Natalia Bochkareva
– Natalya, “Bukins” – a sequel to “Happy Together” – contrary to the predictions of ill-wishers, the audience greeted it quite warmly, as evidenced by the high ratings of the project. What do you think is the secret of the project’s popularity?
– As Vladimir Vladimirovich said this year, Russia is a family of families. Therefore, everything that happens in families – joyful, touching, funny and incidental – is always interesting. How many families, so many stories. That’s why the Bukins have become popular – they approach everyday moments and familiar problems with humor. And this “ease of being” of theirs, the ability to not get hung up on difficulties – this is their main secret, because sometimes we all miss this so much.
– The series has been renewed for a second season. What can viewers expect from him?
– This is probably more a question for the producers and writers who are now actively working on the continuation of the series. In the summer we will begin rehearsals and auditions, and then I will understand what we will show to the audience. I think the second season will be even funnier.
– What other projects are you involved in today?
– Now I’m filming in the TV series “Poor Oligarch”, where I play the role of Vasilisa, and I also have two plays in the pipeline – “Be Healthy” and another one, the name of which I cannot disclose yet. In addition, I am preparing for two of my personal exhibitions – with paintings and glass sculptures. I plan to hold an exhibition of paintings in two cities – in my dear and beloved Nizhny Novgorod, where I am from, and also in Moscow. I will be holding a glass exhibition in Baku, most likely in the fall.
Natalia Bochkareva
By the way, this will be my first serious exhibition – the one I held in 2019, I consider amateur, because at that time I had not yet entered the Stroganov Art School, from which I received a diploma in sculptor last year.
– In “Bukins” your heroine Dasha is already a grandmother. It is clear that your older children are still too young to make you a grandmother (Ivan is 17, Maria is 16 years old, Alexander is only a year old), but theoretically – what kind of grandmother do you think you will be?
– For now, I am in the role of a young mother and can easily try on the role of a grandmother. And when it happens that my children have babies of their own, I will be only happy – I love children very much.
– Under the comments to videos based on “Happy Together” you can often find the following comment: “As a child, when I watched this series, I did not understand Dasha Bukina’s behavior. She grew up and became one herself!” Why do you think your image has become so popular?
– You know, this is logical. When a girl has no family and children, she has little idea (just like I had little idea when I started playing Dasha Bukina at 24) what it’s like to live 16 years of marriage and be the mother of two adult children. When you yourself are immersed in this family life and the relationship between spouses, you understand that, by and large, everything is the same for everyone. The same problems – adolescence, school, exams, work, everyday life, caring for pets, if any.
Another thing is how one feels about it. You can nag each other every day because of all of the above and treat your loved ones with complaints, or you can be like Dasha – take everything lightly and with humor.
Of course, the image of Dasha Bukina is exaggerated, and she takes life too easily, but still there is some healthy meaning in her behavior.
– What are your children interested in? Have you already decided where you will go? Would you like them to become artists too?
– My children today are not keen on the idea of becoming actors. And I respect their choice, because I believe that they should choose their own path and place in this life. Ivan is interested in exact sciences, and Maria has excellent linguistic knowledge. I support children in their endeavors and do not push them to become artists.
– What kind of mother are you? Strict or not so strict?
– When your children are 17, 16 and one year old, it is very difficult to be a strict mother. Because the elders are already adults and, as they say, they should have shown toughness earlier, but the youngest son is still very young for this. So I’m definitely not a strict mom.
– Your youngest son Sasha turned one year old on March 23rd. You didn’t stay late on maternity leave; you went back to filming almost immediately. Many working mothers feel guilty because they cannot devote themselves fully to their children. Are you familiar with such experiences?
“I didn’t have to ask anyone for leave and tell them that I have a small child and I want to stay at home – everyone at work already understood this and accepted my situation. If I worked in a large corporation, perhaps the word maternity leave would be applicable to me, but I myself have always arranged my schedules in such a way as to harmoniously pay attention to the child and do what I love, which also brings in money.
Natalia Bochkareva
Of course, while the child was small, I spent most of my time with him and worked little. So I didn’t feel any guilt for my infrequent departures from home. Today, if I have a performance in the evening, I devote the first half of the day to Sasha, but if I’m busy with rehearsals in the morning, then in the evening I belong only to the family – after dinner together, I bathe my son and put him to bed. But I also don’t forget about rest – the child needs a happy mother, and not a tortured one, always sleep-deprived, angry and hungry.
– Do you adhere to proper nutrition?
– Yes, definitely. I limit myself to fatty and sweet foods, try to eat more vegetables and fruits. If you want to live a long and happy life, you can’t do it without proper nutrition, water balance, and exercise. Moreover, the role of the latter does not necessarily have to be classes in a fitness club; it can be dancing, cycling, or hiking in the forest. In general, active recreation – whatever you like. The more we move, the better we feel and live longer.
– Do you often visit a cosmetologist?
– Like any self-respecting woman, of course, I go to him regularly and do the standard set of procedures – moisturizing injections, biorevitalization, peelings. But I don’t neglect home care either; without it, all trips to the cosmetologist are a waste of time.
On film sets and in the theater I wear intense makeup, so thoroughly cleansing my skin is my mandatory ritual.
– Your relationship with finances: are you a thrifty person or do you live one day at a time?
– I think I’m still a thrifty person. But there are things that I never regret spending on – vacations and travel. Especially if I’m traveling with my family and to a new country, I never skimp on such impressions.
