Alexandra Ursulyak about the series “Volunteer Playlist”, the plume of the acting dynasty and family

Alexandra, how did you get into the “Volunteer Playlist”? Who is your heroine?

To begin with, I want to say that this is a real, autobiographical story based on the book by Mrshavko Shtapich. And my heroine also has a real prototype, this is a real woman who exists and she is very accurately described in the book. I remember when we first met with Artem Lyashenko, aka Mrshavko Shtapich, on the set, he said that the casting was done correctly, that I looked like her. About my heroine, I can say that this is a woman who in her life feels the emptiness of being and fills it in such an extreme way. Finds meaning, emotion and love in a group of volunteer searchers.

How was the shooting?

The group had a big serious preparatory stage, because you can’t just go out into the field and shoot such things. Director Maxim Sveshnikov impressed me with his calmness, steadfastness and precise understanding of what he was doing. And with great trust in the actors and love for what we do. Cameraman Ilya Averbakh inspired us with his humor, professionalism and high artistic approach. We had an excellent consultant – in addition to our author, who was present almost all the time on the site and showed us how to find lost people correctly, how to provide first aid to them, gave us instructions, we were properly equipped. In general, we tried to be as accurate as possible in this sense. And the shooting took place in different places, mostly it was the suburbs. It was already quite cool and, of course, we were freezing from time to time. But the group was so cool and caring that all the difficulties faded into the background.

Still, volunteers are people of a special disposition… How close is this topic to you in general?

In general, it’s hard for me to imagine how it is to go out into the forest, spend the night there after work and go to work again in the morning (without sleeping), and then after work again continue searching in the cold. This is truly a romantic adventure. I probably wouldn’t have survived.

Was Ivan Yankovsky one of your partners in the series? How was it working with him?

Ivan is a wonderful actor and a wonderful, handsome guy. It was immediately easy and comfortable with him, he is a man with humor and with great respect for his partners and for everyone who is on the set. And this light and respect for what he does himself and what other people do, I think this is a very professional quality.

Both of you are from an acting dynasty, so to speak. Personally, did your father’s surname help or hinder you in your profession?

Such things can only interfere with you from the inside, when you suspect that you can be regarded not for your qualities, but somehow you can add the qualities of your parents, relatives, the sound of your last name, and so on. I don’t think it really exists. In fact, people are trying to judge you by what you are doing, who you are at the moment, they are watching you closely. Of course, I think that after all, some bright, sonorous surnames help rather than vice versa. Because there is this train of respect already earned by someone else. Doors open faster, that’s true. There is no need to lie here. But you always have to justify this trust, to prove that you are not accidental in this business. Even established great artists need to start each work from scratch. And every time you do something new, you get very excited.

Your children do not want to go to the acting profession?

So far, I don’t see my kids really wanting it. But they have not all matured to some conscious desires. I don’t think that I should dissuade anyone, and I also don’t think that I should lure anyone into this profession. The profession is very bright, very interesting, it has an unconditional number of pluses. There are also disadvantages. This is a profession that goes beyond just doing the job. There is too much interest in it, too much excitement, and if you really seriously immerse yourself, spend money, find meanings, get vivid emotions, then this can develop into some kind of addiction, when you can’t actually do anything else, because everything else ceases to be so interesting. And then it’s already a diagnosis (laughs). Therefore, the profession, on the one hand, has great advantages, but, of course, it also has the other side of the coin. But you understand this only when you are already deep in it.

What are the nature of children? Who reminds you more in your youth?

I don’t know, I try not to look for my traits in children, I somehow immediately see children as separate individuals, as separate people and just look at them, how they develop. It is important for me that they be good people, distinguish bad from good, do good deeds – that’s all that interests me in the first place.

Are you jealous of your profession? Like, all mothers are like mothers, and ours is again on the set …

I don’t know, probably, on the one hand, it’s bad that I’m not constantly at my feet or at the stove. On the other hand, I try to spend as much time with my children as I can. But it is qualitatively different from the option if I were with them all the time. I absolutely know from the words of my children that they are proud of me and support me in every possible way on my way. This is true.

Are they watching your work? What do they say?

Some are watched, some are not. Some people manage to watch the theater more, someone – the cinema. I understand that it is very difficult. When you see a loved one on the screen, on stage, you have some kind of perception imbalance, so I don’t take it seriously, and I think they don’t either.

How do you manage to balance work and family? Are there any boundaries? For example, every Sunday I am only a mother …

No, unfortunately, I can’t take it to myself every Sunday (at least until I have such an opportunity), because the repertoire is formed according to completely different laws. If only because the Sunday performance is probably one of the highest-grossing days in the theater… Or, for example, the theater is so committed to other artists that the repertoire is compiled naturally, not taking into account Saturdays, Sundays, Mondays, and so on. Similarly, the filming process – it is formed from the time that the artist is not busy. So maybe someday, when I’m a super-mega-duper star, you can say, “You know, I don’t work on Sunday.” To be honest, I have never met such people. Maybe I just don’t know much about it, but at the moment it doesn’t work out that way for me. I just try to distribute my time as much as possible – that’s how I balance. Sometimes it works out well, sometimes it doesn’t.

In many interviews, you said that in the frantic pace of life of an actress and mother of three children, there is absolutely no time left for yourself. What would you especially like? Well, here, for example, you have an absolutely free day – only for yourself. How would you spend it?

This is difficult. Because if, for example, I have an absolutely free day, and at that moment I am at home, then, of course, that debt hole for all household chores that I am permanently in, it will not let me relax calmly. Naturally, I will start doing some household chores. And even if I am very tired and I understand that I need to lie down and rest, I will still feel some kind of burden that I do not have time to do some things. And then I still get up and do something, if only to clear my conscience. The coolest thing in this sense is when I am on some kind of trip. For example, this is the first day of the tour, when we just arrived and do not yet have to go to the site and rehearse something. And this day, which is absolutely mine, and I know that I don’t have to do anything, I can lie down, I can read, watch something, think about something, write something down for myself. Recently, I began to keep a diary, write down my thoughts there, structure them. It has no artistic value, it’s just my work on myself. And of course, I love to travel, but this is very rare in my life now.

What about vacation then? Are you planning to travel somewhere this year?

I believe that even when a vacation doesn’t work out and for some reason it doesn’t happen, you must definitely arrange it and take some exhalations, go somewhere in spite of everything. Because it is very important, it gives strength, it gives you the opportunity to really stop, exhale and gain strength for something new, to rethink something. To do this, you definitely need a vacation, and I will try my best to organize it. God help me!

You are in amazing shape. Genetics or the result of diet and training? What do you do to keep your figure in perfect shape?

Thanks for the compliment. In general, like most women, I do not consider myself ideal, and there are many complaints about myself in this sense. Of course, I think that my parents gave me some kind of good looks, but I can’t relax. I am not one of those people who can eat whatever they want from morning to evening and at the same time it will not be delayed anywhere. I have to take care of myself, understand what I eat, when I eat and why. I try to keep my body active. This is also quite spontaneous in nature, because it is connected with my schedule. So, like everyone else, I try to balance.

You once said that the worst thing in the life of an artist is to stop. Because today you are a star, and tomorrow you are no longer in business. Do you still think so?

No, of course I am reconsidering my views on life and on the profession. I think that from time to time an artist, especially a hard worker, must definitely stop. Because sometimes you need to re-feel the connection with the earth, with the sky and with people, and then start working again. After all, if you constantly work, you can lose this connection and be simply inadequate. And I wouldn’t want that.