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Video: Lyudmila Chursina - 80: Refusal to shoot in Hollywood, escape from the golden cage and the conscious loneliness of a movie star
2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55
July 20 marks the 80th anniversary of the famous theater and film actress, People's Artist of the USSR Lyudmila Chursina. She played dozens of bright roles, became a star of not only all-Union, but also a world scale, she was offered shooting in Hollywood, she was looked after by the wealthiest and most spectacular men. But from many of the benefits that fate sent her, the actress herself refused. Why one of the most talented and beautiful Soviet actresses did not become a global star, which is why she left the secretary general's son and chose a lonely life - further in the review.
Cinderella's sister
The actress, who was called one of the most beautiful in the USSR, at first did not consider herself either an actress or a beauty. Chursina described herself in her youth as follows: “”. From a young age, Lyudmila was very worried about her high growth (177 cm) and the 40th shoe size. She seemed to herself the sister of Cinderella, who is trying to squeeze her foot into a shoe 2 sizes smaller. The boys paid no attention to her. In physical education, she stood in the first rank in height, at the dances she stomped under the wall, because almost all the gentlemen were below her.
These complexes became the cause of self-doubt. In most of the photos in her youth, Chursina noticeably slouches. Of course, she did not consider herself worthy of audience attention and did not even dream of acting at school - she was good at exact sciences, she graduated from school with a gold medal and was going to enter the aviation institute. But then a friend persuaded to go with her to Moscow for a company - she was going to apply to theater universities. Just out of curiosity, Chursina did the same. Thanks to her studies in the literary circle, she knew several works by heart, which she read to the selection committee. And from the very first attempt she passed through the competition at VGIK, and at GITIS, and at the Shchukin School. She chose the latter.
Even the fact that the teachers believed in her did not instill confidence in their own abilities for a long time. The profession demanded inner freedom and relaxedness, and Chursina on the stage was at first squeezed and lost. Each new sketch, each new role was for her an endless overcoming of herself. In acting, she received "troikas" and even thought about leaving school. Fortunately, among the teachers there were those who convinced her of this. And later Chursina said: "".
A star "in its own land"
After graduating from college, Chursina performed on the stage of the Theater. E. Vakhtangova, and then went to Leningrad, to her husband - during the filming of the film "The Don Tale" she married the director Vladimir Fetin and moved in with him. She lived in Leningrad for 15 years. During that period, she played her most famous film roles, and not only with her husband, but also in the films of other directors - "Zhuravushka", "Gloomy River" and "Lyubov Yarovaya".
The film "Crane" at the International Film Festival in San Sebastian received the "Silver Shell", and Audrey Hepburn was awarded the prize to Lyudmila Chursina as the best actress. After that, the Soviet star was offered a multimillion-dollar contract to shoot 15 Hollywood films. Chursina refused. Of course, this was primarily dictated by the pressure of the Soviet authorities, but she herself did not seek to conquer Hollywood. Years later, the actress told: "".
In Leningrad, the actress performed on the stage of the Academic Drama Theater. A. Pushkin, but she said that she found her director only after returning to Moscow, when she became an actress of the Theater of the Soviet Army. She called the director Alexander Burdonsky a whole era in her life, thanks to him Chursina stayed in this theater for 35 years.
An exception to all the rules
Lyudmila Chursina is often called the exception to all the rules in the acting environment. One of the most beautiful Soviet actresses, she never considered herself irresistible and did not use her influence on men to achieve her own goals. Being married to a director, she did not require roles for herself. Meeting with the most spectacular and talented actors on the set, she never started office romances and said about this: "". She did not give vent to emotions, even when she was provoked into a conflict.
Of course, Chursina always had many fans. It was said that she was courted by an Italian producer and an American millionaire. She herself did not confirm or deny these rumors, noting only one thing about this: "". The actress was married three times, but all of her marriages fell apart. The union with Fetin collapsed due to his addiction to alcohol, the second marriage with the oceanologist lasted only 2 years - the spouses turned out to be too different people.
For the third time, the actress married Igor Andropov, the son of the General Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee. They lived together for 7 years, but the story of a bird in a golden cage is not at all about Chursina. When she was asked questions about whether it is easy to be the wife of such a person, she said: "". She turned out to be too freedom-loving to lead the lifestyle of the wife of a "big man": "". After that, Chursina no longer married and never gave birth to children. She chose "conscious loneliness" - in her opinion, it is better to be alone than to pretend to be happy next to a person who is alien to her in spirit.
And in adulthood, the actress looks very impressive. At the same time, she never turned to the help of plastic surgeons, did not try to look young, did not hide her true age. Chursina says that a face is a continuation of thought, and therefore it is not worth correcting it strongly: "". And the main reason for premature old age, following Goethe, she calls an idle life. Therefore, she never allowed herself to be idle. In her years, the actress continues to perform on the theatrical stage and act in films. Chursina does not like the word “grow old”, but prefers “growing up” with dignity, naturalness and beauty - as, indeed, everything that she does!
There were many trials in the fate of the famous actress, and once she was even going to take her own life: What fans don't know about Lyudmila Chursina.
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