'We live modestly': the star of Soviet cinema spoke about life in the USA

Soviet actress Elena Solovey, known for her role in Nikita Mikhalkov’s famous movie “Slave of Love”, gave the first interview in a long time. She spoke about the reasons for emigration and what he is doing at the moment.

Collage: gazeta.ru

For the first time in a long time, the Soviet theater and film actress Elena Solovey, who played the main role in the film “Slave of Love,” gave an interview. In her small New York apartment, the actress received Dmitry Borisov, Let the Speak of the program, writes Газета.ру.

The actress told Borisov that at first the emigration was forced. Her beloved husband, artist Yuri Pugach, was diagnosed with a serious illness. In the Soviet Union there was no means for his salvation, therefore, for the sake of her husband, the actress left everything. At that time, some fans of the actress suggested that the reason for her departure was different. It was rumored that the Nightingale had problems with the Soviet authorities, and her move became a flight. Elena Yakovlevna never commented on such speculation.

Nightingale did not plan to continue her acting career in America, her main business was the family. A few years later, she still happened to play on the stage of the Alexander Zhurbin Theater in Brighton. And in 2002, she had her first experience of playing in the series “The Soprano Clan”, where she played a Russian domestic helper with a strange name Branka Libinski.

“When I tried to explain that there are no such names in Russia, the director only brushed aside: it doesn’t matter, they say,” the actress told the Jewish.ru portal

She later began teaching acting at the University of New York. She currently works in the theatrical circle she created, in which children from Russian families are engaged.

“We live modestly. A small bedroom, and here is the desk of her husband, a cozy kitchen, a large library. “I brought my favorite books here, I just couldn't part with them,” quotes the actress StarHit. - I remember when I first came to Manhattan, I caught my breath. There was an impression that this is some kind of fabulous city. Now this sensation no longer occurs. I like the local rhythm of life, that I can not hurry, calmly walk. Imagine, some Russian tourists still recognize me on the street, although it seemed to me that I was completely unrecognizable. ”

According to Elena Yakovlevna, she has long fallen in love with New York, she is not bored by the former glory and now there is no question of returning.

“I believe that family is the most important thing. Without a family, we do not represent anything. Everything else is vanity, empty. I get the pleasure of communicating with loved ones, nothing compares to this, ”shared Nightingale.

Elena Yakovlevna was born 24 February 1947, in the German town of Neustrilts, her father was a military man, and her mother a nurse. They met at the very end of the war. When the future actress was three years old, her father was transferred to Krasnoyarsk, and ten years later they moved to Moscow. Since childhood, Nightingale dreamed of becoming an actress, so after school she tried to enroll in VGIK, but it turned out to be done only a year later.

After performing several minor roles, she was invited to play a small role in the fairy tale "The King-Deer", where she was fortunate enough to work with such talented actors as Yuri Yakovlev, Sergey Yursky, Oleg Efremov and Oleg Tabakov.

In 1970, she graduated from VGIK, after which Innocent Smoktunovsky recommended her to the Maly Theater, where they were going to put "The Seagull" for her, but the actress suddenly married and moved to her beloved in Leningrad.

After the successful premiere of Nikita Mikhalkov's Slave of Love, in 1976, Elena fell in love with the whole Soviet Union.

Photo: Kino-Teatr.RU

“Lord, how wonderful it is to be engaged in a business for which you can be killed or even put in jail!”, Exclaimed the heroine of the cult film.

Subsequently, they have repeatedly worked together with Mikhalkov. A career went up, Nightingale became a popular actress. During 24, a career in the Soviet Union, Nightingale appeared in 56 films, in most of which she performed the main role. However, despite the love of the people, in 90, the actress moved to the USA with her family.

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