Biography

Plays the saxophone and the piano.

Has taken singing and dancing lessons since childhood.

Studied in the Sea Cadet Corps (Marine Military Academy) in St Petersburg for 6 years, graduating in 2002.

With the The Maly Drama Theatre he has been part of tours all around the world: United Kingdom, Italy, France, Germany, Australia.

He won the "Belyy Slon" ("White Elephant") Award for "Best Actor in a Film" in 2005 for his role as Nikolay in Aleksey German Jr.'s Garpastum (2005). The "White Elephant" Awards are given annually by The Russian Guild of Film Critics.

I hope to be continuing to work in my current profession. I am a very lucky person because I have a job that I love doing every day.

[on Movie Vampire Academy] I would like to take a moment to thank Richelle Mead for writing such a great, interesting character as Dimitri. It is very important for me to represent my country in this movie, as a man who loves, who has a good sense of humor, is passionate, and is a very interesting person -- a really good guy. Dimitri has been living in America for a long time and speaks with a slight Russian accent. He is a very reliable and, at the same time, a quite mysterious person. He listens to old music and reads cowboy books. He is a man who people say has old-fashioned values. I really enjoyed playing him. This is not the typical Russian stereotype role where guys are doing stupid or bad things.

I prefer not to discuss politics for one reason: I'm absolutely sure that I understand nothing about politics. I do not want to make a smart face and pretend that I am working in the Bely Dom [the Russian government's main administrative building in Moscow; literally translated as "White House"] but at the same time as a human being, I am pleased about the presidential pardons and to see that Pussy Riot and [Mikhail] Khodorkovsky have been freed. I have great respect for Khodorkovsky and feel happy when I see him as a free man.

It is essential to speak English fluently. Maybe it is also lack of exposure. Remember, we are a very young film industry in Russia. It really has only developed in the last 20 years, after everything collapsed with the end of the Soviet Union. The relationship between Russian and European filmmakers is an emerging one, just now beginning to evolve.

It's very important for me to be in Russia and continue working with Russian filmmakers because I am a Russian actor, and I am very thankful for having the chance to work with very talented people here in Russia. At the same time, it is very important for me to continue to improve and develop my career in the West. I enjoyed very much working on my first American film with such a wonderful cast and the great Mark Waters. Work globalization is here, and we have to use this for breaking barriers.