was a writer, surgeon, polyglot, inventor, teacher, military man, musician and spy, and not just a skilled lover. The answers are in his memoirs, which struck me with their form, in fact, this is a confession. As if he was confessing to a priest… In this I saw virtue and some kind of repentance, great melancholy and hope for love.

– This year, with your participation, the series “Janissaries” was released. There you also play a person from the past, and if you add to this the “Rossiya Hotel”, where you had to return to the seventies of the last century, you can see your obvious interest in historical projects …

– I am inspired to play roles, “traveling in time.” Although someone may think that I’m running away from reality. But, on the contrary, by studying the past, I understand the present better. I get to know myself better by studying how human nature has changed, what were the moral principles of our predecessors, what has been preserved in the lives of people from past generations, and what we have created new. I often come to the conclusion that literally every period of our history was, in its own way, both difficult and beautiful … And this inspires us to cope with the current challenges of the time.

– And you can also get a lot of tourist impressions from places steeped in history…

“My Serbia, especially the capital, was razed to the ground several times. For more than four hundred years, the country was under the yoke of the Ottoman Empire, then part of the territory belonged to Austria-Hungary. During the Second World War German troops bombed Belgrade. I mean, only monasteries remained from the Middle Ages, which were in the mountains and forests, but castles and other sights were not preserved. Therefore, historical themes are rather poorly covered in our cinematography. And in great Russia there are many sights from past centuries, so it is especially interesting for me to participate in large historical projects. For example, “Casanova in Russia” was filmed at authentic locations in Gatchina, Peterhof, Tsarskoye Selo and the Peter and Paul Fortress. It was enough for me to take only one step in one of those places, and I already perceived the atmosphere and the spirit of the time that the film describes. Believe me, the preserved sights are a great privilege, although for you, it is quite possible that they are perceived as a given.

– If I am correctly informed, then you started your relationship with the Russian language more than five years ago. You have achieved impressive success, although it is probably still not easy to learn such a large amount of text…

– I have a teacher in Belgrade from the Russian House, with whom we work together on each scenario in Russian. Before filming, I had six months to learn the text and prepare well for the role. Already upon arrival in St. Petersburg, I began to communicate in Russian every day, both with my colleagues and in public places. All this created ideal conditions for my work.

– I also heard that your family has a lot to do with Russia …

— Yes, my grandfather Miodrag was in the first generation of Yugoslav officers who studied here during the Second World War. At the age of fifteen, he came to Moscow and described in detail in his diary that very important trip in his life. When I was a teenager, he gave me this diary and asked me to read it aloud to him. Twenty years later I visited Moscow for the first time and learned all the places from my grandfather’s stories. His friendship with Russian soldiers was very touchingly described in the diaries, exactly as Nikita Sergeevich Mikhalkov showed it in the film The Barber of Siberia. Exactly such friends I met in Russia. I think that Serbs and Russians share the same Slavic soul. For me, it means how we understand love, family, friendship and Fatherland. Our nations are brought together by great martyrdom over the course of many centuries. As well as joyful sadness. I’m not sure other peoples know what it is.