6 actors who left their profession for religion, then changed their minds and returned

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

Every person in life has unbearably difficult moments. Someone finds consolation in drunkenness and drugs, someone is helped to overcome the black streak by friends and relatives, and some are struck by religion. And many of the actors who find themselves in difficult situations give up their careers at the height of their fame and retire from worldly problems to places where they can safely surrender to the service of God. Today we will tell about just such public people who tried to completely change their lives, leaving cinema for the sake of religion, but changed their minds and returned.

Dmitry Dyuzhev

Looking at this wonderful actor and gorgeous man, it is difficult to imagine that in his youth Dima seriously thought about leaving worldly life. Moreover, these thoughts visited the already held actor at one of the most successful moments of his career - after the release of the cult series "Brigade". And it all started with the fact that the Dyuzhev family began to pursue one tragedy after another. First, in the summer of 1998, his 12-year-old sister Nastya died of leukemia. Then the father, a successful entrepreneur who blamed himself for his daughter's death, began to drink too much. In one of the moments of crisis, he sold the business to install a marble tombstone, and opened his veins on the grave. The actor's mother could not bear this blow of fate, and less than a year later she died of heart failure.

Dmitry was left all alone. He tried to go into monasticism while living in one of the monasteries, but his spiritual father refused to take monastic vows. As the actor recalled in an interview, the priest said then that he was blessing him not for the monastic path, but for "serving a woman." After reflection, Dmitry promised himself that he would only touch his chosen one. There were many temptations, but his "only" was not in any way. And once, several years after the words of the abbot of the monastery, he saw a girl in the crowd. Now she is his wife, mother of his two children, companion and inspiration.

In another interview, the actor clarified that for him "the best form of missionary work is his own actions." Therefore, including through acting, you can transfer your knowledge about God. One of such iconic films was the film "The Island" (2006) directed by Pavel Lungin, which helped Dyuzhev to establish himself in faith, go through a difficult period of life and return to the profession.

Irina Cherichenko

The star of the film "Tomorrow was the war" (1987) and the film "Wings are not a burden for birds" (1989), shortly after filming the latter, retired as a novice to the Pukhtitsa monastery in the village of Kuremäe, Estonia. The twenty-five-year-old actress longed for solitude and, as she later shared with reporters, “wanted to be away from the hustle and bustle, to find peace of mind, to understand herself”. Everything happened quite unexpectedly - Irina came to the shooting in Pskov, she did not know anyone from her group and accidentally wandered into the monastery. There she was fed, and the next morning began with matins. As Irina recalls, “I remember how I myself rung the bell and how my past life left me”.

Soon the actor Nikolai Burlyaev arrived - he was also a deeply religious person. Together with him, the young girl began to travel and visit old churches and monasteries. Initially an idle interest, it later turned into a real religiosity. For several months, the actress regularly led a monastic life, praying and obeying every day. However, the tonsure did not happen. The actress realized that with her character it would be difficult to "destroy the personality in herself," and that she "can give people more in the world than there."

Sergey Trofimov

Finding yourself is how the singer explains his stormy youth. Partying, alcohol and drugs, deadly alterations - "every time I miraculously survived" - said Trofimov. However, the emptiness inside grew more and more on purpose. And only faith in God and divine guidance helped him to gain ground under his feet. The singer stopped drinking and began to attend church regularly. For two years he lived in four Moscow churches. He was first a chorister, then a regent, a clerk. He realized that he must accept life as it is. However, the daily performance of the ritual is not in his nature. Sergei Trofimov returned to the world. As he later shared with reporters, “I do not regret it, because I realized that the ministry is not mine. I found faith in Christ within me."

Ekaterina Vasilieva

In the life of the People's Artist of the RSFSR, not everything was smooth. Ekaterina Sergeevna raised her only son in severity, as her famous relative-teacher A. S. Makarenko instructed. At her insistence, her son Dmitry Roshchin abandoned his illegitimate son Arseny from actress Elena Korikova. But living by the rules does not always fit in with the dictates of the soul. Her son, against the background of a heart wound, did not continue his acting career after graduating from VGIK, but devoted himself to serving in the church. He received the rank of archpriest and became rector of the Church of St. Nicholas on the Three Mountains.

And the famous mother retired as a novice to the Tolgsky monastery. For three years, from 1993 to 1996, the actress did not act in films and did not appear on the stage, completely immersed in prayers. And only the director Alexander Muratov managed to persuade her to return to cinema, offering the role of Queen Catherine de Medici in the television series The Countess de Monsoreau and Queen Margot. Now Vasilyeva continues to work in the theater and act in films, however, about each upcoming role, she always asks for advice and blessings from her spiritual father.

Irina Grineva

One of our sexiest actresses also went to seek her fortune in a monastery during a period of mental crisis. However, she could not hold out there for more than a week. Her ideas about monastic life contrasted sharply with the real everyday life of the monastery, because not everyone can withstand hard work from dawn to dawn and strict rules. Therefore, Irina quickly rethought her act and returned to her former life.

Ivan Okhlobystin

Perhaps this is the most famous actor who has a clerical rank. In 2001, he was ordained a priest in the Tashkent diocese. Subsequently, he and his family returned to Moscow, where he served in several Moscow churches. He also hosted programs on Orthodox topics. He left his acting career, but in his free time Ivan was fond of writing scripts. In 2009, he asked Patriarch Kirill to release him from service due to "internal contradictions." The petition was granted with the proviso that if suddenly John Okhlobystin finally decides, then this temporary ban will be lifted. As you can see, the actor was carried away by the worldly life, and there is no talk of the return of dignity so far.