Behind the scenes of the film "Bless the Woman": Why Stanislav Govorukhin vowed not to film Svetlana Khodchenkova

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

16 years ago, Stanislav Govorukhin's film "Bless the Woman" was released, thanks to which the star of Svetlana Khodchenkova was lit up. She was called the favorite actress of the famous director and even attributed the novel to them, but soon after filming, Govorukhin vowed never to shoot her in his films again. For what reason there was a conflict between them, because of which they did not speak for several years, and why Alexander Baluev despised his character - further in the review.

The plot of the film was not fictional, and the main characters had real prototypes. The script was created on the basis of the story of Elena Wentzel, known under the pseudonym I. Grekov (read as "Igrekova"). The author was a doctor of sciences, a mathematician, but one day she decided to try her hand at literary creativity. She was inspired by her acquaintance with the owners of the guest house in Odessa, Olga and Konstantin Kiryushin. The acquaintance grew into a friendship that lasted almost 50 years. The story of this family became the basis of the story "The Hostess of the Hotel", published back in the mid-1970s. Neither the writer herself nor the prototypes of the heroes of her film adaptation saw them - at that time they were no longer alive.

Alexey Guskov and Maria Mironova could have starred, but Govorukhin gave preference to Alexander Baluev because of his portrait resemblance to the prototype, and Svetlana Khodchenkova, appearing in the last days of the casting, seemed to him one hundred percent falling into the image of a real Russian beauty with a scythe to the waist … At that time, she was an unknown freshman at the Shchukin Theater School. She applied for the role of the younger sister of the main character, but Govorukhin was so impressed by her beauty that he offered the central role without hesitation.

The biggest test for Khodchenkova was the love scenes with Baluev. She was, like her heroine, still very young, modest and inexperienced. The 18-year-old actress was very squeezed, embarrassed in the presence of her eminent filming partner, who, moreover, was twice her age. Stanislav Govorukhin helped her overcome herself, who during the filming of these episodes removed everyone from the set except the actors and the operator.

Alexander Baluev very often got the role of the military, he was the son of a military man, but he himself never tried to connect his life with the army. "" - said the actor.

Despite the oppressive, rude, tough and even cruel character of his hero, thousands of spectators immediately fell in love with him, which became a complete surprise for Baluev and an inexplicable mystery: ""

The mother of the main character was played by Irina Kupchenko. To get used to this image, the actress arrived in Odessa to the filming location ahead of schedule. She put on the costume of her heroine, tied a scarf on her head, took the basket and went to Privoz. And so it was for several days, until she herself outlined the character of her heroine. They said she was one of the few who Govorukhin allowed to improvise on the set.

The daughter of a friend of the main character was played by 16-year-old chess player Alexandra Kosteniuk. She had to combine shooting with tournaments. During one of them, Stanislav Govorukhin saw her for the first time and invited her to his picture. So her acting debut took place. Today she holds the title of international grandmaster, the twelfth world chess champion, continues to participate in chess tournaments and no longer acts in films.

This film was predicted to fail - in the early 2000s. criminal dramas enjoyed popularity with viewers, and Govorukhin decided to shoot a film about love. At the box office, the film really failed, grossing only 623 thousand dollars, but did not receive a wide response from criticism. But after the four-part television version of the film was released, millions of viewers finally appreciated it. Every day, the director began to receive letters from women who recognized themselves in the main character.

Govorukhin was so delighted with his new muse that rumors immediately appeared in the press that the actress and the director were connected not only by professional relations. In fact, this was not the case, as Khodchenkova said: "".

After the release of the film on screens in one of the magazines, Khodchenkova was called the standard of the Russian beauty. But the actress herself was very unhappy with her curvaceous forms and dreamed of looking just like Hollywood stars. She went on a very strict diet and in a few months lost 20 kg, changing beyond recognition. Govorukhin was shocked by her changes in appearance - he planned to work with her in the future, but believed that after losing weight, Khodchenkova lost her individuality and became like thousands of young actresses who were guided by Hollywood beauty standards.

After that, Govorukhin vowed never to shoot Khodchenkov in his films again. "", - the director said in disappointment. He was very upset by the fact that the star he discovered agreed to take part in "pop" projects, exchanging his talent for shooting in serials. He predicted her the future of an ordinary actress who would never become a star again.

The actress herself was afraid to be forever stuck in the role of "puffy provincial" and saw more prospects for herself in her new image. For several years they did not even talk to Govorukhin, and only 12 years later they met again on the set of his film "The End of a Beautiful Era". As time has shown, the actress was right - after her transformation, directors, including Hollywood, bombarded her with new proposals. Today Svetlana Khodchenkova is one of the most filmed and sought-after Russian actresses.

Although the actor did not like his character, the image of Alexander Larichev became one of the 5 most striking roles of Alexander Baluev.