Oleg Menshikov: "Actor, unfortunately, is an idiotic profession"

“There was no such thing that I was terribly interested in something from a youtube show. I'm watching something, but to get hooked on something - there is no such thing.

I myself do not go to these interviews, because I am tired, not interested, the same questions.

Then, you know, I'm interested in the conversation, I'm not interested in the question-answer. In general, in principle, I do not understand why this is necessary.

There are very few people to talk to, I think so. There are few of them in life. And there are very few interviewers-interlocutors! Therefore, I do not go.

It seems to me that this is such a pointless exercise - interviewing, trying to talk someone else's, unknown to you. Why is this needed?

I’m calling people (Oleg Menshikov has his own channel on YouTube, OM Oleg Menshikov, where he acts as an interviewer - noted by the editor), whom I know, with whom I communicate and I want to discover in them what something that is unknown even to myself.

But this is how to go to strangers, try something...

And then, now, when it turns into an interrogation and for some reason it is considered interesting to ask the so-called "uncomfortable questions", I think this is generally idiocy! I don't understand what it is at all!

...Oh, I don't like my photographs at all, and I don't watch my own movies. No, no, no…

When I see: "Oleg Menshikov" - and it doesn't matter at all whether it is good (they wrote) or bad - my mood generally deteriorates.

I don’t know why, I simply was born that way.

I don't like attention to myself. I understand that this has nothing to do with my profession, because it seems to dictate to you that you should like attention.

But this is not a flirtation, but a character trait.

I don't go to parties, not because I despise everyone. It's just that I'm very, very uncomfortable there. I don't like the format itself.

I do not like loud conversations, loud laughter, a lot of people... I feel uncomfortable when there are a lot of people, whom I do not even know yet.

...But lately, in my opinion, on the contrary, I have been opening up more and more.

I never had the task of “closing” myself, it is, however, just a character trait.

Yes, I'm secretive, but there are many.

...Listen, actors - you know, is about - you like him, but I don't like, and the arguments are useless.

Because you will have a lot of arguments - you like actor X, but I don't like actor X.

Unfortunately, this is such an idiotic profession, because everything is built only on "like" or "dislike". There are no criteria!

But I somehow got used to him (to the actor Menshikov - noted by the editor) and I can't imagine my life without him. Yes, there probably must be something in him! (laughs)

...I cannot say that our cinema is rich in characters, developments, plots...

The plot, it seems to me, moves from the series to the series, only the artists change.

I can't say that I watched our film, Russian, and would have thought - wow, damn it, I wish I could do it! I don't remember a single one like that.

What material is offered, I take this, as needed.

This is my job guys. You are strange people, this is my profession!

You don’t ask the miner - he has more or less coal, here he is, in the mine, he is extracting it - he goes to work.

And I go to work. And I earn money only by this, I have no other ways of making money.

"Why was he filming there?" - I didn't ask you! For that!

...I have one course (in GITIS - The Russian University of Theatre Arts - noted by the editor), I want a studio at the theater. Young blood is very important for the theater.

The theater should be young. I didn’t say it, it’s all smart people say. (laughs)

This is their business. Theater, in general, is a funny thing. And being young is fun. Therefore, theater is a young business.

We will help them as best we can, but we must be young in the theater.

... I have no idea how our theater differs from others. To understand, you have to go to other theaters often, but I rarely go to theaters.

The only thing that I am 100% sure of is that we have a very good atmosphere within the theater, within the collective. Working team.

The products are completely different, in this sense I support Oleg Pavlovich Tabakov, who said that all genres should exist in the theater, any, whatever.

I believe that there should not be a line of some kind of repertoire, genre...

Anything - just talented.

The repertory theater has outlived its usefulness for a long time and I have been talking about it for a long time.

And as a result, we will say goodbye to him. And as a result, there will be no conflicts.

The state gives money, so do the will of the state. No, they must be private.

I recently listened to a not very well-known interview with Jurassic, where he said that he was in favor of "begging". Probably, the present will happen when we give up state money.

This does not mean that “then we will start doing what we want”, no. It's just right. There must be private money".

The full interview with Oleg Menshikov can be viewed here.