Biography
Ivan Shakhnazarov was born into the family of the famous film director Karen Shakhnazarov and actress Daria Mayorova. Ivan’s maternal grandparents were luminaries of Soviet cinema, participating in the creation of famous films - “The Cranes Are Flying”, “A Start to Life”, “Our Home”, “Walking Across Three Seas” and many others.
The creative atmosphere of the family predetermined the upbringing and development of the boy. In an interview, Ivan admitted that as a child, his father forced him to read and play sports. Now Shakhnazarov Jr. is grateful to his father for “reading with pleasure.”
Ivan studied at a Moscow school with an economic focus, at the same time studied in theater studios, and was fond of painting and drawing.
After graduating from school, Ivan Shakhnazarov, after some thought, decided to continue the dynasty. He admits: “My dad and mom scared me with stories about how difficult this profession is, but I think they still understood that one way or another I would end up close to cinema. Firstly, because I did poorly at school. Secondly, my family has been involved in cinema for several generations, and if I had broken this chain, my parents would not have forgiven.”
The acting profession attracted the young man, but he chose directing. Graduated from the directing department of VGIK. Gerasimov, studying with the best masters of the university.
He recalls about his mentors: “My masters, Vladimir Ivanovich Khotinenko and Vladimir Alekseevich Fenchenko, are my second, one might say, parents, and I am very grateful to them. They provide the opportunity to develop what is in you and cultivate it. And in no case do they crush you, in no case do they try to mold something out of you. They give you nominal freedom in the sense that they don’t limit you, and if they don’t like something, it doesn’t mean it’s bad. Therefore, it seems to me that this workshop is the best.”
Cinema
Ivan’s professional acquaintance with cinema began after his first year – he worked as a props maker. “At first I didn’t realize how difficult it was,” says Ivan. - It seems to everyone that the props manager puts some little things into the frame, and that’s all, you can rest. But in reality, the props manager needs to be prepared for the unexpected wishes of the creative team.”
The actor received his first episodic roles in his father’s films “The Vanished Empire” and “Love in the USSR.” Then he starred in Andrei Migachev’s fantasy “Eternal Cold,” where he played a hockey player.
"Elusive"
In the adventure comedy with action elements "The Elusive" directed by Artem Aksenenko, the artist was offered the main role - the swindler Artem. His shooting partners were Alexandra Bortich, Ilya Malanin, Anvar Khalilulayev, Denis Shvedov, Evgeniy Mundum, Dzhemal Tetruashvili.
At the same time, work was underway on the continuation of the film - “The Last Hero” and “The Elusive 2”. It was difficult to film two films at the same time, the actor admits: “We had to shoot several scenes from different films on the same day. And, accordingly, we had to play one thing in one scene, play another in the next scene, and so on. Therefore, it was difficult, but I think this is a very good experience for an actor and for a person who works in cinema in general. This production system is a good school and good training.”
Ivan says about the content of the film: “This story, both the first “Elusive” and the second, confirms some textbook truths that are understandable to anyone: such as love, friendship, trust, justice and others. And this is the most important thing that this film can teach the younger generation, especially considering that all these stories are told in a modern and accessible language for children and teenagers.”
In 2020, Dmitry Izmestyev released the musical melodrama “Not a Honeymoon” about the wayward daughter of a successful businessman, whom her father decided to marry for educational purposes to “the first person he met.” It turned out to be the musician Vanya, whom Shakhnazarov Jr. presented in the film.
“This is a modern interpretation of The Taming of the Shrew for a young viewer. I played a rock musician without knowing how to sing or play any instrument,” the actor admitted.
"Anna Karenina"
Ivan managed to get an excellent school on the set of “Anna Karenina” by Karen Shakhnazarov. Here the artist starred in a cameo role and helped his father, working with actors in crowd scenes.
The film was based on the novel of the same name by L.N. Tolstoy, the journalistic story “On the Japanese War” and the cycle “Stories about the Japanese War” by V.V. Veresaeva.
In a new television production, director Karen Shakhnazarov will present to the audience his new take on the great novel. This version was awarded the Golden Eagle Award in the category “Best TV Movie or Mini-Series of the Year.”
Plot: 1904. Russo-Japanese War. Manchuria. The hospital convoy is retreating along with the army. The management of the hospital is taken over by senior resident Sergei Karenin. The hospital is located and developed in a semi-abandoned Chinese village. Karenin operates on a wounded colonel. Hearing the name of his surgeon, the colonel shudders; it is familiar to him. On the operating table is Alexey Kirillovich Vronsky.
At night, Sergei comes to Vronsky’s room, he asks to tell him why his mother, Anna Karenina, whom the count knew thirty years ago, threw herself under a train. Vronsky begins the story...
The film featured: Elizaveta Boyarskaya, Maxim Matveev, Vitaly Kishchenko, Kirill Grebenshchikov, Vladimir Ilyin, Tatyana Lyutaeva, Ivan Kolesnikov and other famous actors.
"Decision on liquidation"
In the action-packed film by Alexander Aravin, “Decision to Liquidate,” the artist played one of the main roles. His ensemble consisted of: Igor Petrenko, Alexey Vertkov, Alexey Shevchenkov.
The action film is based on real events. The special task of the FSB special group is to eliminate the possessed terrorist Shamil Bazgaev. The hunt has been going on for a long time, but the brutal leader of the militants escapes over and over again.
However, when Bazgaev manages to acquire a powerful weapon to carry out his most terrible terrorist attack, the operatives no longer have the right to make mistakes.
For these specialists, overcoming oneself, mortal risk and feat is not something supernatural, but everyday hard work. But it seems that even for them this operation is beyond their capabilities...
In total, the actor’s filmography includes more than fifteen different roles.
Ex-wife of Karen Shakhnazarov - Daria Mayorova
In 1991, our hero filmed the movie “The Kingslayer”, and Daria played one of the main roles. A spark of love flashed between them, which then grew into great love. Even a large age difference did not become an obstacle for future spouses. Karen Georgievich explained things to the girl and proposed to her a week after they met. Daria took a break, but after a few days she agreed to become the man’s wife.
The marriage lasted almost 20 years. But in 2011, this union also ended in divorce. Karen Shakhnazarov’s ex-wife, Daria Mayorova, maintained friendly relations with the man. Former spouses often communicate and come to visit. This was done for the sake of the sons born in the film director’s third marriage.
Daria is actively acting in films. Sometimes her ex-husband invites her to his films.
Director and screenwriter
By the age of nineteen, Shakhnazarov Jr. had already made two films. “It was in 2010 - my first educational work, filmed at VGIK. The assignment was called “A ten-minute film without dialogue,” and then I made a short film “Without Words,” a film about the war.” The film was a success and was awarded at a number of student film festivals. The second work of the aspiring director was the film “The Author's Method”.
Ivan Shakhnazarov mastered the wisdom of the directing profession not only at VGIK and in his father’s workshop. He was lucky enough to learn from other masters of modern Russian cinema. So, Ivan was Nikita Mikhalkov’s assistant on the set of the film “Sunstroke.”
He really enjoyed collaborating with the director: “Nikita Sergeevich is an incredibly great artist, and just watching how he works with actors, and generally moving around inside this mechanism is, of course, a colossal experience. I am very grateful".
"Rock"
In 2014, at the Cannes Film Festival, the young director presented his own work - a short film called "Rock", which was shown as part of the Short Film Corner program. The tape became his graduation work.
Later, based on the little “Rock”, in collaboration with Ivan Zavaruev, Shakhnazarov wrote a full-length script and directed a film with the same name. According to the author, the film “is certainly filled with impressions from the different roads that Vanya and I traveled during our student years.” The result is a family tragicomedy about three brothers and a sister. The project was completed in 2020.
Ivan says about working on the film: “This idea somehow appeared immediately after we shot the short film. This is not exactly a reincarnation, but rather a development of the same theme, where the story told in the short film became one of the scenes of the full-length film. We liked the characters, the aesthetics, and wanted to fantasize about what could happen to these characters next and what preceded the events. That’s how this script was born, almost immediately.”
Simultaneously with “Rock,” the director, in a duet with Dmitry Suvorov, filmed the intriguing series “Chronicles of a Pawn Shop,” in which the main role was played by things that drag the main characters into the most unimaginable troubles.
Interview
About your famous surname
“Many people say that this is a burden and a big responsibility, but what can we say, this is a big bonus. I may enjoy minor technical privileges. On the other hand, there is a risk of letting down and not living up to expectations, and it is much greater than that of everyone else. It’s probably important to just believe in yourself, and then everything will work out.”
“I would be very pleased and would consider it a great honor if my work were compared with my father’s work. I wouldn't really want to be like him, in a good way. It seems to me that my father and I have slightly different views on cinema.”
About family succession
“My father never put pressure on my brother and me. At one time, I thought about entering law school at Moscow State University, but in the end, like my father, I entered the directing department at VGIK and graduated from it. And my younger brother, Vasily, is now studying there, only in the production department. He’s sharp and cunning, Vasya’s brain works very well and he definitely has organizational skills.”
“Dad is quite lenient in his assessment of my acting work; it is more important for him that I simply be busy with work. He always says that you have to work hard and don't expect everything to fall from the sky, and I agree with that. But my dad is attentive to my direction, but so far he evaluates everything rather sparingly and does not praise it. But I can always turn to him for advice, which is very valuable to me.”
“The most important advice from my dad is to be confident in yourself, but not to be arrogant. These are different things, you need to be able to balance.”
About cinema
“Domestic cinema needs to be supported, you need to go see it. If we want our cinema to develop, it’s a must watch.”
“Any film, including short films, can be a spectator film. But I’m used to not dividing cinema into spectator and author’s cinema; there are good and bad films. A good movie is if it’s made well, and the audience will still go to see it.”
“In cinema, as elsewhere: the main scourge of the modern generation is highly motivated, low-skilled employees. Everyone wants to work, sets goals for themselves, but no one knows how to do it and no one wants to learn. And as a result, we have the cinema that we have. In a good way, it is impossible to teach directing and acting. I didn’t really understand when teachers told me this before. Now I’m starting to slowly.”
“I would like my attitude towards cinema to remain as childishly enthusiastic as it is now for as long as possible.”
About the acting profession
“I have no acting education, so I do everything intuitively. But technology in this matter is very important - it’s not for nothing that people study for four years. I took an acting course at VGIK, but this is not enough, so I try to learn from the experience of my partners on the set.”
“For me personally, this profession is too dependent: blond or brunette, thin or fat - there are a huge number of limiting factors. It’s hard for me to come to terms with this, that’s why I went to directing, although I’m glad that now I also sometimes act in films myself.”
“My conditional acting career began with the film “The Elusive”, where I played a major and a womanizer. Since then, I've mostly been offered similar characters, which I try to refuse. If you are going to be an actor, then you need to grow somewhere, choose roles for resistance. I have no desire to become a people’s artist, and the main thing for me is still directing, so I only act if the project is truly interesting to me.”
“The acting experience turned out to be useful. When you try on different roles, you understand how the actor feels in this skin, you can help him. I consider myself a rather average actor, but I am very glad that such an experience happened in my life, and if it happens again, I will be happy.”
About the director's profession
“On the court there is always a goal, and a very precise one. You need to show that you know what you want. As a director, I constantly had to work with people twice or three times my age. It’s scary at first, but then you realize that they are more dependent on you than you are on them.”
“Working with temperamental artists is where the director’s talent is revealed. We need to set the task in such a way that no problems arise on the site.”
“In my work, I am open to new experiences as much as possible: if something is offered, I try to take it, go, do it, look - in fact, just live and watch it from the outside.”
Based on materials from the Rossiya TV channel, Wikipedia and websites: kinopoisk.ru, kino-teatr.ru, life.ru, filmpro.ru, moviestart.ru, ria.ru.
Famous surname and legendary dad
Many children of famous parents often complain about wide recognition, popularity and the close attention of the press to their personal lives. Ivan Shakhnazarov, unlike other star children, is not lying and says that his father’s surname helps him a lot in life. Everyone immediately understands whose son Vanya is, and this helps the actor solve many technical problems. Of course, the requirements for the son of a famous director are much higher than for his peers. But the young man agrees that the benefits of such a famous relationship are much greater than any inconveniences.
View gallery
Ivan perceives his father as the most authoritative teacher and mentor. The son always shows all his ideas, scripts and preliminary sketches of work to Karen Georgievich and listens to all his comments. Working on the same set with his father, he can calmly and without prejudice call him dad. At the same time, the son says that he mainly discusses work issues with Shakhnazarov Sr. Vanya never turns to him with everyday problems, because he does not want to bother the master of directing with such trifles.
