Why the only Russian actor to receive a prize in Cannes worked as a taxi driver: Konstantin Lavronenko

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

At 60, Konstantin Lavronenko has achieved everything an actor can dream of: his acting skills have received recognition not only at home, but also abroad. He became the only Russian actor to be awarded the prize for Best Actor at the Cannes Film Festival. All-Russian popularity was brought to him by the role of Chekan in the TV series "Liquidation", and international fame - the main roles in the films by Andrey Zvyagintsev "Return" and "Exile". However, success came to him only after 40 years, and before that he could not realize himself as an actor for many years, considered himself a failure and worked wherever he had to.

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Konstantin Lavronenko was born and raised in Rostov-on-Don in a family that has nothing to do with the world of cinema: his mother worked in a printing house, his father worked in a factory. The elder sister was the first to notice his artistry: when she saw how he parodies Arkady Raikin, she took him to the theatrical circle of the Rostselmash Palace of Culture. Kostya tried not to advertise his hobby for the theater during his school years - his courtyard friends would not have understood! Even his parents did not believe in the seriousness of these activities, because the son devoted all his time to football, boxing, or playing the accordion.

The only one who inspired him with confidence was the teacher of the drama club, the mother of Sergei Zhigunov Galina Ivanovna. She even took him to the capital and showed him to the teachers of the Shchukin school. There his talent was appreciated, but they refused to enroll - Lavronenko was still too young. In all other theatrical universities, he also got a turn from the gate and returned to Rostov. In his hometown, he was immediately taken to the 2nd year of the acting department of the school of arts. His studies had to be interrupted due to military service, where Konstantin performed in the song and dance ensemble, organized concerts and even staged performances.

After demobilization, Lavronenko again went to storm the capital's theater universities, and this time he was admitted to the Moscow Art Theater School on the very first attempt. During his studies, he played his first role in a movie - in the film "Still love, still hope", but after that he had to forget about continuing his acting career for many years.

Taxi driver, merchandiser, deputy director of the restaurant

After graduation, Lavronenko was disappointed: none of the capital's theaters offered him work. In "Lenkom" he did not impress anyone, he was lucky to get into "Satyricon" only due to the fact that one of the productions required an artist who can play the button accordion. In this theater, he met his future wife - actress Lydia Petrakova. At that time, she was married, but soon left her husband for Konstantin Lavronenko. At first, they were not embarrassed by either material difficulties or constant employment at rehearsals and performances. But with the birth of his daughter Ksenia, everyday problems worsened: the actor devoted all his time to the theater, disappeared at work for days, and at the same time could not provide for his family.

In those days, he was so desperate that he was disgusted with himself. Then he almost lost his family, because he and his wife were on the verge of divorce. He once wrote to himself a letter that said: "" This ruthless self-description he intended to read every morning to remind himself that it was time to give up his own acting ambitions and find a job that will provide for his family.

And then the actor made a difficult decision for himself: to leave the theater and take up a private cab. On his "six" he "bombed" until he met one person who was involved in the sale of dairy products. He invited Konstantin to go to him as a merchandiser. For some time he mastered a new profession, and then, deciding that “he was a random person at the dairy festival of life,” he transferred to the driver.

Later, a former classmate offered him the position of deputy director of a restaurant at the theater. Lavronenko held out there for a year and a half. The family's financial situation improved, and the depression deepened. The actor said: "".

Finest hour

After his debut film role, a pause in Lavronenko's career dragged on for almost 20 years. For a long time, he unsuccessfully participated in castings and heard the same thing everywhere: his appearance is not cinematic and is completely unsuitable for the screen. Konstantin was already over 40, and he almost lost hope of returning to the profession, when he was suddenly called by the casting director of Andrei Zvyagintsev's film "The Return". As it turned out, the director saw Lavronenko in one of the performances back in the early 1990s. and remembered the actor. The trial lasted 9 months, and Lavronenko was the first one who was invited to them, and the last one who was approved.

The film "Return", in which Lavronenko played the main role, made a splash at the Venice Film Festival, received the "Golden Lion" and was released in 70 countries around the world. True, at home, a flurry of criticism fell upon the director and actors - many called the film anti-popular, and its creators - upstarts. No one expected that this success would be followed by another one - the triumph of Zvyagintsev's film “The Exile” in Cannes 2007. Konstantin Lavronenko became the first and only Russian actor to receive the main prize, the Golden Palm, for Best Actor at this prestigious film festival. However, at home this success was greeted just as coolly - they said that the jury's decision was political, that neither the director nor the actor really deserved such a high award.

At almost the same time, in the fall of 2007, the premiere of the series "Liquidation", in which Lavronenko played the role of the bandit Chekan, took place on television, and no one could dispute his success. It was after this that incredible popularity fell upon the actor.

After that, the directors bombarded him with new proposals, he began to receive one leading role after another. In 2009 he was awarded the title of Honored Artist of the Russian Federation. In the past 10 years, when the actor has already passed 50, several new projects with his participation are released annually.

All his dreams finally came true, but most of all Konstantin Lavronenko is pleased not by world recognition, by the availability of awards and being in demand in the profession, but by the fact that he managed to convince his loved ones: it was not in vain that he became an actor, it was not in vain that he spent so many years to prove his creative solvency. … And now his wife and daughter have every reason to be proud of him!

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