Barbara Brylska: the irony of fate, or the complete opposite of Nadia Sheveleva

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

The Polish actress, who has been called one of the most beloved, most beautiful and most popular in the territory of the former USSR by domestic viewers for 40 years, is Barbara Brylska celebrated its 77th birthday (according to the passport - June 5, in fact - May 29). Since the film by E. Ryazanov "The Irony of Fate, or Enjoy Your Bath" was released in 1976, many associate the actress exclusively with the school teacher Nadia Sheveleva, who is beloved in every way. But Barbara Brylska admits that in real life she is the complete opposite of her screen heroine.

Barbara played her first film role at the age of 17, in the comedy action movie Galoshes of Happiness. Popularity at home came to her after the film "Pharaoh", where the 25-year-old actress played the main role. Soon she began filming abroad: in Poland, the GDR and Yugoslavia. In the USSR, she became an actress number 1 in 1976, after the release of the film "The Irony of Fate, or Enjoy Your Bath".

Barbara Brylska admits that, unlike Nadya Sheveleva, she is too harsh and straightforward, but she is proud that she always tells the truth and does not lie to herself. Her honesty and uncompromising attitude often led to conflicts. On the project "Two Stars", where Brylska was a member of the jury, and Pugacheva was the presenter, the actress gave low points for the performance of Vladimir Presnyakov and Elena Korikova, which displeased Alla Borisovna and the rest of the judges. Barbara understood that indulgence was expected for these speakers, but she could not act differently: "Well, I didn't like it!" - she said.

Unlike her famous on-screen heroine, Barbara cooks beautifully - and not only jellied fish: “For the holiday I cook fish dishes, pies with mushrooms and cabbage, red borscht, Karli veal with pineapples and mushrooms. I like to eat delicious food, but I can't eat much. You have to keep yourself in shape."

The actress says that she would never fall in love with either Zhenya Lukashin or Ippolit, and under no circumstances would marry without love - just because the hero is "positive" and "friends advise." “It’s better to be alone than with someone who doesn’t meet your expectations one hundred percent,” says the actress.

The actress had a lot of trials with which she would not have coped if she had the same gentle character as Nadia Sheveleva from The Irony of Fate. Barbara had to endure the betrayal of men and the death of her 20-year-old daughter, after which she could not leave the house for three years: “I was ashamed to look people in the eyes, because I was alive, but my daughter was not,” says Barbara.

The irony of fate pursued her both in her personal life and in her professional life. Despite the fact that she has all the virtues that any woman can only dream of - intelligence, beauty, talent, sexuality, charisma, success, creative fulfillment - Barbara Brylska was never able to find happiness in family life, although she was married three times … The actress has always chosen beautiful men and suffered from their inconstancy: her second husband Ludwig Kosmal cheated on her for 18 years. “He was not worthy of me. He used all my strength, all my love, not to mention the money,”says the artist. She endured for a long time, but one day she left and never returned, despite the fact that years later her ex-husband tried to return her.

Unlike the restrained and modest Nadia Sheveleva, Barbara Brylska never hid her violent temperament: she succumbed to passions and did not restrain her emotions. The actress always called things by their proper names, even if these names were obscene. She often fell in love at first sight and went to the end, not thinking about the consequences.

Despite the incredible popularity of Barbara in the USSR after the release of the film "The Irony of Fate", Polish viewers did not share these enthusiasm, however, as did the directors in the 1970s. she almost stopped acting at home. In Russia, she played in several more films, but it was no longer possible to repeat the former success.

Barbara Brylska learned to live in harmony with herself: “I look at the present day and try not to run past the next week,” says the actress. - Sometimes I think about the past. But these are not very funny thoughts, I confess. The past very often hurts the soul, the nerves. So I trained myself to live what I have now. And the audience still loves her and never ceases to admire her beauty and charm: 20 shots of legendary Soviet celebrities in a relaxed atmosphere