Agata Muceniece: “I’m ready to shave my head for the sake of cinema”

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Agata, it was a revelation for me to know that you are not just an actress, but also a specialist in Chinese philology. How did you get there?

To begin with, no one in my family thought that I would become an actress. Therefore, at first, according to my parents, it was necessary to get a “normal” profession. I remember my mother then threatened: “If you don’t go to university, you are finished. Well, I found the faculty with the smallest competition. Since then, I’ve been lying to everyone that I know Chinese as my native language. In fact, it’s just a couple of sentences. (Laughs)

And what drew you to Moscow to enter VGIK?

I dreamed about this since childhood: from an early age I went to the studio, participated in all competitions of readers. And this idea never left me. Once, after graduating from philology, I lay on the bed and thought: “Well, how can I not try to enter the acting class? Then I will regret it for the rest of my life.” Collections were very fast. (smiling)

How were the introductory, remember?

There was a huge queue. In the office where the selection committee sat, headed by our master Alexander Yakovlevich Mikhailov, we went five people at a time. They read poetry, prose, danced. And I was also asked to sing. In this case, I had a cunning plan prepared. I knew one little-known song in Georgian. She sang it, hoping that no one in the selection committee knew either the words or the melody anyway. So, you can not be afraid to screw up. And only after entering I had to confess – I don’t know how to sing at all.

You graduated from VGIK with honors. Tell me how it is – everyone likes it?

And not all teachers liked me, but their children really loved the “Closed School”, in which I starred. I failed my dance exam, for example. But for the photo with the daughter of the teacher, I was given an “excellent”. And for the last year, I almost didn’t appear at VGIK at all – I had 20 shooting days a month. Even at the graduation performance, I had a role with only one phrase: “Your coffee.” I didn’t have time to rehearse at all. And for this tiny role I was given an A. But, on the other hand, by that time I was already quite famous and could always present the “Closed School” as the result of my studies.

Now in your biography there are quite a lot of successful projects – not only films, but also YouTubeShow “Honest Divorce”. Is there any area in which you still want to try yourself?

I really want to go into space, to see if the Earth is really round. And suddenly not? And I could have been there. But when there was a competition in which Yulia Peresild was eventually chosen, they didn’t even consider me because of the passport of a European citizen. There was even a funny incident. We sit at dinner with Klim Shipenko and I tell him: “Imagine, they announced that some Russian director will fly into space.” All our friends at this moment can hardly restrain their laughter, but I don’t understand why. And then he says: “Actually, this director is me.”

You are a very positive person, what gives you such an attitude?

One could assume that a few cups of coffee, but no – I have hyper-energy even without coffee.

And after performances you are not exhausted?

Never. But there was one case. For the first time we played the play “These free butterflies (Close your eyes)”. I was very worried – it was the first time to play such a big role on stage. Everyone was afraid to forget the text. And in the end I forgot. Aristarchus Venes and I just had a picnic scene. We are sitting on the floor, I wink at him, they say, tell me what is there in the text. And he, apparently, forgot himself, began to fumble in his pockets. In general, the pause dragged on for a long time, and even no improvisation comes to my mind – I completely forgot what we should talk about at all. We barely got out of this situation. Fortunately, the viewer did not notice anything. But after this performance, I was covered – I wanted to sit and be silent. All 12 minutes.

Do you get nervous when you go on stage?

Every time. Once Vladimir Vdovichenkov came to VGIK with a master class. I listened to him with my mouth open. He was a god to me, besides from the “Brigade”. And he said: “If you stop worrying before going on stage, leave the profession. If you don’t care, go home.”

I just noticed that you have bangs. They say about girls that such changes in appearance do not happen just like that …

So it’s not real – an invoice. This is what the make-up artist suggested to me when we were looking for a new look for a film that we will start shooting in March. In the acting environment, such bangs are now a trend: it is necessary – stuck, if not – removed. Personally, I really like it.

Change images in life – is it yours or not?

I had a lot of experiments in my youth – I was both a blonde and a brown-haired woman. Now I tend to be more natural. I realized that nature knows best how it suits you. And as soon as I began to adhere to naturalness, I discovered gray hair! While I plan to fix it with unconventional methods – I read somewhere that in order to preserve youthful hair, you need to spin counterclockwise at home. It suddenly works. But for the sake of cinema, I can at least go bald. Because the wig is always visible in the frame.

You are an actress, which means – constantly make-up, makeup. How do you take care of yourself?

Due to the fact that I am constantly painted, in everyday life I take a break from cosmetics. I like a clean face. The only essential item in my makeup bag is a moisturizer. Well, ink. Sometimes I use a light moisturizing tone when I need to test. And I always envy girls who can wear red lipstick. I have a stupid habit of biting my lips. With red lipstick, it will look terrifying!

Do you do your own make-up for performances or do you use make-up artists?

I don’t know how, and I don’t like it. Therefore, I always trust professionals.

Do you do your own hair?

I love to weave braids – both for myself and for my daughter.

What is in your repertoire now, what are you working on?

In mid-March, shooting of the feature film will start – it will be a family story about inspiration, about how to find yourself if you have lost yourself. I will also perform on stage – you will be shocked. But for now, we can’t talk about it.

Meanwhile, you do not stop being a video blogger …

This is not even a job, but a video diary of my life – the camera is always with me.

You have two million followers on social media. Advise how you can quickly promote your page?

I realized that people are very fond of scandals. Especially if you are a public person. When I had a big quarrel with my first husband, not yet a divorce, I immediately got a lot of subscribers. I was even surprised: “Are you so interested that everything is bad with me?”.

How do you deal with negativity on social media?

I take everything simply. If people want to throw out irritation under my photo, please, I can even make a special section if it makes you feel better. I also have a lot of thoughts in my head when I look through the social media feed. Everyone there is so successful, beautiful – everyone is hurt, except for you. And it seems that you are the only loser in the whole world. These thoughts begin to slowly eat you up if you don’t stop yourself.

At times like these, what do you do?

I’m going to the gym. (Laughs) Now at my new job, I’ve been told to lose at least 3.5 kilos. And do you know how much it took in a month? Only 600 grams! And earlier I could not eat for two days – and be super slim! By the way, I noticed that sports should not be treated as a duty, you should not force yourself. Training is a very good reboot not only for the body, but also for the nervous system.

When I understand that stupid thoughts are starting to eat me up – I don’t have time, I didn’t go here, I didn’t do it, I didn’t read the book, but everyone had time – I just go to the hall, stand on the ellipse and turn on some series. And everything is fine.