How the heroes of the fairy tale "Twelve Months" left for the USA, and how it ended: Natalya Popova and Andrey Bosov

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

Their story began during the filming of the film "Twelve Months", which is still loved by young viewers and their parents. Natalya Popova and Andrei Bosov, a ballet dancer, were quite successful in building their careers and lives in the Soviet Union. But at some point, they decided to leave for permanent residence in the United States. Did the actors manage to bring their own fairy tale to life and how did their emigration end?

"Twelve months" and a lifetime

When the director of the fairy tale Anatoly Granik showed Natalya Popova, approved for the role of stepdaughter, photographs of two applicants for the role of April's brother, the actress did not choose Andrei Bosov at all. She liked the second, blond handsome man from the Maly Opera House much more, similar to Lelya from Alexander Ostrovsky's fairy tale "The Snow Maiden". But the director just waved his hand in disappointment, saying that she did not understand anything. And approved for the role of a dancer from the Kirov Theater Andrei Bosov.

During a big rehearsal, Natalya Popova unexpectedly caught herself thinking that she was sympathetic to her brother April. He funny pronounced the letter "s", very funny embarrassed and blushed, although he was a real ballet star. And then there was the first day of shooting and Andrei, going up to Natalia, suddenly put his arm around her waist. The girl was embarrassed and was about to be rude in response to such impudence, but suddenly realized that she was dizzy. It was the same lightning strike that could well be called love at first sight.

But Andrei already realized that his almost friendly hug embarrassed the girl, and he did not take more steps towards rapprochement, which further upset Natalia. She was always afraid to appear to him without a wig and makeup. On the set, she was in a wig and with an upturned nose skillfully modeled by make-up artists, but in life she was a brunette, and her nose was completely different. Therefore, she appeared on the set before everyone else, and after filming, the girl waited for Andrei to leave, and only then left her dressing room.

But on the last day of filming, which ended deep after midnight, there was only one bus delivering the actors and she had to appear in front of Andrei without a wig and makeup. When he saw Natalia, he immediately complimented her. And then there was a banquet on the occasion of the premiere of the fairy tale on Leningrad television, and then Natalya realized that she was not indifferent to her brother April. A month later, he appeared at the play with her participation in the Youth Theater, then introduced him to his parents, warning his mother in advance so that she would not take it into his head to spoil his relationship with his future wife. However, Andrei Bosov's family liked Natalia immediately.

Fairy tale in reality

The actors became husband and wife in 1974, three years later their son Ilya was born. Natalya almost immediately after his birth returned to her native Theater for Young Spectators, fortunately, numerous relatives helped her with the child. Later she moved to the Lenin Komsomol Theater (today "Baltic House").

Andrei Bosov served, as before filming in a fairy tale, in his native Kirov theater, happily spending time with his wife and son. At 38, he retired as a ballet dancer, and while there was very little work in Russia, he received an offer to teach ballet in America.

The son of actors Ilya at that time had already entered the University of Farmington in the United States. The husband and son of the actress safely moved overseas, and Natalya Ivanovna herself could not decide to move for a long time. At first, the actress tried to live in two countries, but later realized that she should be with her family. In 1997, she also moved to America.

Natalia Popova did not work in the USA. The husband was engaged in teaching, they traveled a lot together, enjoying every moment spent together. Over the years, their mutual feelings did not cool at all, they still looked at each other with admiration and love.

Only Natalia yearned for her beloved Peter more and more every month. She was never able to fall in love with the bright colors of the ocean coast, where they often visited with her husband. As a result, the couple decided: Natalia will return to Russia. She was incredibly happy when she again saw the native grayness, granite and marble of St. Petersburg.

The actress returned to the profession, again began to appear on the theatrical stage, then she mastered a new direction for herself, having received a diploma in computer science and translator, and began teaching. Today Natalya Ivanovna is an associate professor at the Department of Acting and Directing at the University of Culture and Arts, she has taken a course and is very proud of the achievements of her students.

The actress almost never acts in films, although offers are still coming to her today, she just very rarely sees herself in the images that she is offered to embody on the screen. But Natalia Popova can be seen in several performances of the "Baltic House" and on the jury of the theater festival "Monocle".

Andrei Bosov lived between America and Russia for another five years, trying to combine work in two countries, but in 2014 he finally decided to return. Today he teaches choreography at the St. Petersburg Rimsky-Korsakov Conservatory and at the Pedagogical University.

The spouses' son Ilya remained in America, where his parents visit him from time to time. After receiving arts and web design degrees, he works in his specialty in Boston and, together with his wife, brings up a ten-year-old daughter, Evelyn-Maria.

Natalia Popova and Andrey Bosov have been together for 46 years. They are still happy and have not lost interest in each other. And with special warmth they remember the fairy tale "Twelve Months", which gave them the most important thing in life: true love.

"Twelve Months" by Samuil Marshak is one of the most magical New Year's tales that everyone remembers from childhood. Many do not even suspect that she appeared at the height of the Great Patriotic War, when Marshak no longer wrote for children, but published military essays and anti-fascist epigrams. But one day he received a letter that made him change his mind about what is really important and needed by readers in wartime.