#ARCTIC. #SIBERIA. THIS IS TAIMYR. Actor Alexey Chadov, known for the films War, 9th Company, Own War: Storm in the Desert and others, held a creative meeting in Norilsk with his fans, cinema connoisseurs and, possibly, future colleagues from the youth theater studio. The artist also found time for interviews with journalists.
– Alexey, you were in Norilsk twenty years ago. Maybe you noticed changes here?
– Your city culture center’s hall suddenly brought back memories for me. I had about the same one at the Shchepkinsky school – about 200 seats and a small stage. I spent four years on this kind of stage, but the ceilings were higher. I came to Norilsk 19 years ago with Alexey Balabanov’s film crew, and the Hollywood star Michael Biehn – the one from the first Terminator. It was very cold here.
– Did the American, movie star Michael Biehn really easily agree to go to Siberia?
– Yes, inviting a Hollywood A-category star to film in Norilsk seemed unrealistic. Nobody believed that it would work out, but he agreed only because of Balabanov. By that time, Balabanov, after several films – War, Brother – was already a director in whom people were interested. I myself saw how in Canada journalists did not leave his side. And Michael Biehn agreed to go to the ends of the earth just because of him and his films.
– How do you like it then and now?
– Everything here is not easy at all… At that time everything was shot on film, and no camera works at minus 45. But our great cameraman Sergey Astahov developed a fur coat for the camera in three months – a heated sarcophagus. Camera mechanics, lighting technicians and assistants walked around, bundled up like astronauts, and the camera worked! Michael and I ran out of the bus, where we were warming up, and by the end of filming the episode, I, for example, could hardly pronounce the words, which were in English – my face was freezing. Balabanov shouted to me: “What are you doing? Haven’t you studied English?”, and I told him: “I can’t say anything, my face is frozen!”
– Was it necessary to go to Norilsk?
– We asked Balabanov: what’s the joke, why do you have to go to Norilsk for such cruelty? And when we looked at how Balabanov chose the location, we realized that this was his intention – it would not have been possible to depict Norilsk in a natural way in the pavilion, the desired effect could not be achieved.
– Were you really scared here?
– Something like this. There were alien landscapes here. Buildings in ice or in some kind of steam, and people in sable fur coats. Now Norilsk is much more welcoming – well lit, beautiful illumination, brightly painted houses in the center.
– Is it true that it was Norilsk that put an end to the filming The American movie?
– Unfortunately yes. Our American colleague survived the extreme stress in Cameron’s Terminator and Aliens, overcame filming in Irkutsk and Bratsk, but broke down in Norilsk. I am very sorry that the film wasn’t fineshed, because the story itself was very interesting, the filming was based on the contrasts of scenes in New York and harsh Siberia – in Norilsk.
– But you’re back in Norilsk, doesn’t this evoke gloomy associations?
– In no case. I am immensely glad that after 19 years I am here again and see the friendly faces of Norilsk residents. I will spend the next few days before leaving to choose locations for filming in the future. Norilsk is an architecturally unique city in its essence, I have the authoritative opinion of Alexey Balabanov, and he understands this matter!
This Is Taimyr previously told about the Obogatitelnaya Fabrika project’s 10-year anniversary and the visits of Business-FM host Kira Altman, TV presenter and famous blogger Avrora, cosmonaut and scientist Sergey Ryazansky, actor, singer and politician Dmitry Pevtsov.
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Text: Denis Kozhevnikov, Photo: Nikolay Shchipko
