Elena Koreneva's American Dream: Why did the actress return to her homeland after 11 years in the USA?

Photo: goodhouse.ru

Elena Koreneva was not the only Soviet actress who dreamed of leaving the USSR for good abroad, and she managed to do it in the 1980s. However, after spending years in the US 11, she returned back.

The fact that led to the return and how her life in the United States, told the publication “Culturology".

Her creative path was predetermined from birth - she was born in the family of the famous director Alexei Koreneva and assistant director Natalia Koreneva. As a child, she dreamed of becoming a ballerina, but after the first film debut at school age she decided to enter the theater. The popularity of her brought the film “The Romance of Lovers” by Andrei Konchalovsky, after which the audience began to recognize her, and the directors invited her to new roles.

Photo: kino-teatr.ru

Elena Koreneva's finest hour was the end of 1970-x - the beginning of 1980-s, when she played in the films “Crew”, “That Munchausen” and “Pokrovskie Vorota”.

However, the audience watched the last film only a few years after the completion of filming - its release on the screens was postponed due to the fact that the actress married a foreigner and went abroad. Her departure to the United States came as a complete surprise to many - she was at the peak of her popularity and could have continued her successful film career, but Koreneva dreamed of something else.

Elena Koreneva in the film “That Same Munchausen.”
Photo: kino-teatr.ru

Among her closest acquaintances there were many “defectors”. Probably, Andrei Konchalovsky, with whom Koreneva had an affair, infected her with a dream of another life. He did not conceal that he was married to a French woman and was determined to go abroad. Her other friends also reasoned, which led her to conclude: “Everyone whom I start to love leaves me. Or rather, they are leaving. ”

Later, the actress confessed: “It seemed to me that I was tired of the acting profession, that I needed to rest, change the“ scenery ”of my life. In addition, I talked a lot with the representatives of the so-called golden youth - the children of famous artists, poets, writers, they all dreamed of leaving for some kind of capitalist country. Inevitably, I began to try this fate on myself. Then she went through several novels with foreigners and realized that there was nothing unrealizable in my desire. If you set a goal, you can leave. And fate gave me such a chance: I met Kevin, married him and left for America. ”

Photo: kino-teatr.ru

After the departure of Koreneva, her name was struck out from the credits and movie-makers, and rumors circulated around Moscow that the actress drank herself and hung herself.

She met American Kevin Moss, a teacher of Russian language and literature, in 1982 in Moscow in the company of mutual friends. Soon Kevin proposed to her and took her to the USA with him.

At first, Koreneva was pleased with everything: “We lived in famous university campuses, I communicated with very interesting people. As a teacher's wife, I had the right to attend any lectures for free or with minimal tuition. At first I learned French with enthusiasm, then I started English. ”

However, this marriage soon fell apart - her husband warned her about his bisexuality even before the wedding, and in the USA he left her for her lover.

After the divorce, the actress was forced to earn their own. I didn’t even have to dream about an acting career - as Koreneva explained, “here is the notorious accent, and another acting school, and the lack of handwriting of the name”.

Photo: mirnov.ru

For all the 11 years she has starred in only two Konchalovsky films in bit parts. Koreneva had to work as an art dealer, a manager, and a waitress in a restaurant.

She was not at all embarrassed by such work: “In America there are no our prejudices, they say, it is not prestigious, ugly. I did not think at all that the work as a waitress diminishes my merits. ”

But at some point the actress began to fear that she would lose her professional skills forever and would no longer be able to go on stage and onto the set.

She never found her place in the United States, she was unable to either build a family or make a career. And Koreneva decided to return home. True, during 4's, she was denied a visa, then she was able to come to the USSR for a year, and finally returned in 1993. She again began to act in films, although she had not yet reached her previous popularity. However, in her 64, the actress regrets only that she did not dare to have a child: “Men, from whom I would like to have children, were not ready for such a move for various reasons. Now I understand that women’s happiness is primarily children, but nothing can be fixed. ”

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