Maria Pirogova: “I still feel discomfort from a slap on set”

Biography

Maria Pirogova was born into an ordinary Moscow family, unrelated to the world of art. She was raised by her mother - her parents separated when her daughter was very young. The girl grew up very artistic, restless, and athletic. She was a real "tomboy". “I grew up in a company of boys, playing football with them,” recalls the actress.

Masha decided on her choice of profession quite early: “I realized in the fifth grade that I would go to study at Shchuka, work in the theater and act in films. For example, I never dreamed of becoming a doctor. Taking responsibility for the lives of other people is too much of a burden for me.”

Having received a diploma of secondary education, the girl set out to fulfill her dream. In 2011 she graduated from the Shchukin Higher Theater School (workshop of Yuri Nifontov). This was a special course training actors of youth theaters and puppet theaters.

Theater

After “Pike”, the young artist was targeted to join the troupe of the Central Puppet Theater named after S.V. Obraztsova. After serving in the theater for a year, she left its walls due to her busy work in cinema.

Masha explains: “In principle, I managed, but it was scary to let me down, to accidentally do something wrong, to not be able to do something in time. And I don’t plan to return yet, although I really miss the stage. I hope that there will be some kind of enterprises in the future, but I’m not ready to join any troupe yet.”

THEATER WORKS

Puppet Theater named after S.V. Obraztsova:

"The Divine Comedy" - Eve, Lilith
"Cinderella" - older sister

Cinema

Maria Pirogova first appeared on television screens in the popular youth sitcom “Univer”. She played Sasha's girlfriend, persuading him to get a piercing.

"Interns"

The actress’s next notable work was Alisa, the daughter of Dr. Bykov in the comedy series “Interns.”

The artist got involved in the project on the 57th episode: “All the actors and the group are used to each other, and you are like an extra gear. But I was lucky with my partners, everyone was ready to help, the fear quickly disappeared, and I joined the team.”

Maria’s on-screen dad was Ivan Okhlobystin, who brilliantly played the head of the internship. The actress recalls about her colleagues and the filming process: “Ivan Ivanovich is a very large-scale person, there is always a lot of him, he is energetically very strong, and sometimes it is not easy to live up to... Then on “Interns” the director was Zhenya Nevsky, and he and Ivan endlessly scolded me, repeating the phrase : “Masha, less girlishness!” My facial expressions are too active, and Vanya and Zhenya watched my forehead so that my eyebrows didn’t move, they were always finding fault. I still control my forehead, as Vanya’s words ring in my ears.”

"Comrades Policemen"

After “Interns,” the actress began to be invited to lead roles. In 2011, she played Ksenia Remizova in the detective story “Comrades Policemen.” The heroine of Pirogova was an intern in the anti-fraud department.

The main characters of the series are modern employees of the Moscow Criminal Investigation Department. They are not much different from the rest of us. They also have families, a past, plans for the future, their own weaknesses, habits, advantages and disadvantages. But these people go out to fight crime every day. Their world is turned upside down. In it, adventure is routine, and everyday life is a welcome respite. They also suffer, lose friends, shed tears because of unhappy love. But their work never lets them go completely, forcing them to constantly solve not only legal, but also ethical problems...

In the center of the story are four departments of the Moscow Criminal Investigation Department: Department for solving murders - “Homicide”. Anti-fraud department - "Fraudsters". Department for solving thefts - “Department 13”. Department of Internal Security of the Moscow City Internal Affairs Directorate - “Inquisitors”.

In the film, the artist's ensemble included: Vladislav Demin, Anzhelika Karelina, Alexey Osipov, Egor Barinov, Tatyana Orlova.

Maria Pirogova was remembered by the audience for other roles. In Mikhail Kabanov's action film Night Swallows, she played the pilot Ulyana Solnyshko; in the ironic detective story by Vladimir Melnik, Balabol, the heroine of the actress was her namesake Masha, the daughter of police captain Sanya Balabin (Konstantin Yushkevich). And in the melodrama “The Right to Love” by Igor Muzzhukhin and Armen Harutyunyan, the artist reincarnated as an employee of the magazine’s editorial office, Katya.

"Dark World: Equilibrium"

The actress played a complex but very interesting role in Oleg Asadulin’s urban fantasy “The Dark World: Balance,” which was released in 2013. The filmmakers endowed the student Dasha, played by the artist, with the superpower to see the Shadows and those who fell into their trap.

Plot on behalf of the main characters: Soon your world will change. Every day they steal your strength, your emotions, your love. We call them Shadows. It's our job to bring them back to the Dark World. A catastrophe is approaching, and humanity may find itself in the grip of darkness. And only we can maintain balance.

Masha says about the filming: “It was a great experience for me. And, of course, there are a lot of impressions. For me, underwater shooting, the sex scene, and flying on cables are new.

We did some things ourselves. I am for the actors to do everything themselves. But sometimes the director, fearing that the actor will get injured and fail, insists on doubles. I just didn’t fly out of the door, and did the rest myself.”

According to the script, Dasha ends up in a love triangle with the characters Makar Zaporozhsky and Pavel Priluchny.

“Initially, in the script, this triangle was written much deeper,” the actress clarifies. — It was a very tasty topic that Dasha had to not only defeat evil, but also understand herself, her feelings. Unfortunately, in the final version of the edit they focused specifically on the action component, and my throwing was left behind the scenes.

But Pasha and Makar are both simply amazing guys, completely different both in life and in work. Of course, there were difficulties; for a long time I could not find Pasha as a partner, but then we, as they say, found each other. And I often caught myself thinking that I was falling a little in love myself, but I immediately said to myself: “Stop! This movie!". They are both simply fantastic, real knights - dark and light."

Also taking part in the film: Vladislav Abashin, Alexander Ratnikov, Evgenia Brik, Pyotr Semak, Valeria Lanskaya, Igor Chernevich.

"Molodezhka"

At the same time, the artist starred in such a well-known project as the drama “Molodezhka” by Sergei Arlanov and Andrei Golovkov. The series tells about the life of the youth hockey club "Bears" from a small Russian city.

“I didn’t audition for this project, but simply came to the director Seryozha Arlanov,” shares Maria. “And he didn’t even look at me.” He is one of those professionals who only needs to see you walk in and say hello to know whether you are a good fit or not.

I remember that she came dressed in a dress, such a girly girl that did not fit with my role at all. And he almost immediately told me what he needed from me, that my heroine was a tomboy, and that’s all. And with the team everything was simple: Denis Nikiforov and I worked together on “Night Swallows”, Vanya Dubrovsky is actually my classmate, so they accepted me as family. And of course, I was wildly lucky with my partner, Vanya Mulin, for whom this was the first big shoot. We immediately latched on to each other and didn’t let go until the last day of filming.”

Maria Pirogova played the role of the Bears' press secretary Olga in the film. The artist says: “Olga is interesting in her relationship with Antipov, because she gives all of herself to the family - first to Anton, and then to the child she gave birth to. And when a conflict appears in her relationship with Anton, her life goes out of balance. In the fourth season, Antipov's temper becomes catastrophic for his relationship with Olga.

By and large, Olga disappears into the family and stops working when the child appears. This confuses me myself, because by nature I am structured differently - I think that a profession is also very important for a woman, and completely dissolving in her husband and children is unacceptable for me. Therefore, Olga’s behavior seems strange to me. When I read the script, I kept waiting for her to return to her profession and start missing what she loved. But this did not happen, which means that Olga does not suffer from her professional unfulfillment. There are also such women.”

The actress played in the sitcom Molodezhka for four whole years. The artist was also seen in a number of other TV series, including two melodramas by Sergei Krasnov, “Breakfast in Bed” and “Queen Margot.”

"Black blood"

In 2020, Alexey Karelin’s drama “Black Blood” was released on the Rossiya TV channel with the participation of Maria Pirogova - this is a film about love. About passionate, uncontrollable, sick and destructive love, which does not obey reason.

Olga and Irina Kotov are sisters living amicably and happily in their village until Vyacheslav, the neighbor’s guy, appears. And they both fall in love with Slava, at first sight. Slava chooses Irina, and Olga takes a desperate step - she turns to the local witch Glafira for a love spell. Glafira warns that the “Black Blood” potion will change the life of the entire family, and Olga’s short female happiness threatens to turn into a curse for the entire clan, from which it will be almost impossible to get rid of it. It will only be lifted by the death of a loved one.

But Olga's love is blind, and the love spell works. The witch's prophecies come true - one after another, the sisters lose loved ones, and their children cannot find happiness in love. How many trials will the large family have to endure until they get rid of the curse, and was it really witchcraft?

The film featured: Maria Poroshina, Tatyana Kolganova, Daria Shcherbakova, Oleg Almazov, Alexey Koryakov, Pyotr Barancheev, Alexey Demidov, Evgenia Nokhrina.

In total, the actress’s filmography includes about twenty projects.

Movies

A cinematic biography of Maria Pirogova started during her student years. The aspiring actress appeared in an episode of the popular TV series “Law and Order.” And the very next year, 2009, the popular sitcom “Univer” was released, where Masha got the bright role of Sasha’s girlfriend, Asya.

Maria Pirogova in the TV series “Univer”

In 2010, filming of the most popular project “Interns” began. The offer to play Varya Chernous first came to Maria Pirogova. But this turned out to be the penultimate year of study at Pike, which involved working in graduation performances, and Masha refused. The role was offered to Christina Asmus. Perhaps the young artist did the right thing, because the shy and naive Varya Kristina was a great success. But the image of Doctor Bykov’s eccentric and headstrong daughter, Alice, seems to have been specially created for Maria Pirogova.

Masha received the offer to play Alisa Bykova in 2011, when her studies at Shchukinsky were left behind. At first, the actress refused to act, but, fortunately, the director of the project, together with Ivan Okhlobystin, persuaded Maria.

Ivan Okhlobystin and Maria Pirogova in the TV series “Interns”

The young artist woke up famous after the release of the season of “Interns”, where Alice first appeared. As Pirogova later admitted, working with Ivan Okhlobystin and other stars of this top-rated sitcom turned out to be very educational and brought the actress real pleasure from the game. Viewers watched the ups and downs of the heroine Alisa Bykova in 15 episodes of Interns.

Immediately after the sitcom about the life of doctors, the artist began acting in a police series, which was called “Comrades Policemen.” Here the actress already received the main role and a large amount of screen time, which allowed the audience to show Pirogova’s acting talent. The role of Lieutenant Remizova was a great success for Masha. This work demonstrated to viewers and critics that Pirogova is a versatile actress and easily fits into various roles. Her heroines Alisa Bykova and Ksenia Remizova are radically different in character and temperament.

Maria Pirogova in the film “The Dark World: Balance”

2012 brought Maria Pirogova two main roles in the projects “Balabol” and “Night Swallows”. But another wave of fame covered the Muscovite in 2013, when viewers saw the wonderful project “Dark World: Balance.” Pirogova got one of the main roles - student Dasha. And her lover, according to the film’s script, was the hero of Pavel Priluchny.

This mystical and dramatic project with fantasy elements was a huge success among viewers. The plot of the film tells about mystical creatures - Shadows, who steal the emotions and powers of people, and about gifted people who return the Shadows back to the Dark World, thereby protecting humanity and maintaining balance.

Maria Pirogova in the TV series “Molodezhka”

Of the latest projects in which Maria Pirogova is involved, the most striking are “Trace of the Tiger” and “Molodezhka”, where she starred in minor but attention-grabbing roles.

The actress not only manages to successfully act in films - she regularly appears on the stage of the Sergei Obraztsov Puppet Theater. The productions in which Pirogova has been involved recently are “Cinderella” and “The Divine Comedy”. In the latter, Masha plays two heroines at once - Eve and Lilith.

Personal life

The talented, bright and sociable artist Maria Pirogova has always been and remains the center of male attention. But she is very selective and takes her connections seriously.

During the filming of Molodezhka, the actress met her colleague Danila Yakushev. An affair began between the young people. Masha said: “We strongly support each other, read scripts together, play something, but Dana, of course, has a very hard time with me. I am a person who does a lot of soul-searching, who often thinks that he can’t do anything and doesn’t know how to do anything. And he shakes me up and helps me move on.”

For a little over a year, Yakushev and Pirogova lived together without registering their relationship, then they separated.

Currently, the artist is in search of her soulmate: “I believe that you should look for a person to live in your environment. Now my heart is free."

"Interns"

In 2010, aspiring actress Maria Pirogova auditioned for the television project “Interns.” The girl had a chance to get one of the key roles. She could embody the image of intern Varya Chernous. However, a busy filming schedule was expected, and Maria was still a student at the Shchukin School. She refused the role, and the image of the naive, quiet and shy Varvara was embodied by Christina Asmus.

Nevertheless, Pirogova still managed to play in the comedy series “Interns.” Its heroine was Alisa, the daughter of Doctor Bykov. Initially, Pirogova was going to refuse this role, but the director of the television project made every effort to convince her. Alice has nothing in common with the quiet and shy Varvara. This girl is confident in herself, makes decisions quickly and goes towards her goal, sweeping away everything in her path.

The biography of actress Maria Pirogova says that she liked acting in “Interns.” The hardest thing for the girl was the episode in the morgue. The actors lying on the tables with bare legs both frightened and made her laugh. Pirogova was disappointed when she learned that her heroine would not be in the continuation of the series. She managed to become friends with members of the film crew and did not want to part with them.

Interview

About the profession

“When I’m working, it’s useless to even talk to me - I won’t hear. Filming lasts 12-16 hours, and then at home you watch the scenes for tomorrow, wake up in the morning and read the script again. And so on in a circle. Therefore, for the entire duration of the project, I am only my heroine, and that’s all. When the project ends, it is very difficult to return to the usual rhythm and become Masha Pirogova again.”

“It’s hard to play love if you don’t feel sympathy. You are attentive to the partner in the frame, you find something special in him, but at the same time it is important to realize that this is a working moment and nothing more.”

About Me

“They take me either for the roles of boys or pioneers - for honor, for valor, for courage... My psychophysics is such that before I couldn’t get out of wide jeans and sneakers... I grew up in a company of boys, played football with them. I only wear heels and a skirt on special occasions. But I’m already outgrowing this image, I have a desire to wear a dress. I even grew my hair below my shoulders for almost the first time in my life. Usually all directors dream of cutting my hair short.”

About fears

“My biggest fear is going crazy. And with my profession, madness is just a stone's throw away. Like in the movie “A Beautiful Mind”: it scares me that I will see or know something, but others will not. How can I explain to them that this exists, even if only for me?”

About leisure

“I like spending time with my mother, we are very close people. I play the guitar, write poetry, I love nature, silence, wandering through the forest, sitting on the river bank.”

Based on materials from the Rossiya TV channel and websites: kino-teatr.ru, kinopoisk.ru, 24smi.org, sobesednik.ru, tricolortvmag.ru, vokrug.tv, biozvezd.ru, starhit.ru, star-town.net.

Filmography: Actress

Aunt Masha (2018)
Lawyers (2017), TV series
Black Blood (2017)
Good Intentions (2017), TV series
Queen Margot (2017), mini-series
Cossacks (2016), TV series
Breakfast in Bed (2016), mini-series
Pearl Wedding (2016), mini-series
Trail of the Tiger (2014)
Molodezhka (2013-2017), TV series
Dark World: Balance (2013)
Right to Love (2013), mini-series
Cardboard Flowers (2013), short film
Balabol (2013), TV series
Night swallows (2012), TV series
Fellow Police Officers (2011), TV series
My Crazy Family (2011)
Interns (2010), TV series
Shpak's People (2009), TV series
Law and Order: Criminal Intent -3 (2008), TV series
Univer (2008-2011), TV series

Maria Pirogova now

At the beginning of 2020, the actress appeared in the melodrama “Breakfast in Bed,” where she played the minor role of Regina, Irina’s secretary. The series shows the classic story of a prince in disguise, but with a modern twist. The main character (Marina Konyashkina) does not recognize the young millionaire (Alexey Demidov) and mistakes him for a new employee. The heroine does not stand on ceremony with the young man, which attracts the man’s attention. The millionaire, tired of constant flattery and false smiles, decides to continue this game.

Maria Pirogova in the film “Breakfast in Bed”

Another film this year is also a melodrama - “Queen Margot”, where the action takes place in a beauty salon and shows the struggle between the master stylist and the new manager. According to the law of the genre, this confrontation smoothly turns into a novel.

Also in 2020, the actress appeared in the drama Good Intentions, an adaptation of the famous Forsyte Saga by John Galsworthy. The series tells about the Firsov family, who, like their literary prototypes, have money, business, “royal” power on a regional scale, but no love, and marriages are concluded only by convenience.

Maria Pirogova in the series “Good Intentions”

In the fall of 2020, Maria Pirogova played in the mystical melodrama “Black Blood.” The actress got the role of the main character Olga, but Maria Pirogova appeared in a small fragment of the film, since she played this heroine in her youth, and the main action of the series takes place when Olga’s children are already grown up.

The series is about two sisters who fall in love with the same young man. To win the guy away from her sister, Olga goes to a fortune teller and buys a potion under the frightening name “Black Blood”. A fortune teller warns a girl in love that this potion can curse the family of the person who used it, and only the death of loved ones can lift the curse. The fortune teller's prophecy comes true: the sisters' loved ones die, and the women's children cannot find their own happiness and love.