Bond's girl from Berdyansk: Olga Kurylenko's success story

The story of the actress and model Olga Kurylenko is another tale about Cinderella, which has become a reality. A simple girl from the city of Berdyansk became a citizen of France, the “Bond girl” and Tom Cruise partner in the film “Oblivion”.

Frenchwoman of Ukrainian origin

Today, Olga Kurylenko calls herself "a Frenchwoman of Ukrainian origin," although she came to France at a rather adult age - at 16 years, writes lady.mail.ru. Most of her childhood was spent in Ukraine, in the city of Berdyansk, where the future star was born in 1979 year. Olya's family was big and everyone lived in the same apartment, including aunt, uncle, grandmother, grandfather, and cousin. As they usually say in such situations, “nothing foreshadowed such a brilliant career.”

Olga Kurylenko's parents did everything so that she could achieve a lot in life. From 7 years she studied English, went to music school and ballet studio. In the future, knowledge of a foreign language will be very useful to her - after all, Kurylenko believes that the language barrier interferes most with Russians in Hollywood.

Unlike many stars who lived in small towns as a child, Olga does not like to talk about how she dug potatoes or milked cows. In her memoirs, she is very laconic.

“My hometown is a place to leave if you want to make a great career, like many small cities in different countries of the world. That is, of course, in every small town there are some opportunities, but people still go to big ones, ”Olga once said. - In Berdyansk, there is nothing but a beach. Like in Miami. This is a place to relax. It is warm in the summer, and we have a lot of tourists, but in winter the city is dead. ”

The biography of the family in which the future actress grew and was brought up can hardly be called exemplary and prosperous. Shortly after the birth of his daughter, his father, Konstantin Kurylenko, left the family, and his mother had to bring up Olya herself. In addition to her and the little apartment, a small apartment was inhabited by Olin's aunt, uncle and their son, and the grandmother often visited them. So, when my mother went to work, there was someone to look after the girl.

Olga Kurylenko grew very active and inquisitive: she adored India and was fond of everything connected with her, studied English, went to the drama school and to ballet. She studied well at school, and her mother tried to encourage her for it. She knew that more than anything, her daughter loves to travel, trips to cities and villages were a great incentive to get good grades.

During one of them a fateful meeting took place.

Everything was exactly the same as in the current series: right in the Moscow subway a young beauty was noticed by a representative of an international modeling agency. Upon learning that the girl of all 13 years, very upset, but still left his mother contacts.

Mom did not think long: a significant part of her salary as a drawing teacher, she now put aside “to Paris”. Two years later, having collected a modest portfolio, my daughter and mother came to Moscow to participate in the casting. Only three years have passed, and it was this hobby to which she devoted all her free time to study, helped Olga to get to Paris, writes biography-life.ru. Then it seemed an impossible dream, but she managed to sign a contract with the modeling agency Madison to go to France and no longer return to her homeland - so Olga Kurylenko became a “Frenchwoman of Ukrainian origin.”

Bond, James Bond

Olga's career rushed uphill! The proposals fell one after another, and the young star barely had time to accept them. There was a catastrophic shortage of time, but thanks to her diligence, the beauty from Ukraine for a few years was able to shine in the coolest glossy publications of the world: she glittered on the pages of Vogue, Madame Figaro, Elle and Marie Claire, became the face of Lejaby lingerie. But Kurylenko wanted more - she believed that she could be not just a model, but also an actress.

How much all this time she had longed for her homeland! At first, the most unpleasant in a foreign land turned out to be that she did not know French at all. Teach him qualitatively - when? The language barrier created various difficulties, because of this Olya often cried, more than once wanted to give up everything and return to Berdyansk. But toughness and perseverance still prevailed. She decided to go ahead, whatever her cost.

In 1999, Olga's photos reached New York: they began to appear on large billboards there. And Kurylenko thought about it - were the model's frameworks too narrow? What if you try yourself in the movies? The prestigious courses, which she did not hesitate to enroll, helped to master the basics of acting.

Purposefulness and pressure mean a lot - the newly-made actress was soon completely shot: first there were episodic roles in various low-budget and not-so-popular films. But you have to start somewhere.

Six years later, Olga received her first leading role in the erotic content film “Finger of Love”. A year later, on the screens came the picture "Paris, I love you", in which the partner Kurylenko was the famous "hobbit" Elijah Wood.

In 2007, Olga played the main female role in the movie “Hitman,” Timothy Olyphant was a partner of her heroine Niki Voronina. After that, the image of a fatal beauty, able to stand up for itself, was entrenched behind her. She was recognized and loved.

In 2008, she received the main offer of her life. No, not hands and hearts. She was chosen to be the “Bond girl” in the next Bond series entitled “Quantum of Solace”. It was then that Olga learned the whole world.

“My life has changed a lot,” Kurylenko said in an interview. - Instantly I became famous, the press became interested in me. Of course, I imagined that this would happen, because the film is really cult, but I did not have the slightest idea - to what extent. At the same time, it upset me that a lot of lies appeared in the press about me. I still do not understand why people need to do this. Perhaps they are spreading unreliable facts, because they cannot find any information about me, because no one knows me. ”

By his own admission, Kurylenko did not become hostage to her role. In any case, she does not feel the stamp of the “Bond girl”. These shootings brought her not only popularity, but also a lot of useful contacts for the further conquest of Hollywood. True, with Daniel Craig, who played Bond, she never became friends, somehow did not work out ...

“We had an exclusively working relationship,” admits Olga.

And although many will remember her as one of the heroines of “Bondiana” or the star of the film “Oblivion” with Tom Cruise, Kurilenko herself believes that the main victories are still ahead. The actress wants to work with the director Lars Von Trier and even herself invites him to pay attention to her candidacy.

“I wrote him a letter,” Kurylenko once shared. - I can not tell you what it was about, but he answered me! He must work with me. He just does not know yet what he is missing! ”

Personal is private

About her personal life Olga Kurylenko does not like to spread. “Do not consider me secretive,” she explains, “but the personal is personal. Especially when things are not so easy in personal life. I'm afraid to scare away my happiness or rush things. ”

Everything was really not easy. Officially, Olga was married three times, first deciding to tie the knot in 20 years. Her favorite was the French photographer Cedric van Mol. This union helped the future star to obtain French citizenship. Love, as often happens, lasted three years, and the couple decided to leave.

The second time Olga married businessman Demyan Gabriella from the United States, however, this marriage was not strong. And finally, for the third time, Kurylenko went down the aisle with a Mexican businessman, whose name remained secret. With a mysterious lover, she did not come out into the light, and soon, also in an atmosphere of secrecy and without any hype, they divorced.

The actress believes that men with her "very difficult." Moreover, by her own admission, Olga never wanted to get married, there were just circumstances: “I understand, it’s rather strange to hear this from a man who was married three times, but I really never wanted to get married. By the way, the second time I did it only for him, because he asked very, very, very. After the first marriage, I said: "I will not do this again." But he said: "For me it is very important." What can't you do for the person you love! ”

Now the star is in the actual marriage with the British writer and journalist Max Benitz, from whom 3 October 2015, gave birth to a son - Alexander Mark Horatio Benitz, writes Clutch.ua.

Olga Kurylenko is a sought-after actress and model, a loving wife and a happy mother. Her story once again proves that in this world nothing is impossible.

Interesting facts about Olga Kurylenko

• Weight 53 kg. 175 height see
• In 2013, Olga Kurylenko took the 30 place in the ranking of the sexiest women in Men's Health magazine, writes uznaivse.ru.
• Her favorite vacation spot is the south of France.
• It drives Mini Cooper and Aston Martin cars.
• Favorite designers: Thomas Wylde, Ann Demeulemeester, Givenchy, Diesel.
• Perfume: Come des Garçons 2, Kenzo Amour I Cerruti 1881.
• Favorite cuisine: Japanese and Ukrainian.
• Olga gladly cooks and eats borsch, loves pelmeni cooked by her mother or grandmother, cheese cakes and stuffed peppers, Olivier salad.

• Life motto: "Everything in life that does not kill me makes me stronger."
• Favorite movie: The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, actor: Matthew Amalric.
• Favorite books and authors: Olga prefers philosophical literature. Hermann Hesse, Tolstoy, Dostoevsky, Simone de Beauvoir (“Memoirs of a Well-Brought Up Girl”), Oscar Wilde (“Portrait of Dorian Gray”, Nabokov (“Hell”).
• Olga is fluent in four languages: Ukrainian, Russian, French and Spanish.
• In 2008, she received the prestigious Elle Style Avards in the Breakthrough of the Year category.
• For her role in the film “Quantum of Solace”, she won the Saturn Prize in 2009, in the nomination “Best Supporting Actress”, as well as the British film award “Empire” as “Best Actress”.

• Weight 53 kg. 175 height see
• In 2013, Olga Kurylenko took the 30 place in the ranking of the sexiest women in Men's Health magazine, writes uznaivse.ru.
• Her favorite vacation spot is the south of France.
• It drives Mini Cooper and Aston Martin cars.
• Favorite designers: Thomas Wylde, Ann Demeulemeester, Givenchy, Diesel.
• Perfume: Come des Garçons 2, Kenzo Amour I Cerruti 1881.
• Favorite cuisine: Japanese and Ukrainian.
• Olga cooks and eats borscht with pleasure, loves dumplings cooked by her mother or grandmother, cheesecakes and stuffed peppers, Olivier salad. Life motto: “Everything in life that doesn’t kill me makes me stronger.”

• Favorite movie: The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, actor: Matthew Amalric.
• Favorite books and authors: Olga prefers philosophical literature. Hermann Hesse, Tolstoy, Dostoevsky, Simone de Beauvoir (“Memoirs of a Well-Brought Up Girl”), Oscar Wilde (“Portrait of Dorian Gray”, Nabokov (“Hell”).
• Olga is fluent in four languages: Ukrainian, Russian, French and Spanish.
• In 2008, she received the prestigious Elle Style Avards in the Breakthrough of the Year category.
• For her role in the film “Quantum of Solace”, she won the Saturn Prize in 2009, in the nomination “Best Supporting Actress”, as well as the British film award “Empire” as “Best Actress”.

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