Quotes

Vladimir Vysotskiy didn't become a friend during the filming of The Meeting Place Cannot Be Changed (1979). He was a colleague and a very peculiar one at that. Working with him wasn't easy. One moment he was kind, wonderful, and delightful, but three seconds later, his expression would change completely... Yelling, screaming - you name it, it happened! I had never found myself in such an appalling situation before.

That was the only way people saw me. But I understood perfectly well: a couple more roles like that, and I'd be washed up. That happens all the time here - you get typecast in a specific kind of role and then discarded. No one wants to acknowledge or explore your other acting abilities anymore. Because filmmaking is a risky business. And hardly any director wants to take the risk of casting an actor whose established image - in their view - doesn't fit the part.

I found the experience of filming The Meeting Place Cannot Be Changed (1979) incredibly uncomfortable. A film set can throw even strong, thick-skinned actors off balance - let alone someone thin-skinned like me. It was so difficult that, without saying a word to anyone, I packed my bags and decided to head back to Kiev. At that moment, I didn't care what the film crew might think.