Star of “Univer” Kostya Shelyagin about Ivanovich: “Added the features of Jack Sparrow to the hero” - Interview

The Russian sitcom “Univer” first appeared on television in 2008 and immediately won the attention of viewers. Over the years, the plot of the series itself and its actors changed, and some became participants in another project related to Univer. How do the actors who played students of a fictional Moscow university live and work now?

Andrey Gaidulyan (Sasha Sergeev)

Andrey got the role of the son of the Rublev oligarch, a student at the astronomy department. The audience liked the role of Sasha so much that in 2013 a separate series was filmed about Sasha and his family life. Filming of the series continues today.

In addition to roles in Russian theater and cinema, Andrei dreams of conquering Los Angeles. That is why now the actor spends a lot of time there.

In one of his interviews, Andrei shared information that he dreams of producing a play himself, is trying to write scripts himself, and strives to implement all his plans with the help of a small business. Together with friends, Gaidulyan opened the Pomodoro pizzeria chain.

In 2020, the actor was diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma. After which he immediately left for treatment in Germany. Six months later, the disease was overcome, and the actor returned to work in Moscow.

In 2020, Andrei married Diana Ovchilova, whose relationship lasted 5 years before. But a year later the couple divorced.

Today, the actor no longer hides his new companion, Alexandra Veleskevich. Gaidulyan does not exclude the possibility that he will marry again; he believes that Alexandra helps him to open up from new sides, thanks to her he looked at the world from a different perspective.

Ekaterina Shumakova (Nika Bobr)

Ekaterina Shumakova

Ekaterina Shumakova 10 years ago

“Ten years ago, I just graduated from school, did not enter the theater institute the first time and went to study at the Russian State University for the Humanities, the department of history of theater and cinema. Then I dreamed that I would definitely become an actress and act in films, and also make my own films. I loved taking pictures and being photographed. I was 150 percent confident in myself!”

Valentina Rubtsova (Tatiana Arkhipova)

It's hard to believe that Valentina Rubtsova turned 42 this year. In the series, she played the role of a law student and later a graduate student. The image of a quiet, modest girl made the actress famous throughout the country.

After finishing filming “Univer,” Tatyana took part in the parody show “Big Difference.” Together with Andrei Gaidulyan, she received the main role in the series “SashaTanya”, the filming of which is currently ongoing.

The actress is married to Arthur Martirosyan and has an 8-year-old daughter. He continues to act in the theater and dub films.

Vitaly Gogunsky (Eduard Kuzmin)

In the sitcom "Univer" Vitaly starred in the role of a stupid village athlete, who later became a musician. After the end of the series, Gogunsky was for some time a participant in the television projects “SashaTanya” and “Univer. New dorm." The actor claims that Kuzy’s image prevents him from looking for new roles; in real life, Vitaly is not at all like his hero. The only thing that connects them is music, like Kuzmin, Vitaly Gogunsky is a musician in real life.

After filming at Univer, the actor played several roles in Russian films (“Bartender”, “Take the Blow, Baby”, “Christmas Adventures”).

For some time, Vitaly was married to model Irina Mairko, but after a difficult relationship, the couple announced their divorce in April 2019. The actor has a daughter, Milana.

Work days

Most of the life of the actors of “Univer. New Dorm" takes place in Moscow between the third transport ring and the Moscow Ring Road. Here, in the building of the former workshops of the Central Design Bureau for Heavy Engineering, since 2011 they have been filming the continuation of the story beloved by viewers - “Univer. New dorm." According to the plot, the old student dormitory was demolished, and the characters moved to a new one, brighter, more modern and comfortable. Comfort is important here right from the start. The first seasons of the sitcom about students were filmed at the ZIL plant. And if the actors or crew members did not receive a pass for a personal car, they had to walk 3 kilometers from the checkpoint to the pavilion. And so every day from half past eight in the morning, because makeup starts at nine.

“The Motor team, that is, the start of filming, is at 10 am. By this time, the actors must put on makeup, repeat the text and conduct a rehearsal on the set. It’s difficult for our stars, and the girls are more resilient in this regard, they are more prepared,” the director of the new season of the series “Univer. New dorm" Mikhail Storchak.

Anna Khilkevich enters the territory of the filming pavilions at five minutes to nine in the morning. The petite blonde is absolutely focused, not like her heroine. We follow the actress into the dressing room. Her cell phone had already rung several times. And Khilkevich’s conversation with a subscriber unknown to us bears little resemblance to a discussion of new roles. Anna revealed the secret of a cheerful telephone morning:

“I was always afraid of the acting profession because of its dependence on other people. Therefore, in parallel with filming, I opened a clothing store for girls. I have a team that helps me. And I’m on my phone all day, in touch all the time. If it is written in my contracts for other projects that I do not have the right to use a mobile phone, then I refuse. I fight hard for this point. After all, if I don’t have the opportunity to communicate with contractors or managers, then the business will stop,” Anna Khilkevich admitted to Woman.ru.

In the dressing room, Khilkevich greets his colleagues - Nastasya Samburskaya and Anna Kuzina. All three actresses are from the second generation of Univer, when it became the New Dorm. It turns out that the girls have already spent more than three years filming. Vacation is due only after completion of work on the next block of series. According to Nastasya Samburskaya’s calculations, about 20 days every six months fall on vacation. The rest of the time, the “University” students work like workers in a factory.

“Basically the shift is from 9 am to 9 pm, so it’s a 12-hour working day. But there are also overtime periods when filming lasts up to 15 hours. Working on a sitcom, of course, is more like an assembly line. We must have an output of 8 minutes of airtime a day,” Nastasya Samburskaya tells us.

8 minutes of airtime a day is a large amount even for a series. Usually one episode is filmed in a week, but not in three days. This speed is achieved due to the compactness of the scenery. In the pavilion, behind thin partitions, there are rooms for boys and girls, and a common living room. There is also a university corridor that “butts” into a nightclub. When moving from one location to another, lighting technicians just need to quickly move the equipment, and filming can continue. Univer director Mikhail Storchak explains to us:

“The pavilion is convenient because you always clearly know the location, you are free to choose how and what will happen. But there is also a downside - when you enter the boys’ or girls’ room for the two hundredth time, you, of course, experience a strange feeling that you have already taken everything here, you know every corner and you are no longer interested. But I haven’t reached that moment yet, maybe because I work at Univer. New dorm" only 3 months. And while during filming we also had trips, for example, we filmed a wedding in the gym, according to the plot, the action takes place in Chelyabinsk,” director Mikhail Storchak shares the details of the new season.

Maria Kozhevnikova (Alla Grishko)

The actress coped brilliantly with the role of a blonde from Tyumen who dreams of marrying an oligarch. After finishing her participation in the sitcom “Univer,” the girl continued her acting career and starred in the Russian films “Dukhless” and “Dark World.”

In 2020, filming of the war film “Sobibor” was completed, where Maria received the role of a prisoner in the Selma camp.

In addition to acting, Kozhevnikova is involved in politics. In 2011, she became involved in political activities and represents the interests of the United Russia party.

In 2013, the actress became the wife of businessman Evgeny Vasiliev. Has three sons.

Character disappearance

In 2011, the creators of the series decided that it needed “fresh breath” and a new concept. Thus, an updated version arose with the name “Univer. New dorm." However, Gosha no longer appeared in it. Actor Alexey Gavrilov, playing the role of Rudkovsky, decided that his creative possibilities in this role had been exhausted. The film crew was not ready for such a turn, so a serious quarrel broke out on the set. Gavrilov was adamant and did not change his decision to leave.

However, to the delight of excited fans of the sitcom, Gavrilov still returned to his usual image. This happened in 2013, when the creators of Univer, Semyon Slepakov and Vyacheslav Dusmukhametov, decided to organize a spin-off, SashaTanya. The main characters of the series were Tanya and Sasha Sergeev. However, Gosha from Univer often appeared in the episodes as Sasha’s best friend. In 2020, Gavrilov left this project as well.

Ararat Keshchyan (Arthur Mikaelyan)

The role of an Armenian history student went to a former KVN participant. After filming “Univer,” Ararat continued to star in the new version of the project “Univer. New dorm." These roles had a positive impact on the actor’s career and he was invited to star in other films (“Moms”, “Prisoner of the Caucasus”, “Classmates”, etc.).

Ararat and his wife Ekaterina are raising two daughters.

Currently, the actor not only continues to act in films, but also decided to learn about making films from the other side. In 2020, he entered the Higher Courses for Scriptwriters and Directors.

Alexey Lemar (Gavrilov) (Georgy Rudkovsky)

Alexey came to audition for the series together with his friend Vitaly Gogunsky. Both guys were approved for the roles. Alexey got the character of a student womanizer.

After the logical conclusion of “Univer,” when some of the main characters got married and became participants in a new project, and other actors “moved” to “Univer. New hostel" Alexey Lemar sometimes played episodic roles of Gosha Rudkovsky. He also continued his acting career, receiving invitations to other films. “Only Girls in Sports” and “Fifth Watch. Fight" is one of the actor's latest works.

In 2020, Alexey, unexpectedly for his fans, received the post of general director of the Russian Pioneer magazine and plans to change the readership, increasing the ratings not only of the printed publication, but also on social networks.

In 2020, the actor married yoga teacher Marina Melnikova. The couple is happily married.

Cousin Anna was born on July 21, 1980, Kyiv.

Russian actress. Graduated from the Kyiv Polytechnic Institute. Ideally speaks French. In "University" New Dorm" plays the role of the responsible, kind and educated Yana Semakina.

Stanislav Yarushin (Anton Martynov)

Stanislav's hero, the son of the oligarch Anton Martynov, leading a carefree lifestyle, did not “move” into the hostel from the first episode, but was loved by the audience so much that he became one of the key characters in the series “Univer. New dorm."

After mastering comedy roles, Yarushin took the risk of trying something new and took part in the film “General Sobolev”, mastered the dubbing of Hollywood cartoons, and together with Ararat Keshchyan and Garik Kharlamov performed on the “Comedy” stage with a couple of memorable numbers.

The actor took part in one of the seasons of the sports show “Ice Age”.

In 2020, the actor released his first music album and shot several videos with an exciting plot.

Stanislav boasts not only his acting skills, he also succeeded as a good businessman. He has an event company, a dance school and his own sportswear brand.

The Yarushin family consists of his wife Alena and two children - daughter Stefania and son Yaroslav.

Star of the TV series “Univer” Konstantin Shelyagin: “Ivanovich and I are two different students”

Tatiana and all those who survived the session can celebrate Tatiana's Day or Student's Day. Almost all of us have fun student years behind us. Of course, for many this period is difficult, hungry, but, in any case, unforgettable - after all, this is our youth.

Remember the series "Univer"? It has been on TV for so long that it has already become somewhat of a cult favorite. On the eve of the holiday, we called the actor Konstantin Shelyagin, who plays Maxim Ivanov, aka the wild Ivanovich, and asked what kind of student he was, and whether his character was different from himself.

Still from the TV series “Univer”. Source - youtube more on the topic Kozhevnikova spoke about difficult relationships with colleagues on the set of “Univer.” The actress admitted that working on the project that brought her fame was fraught with stress.

— I was not an easy student. I often defended my point of view, for which I was almost expelled from the university several times. I argued with my teacher Mikhail Borisovich. They could even yell at me. But at the same time, I was a talented bastard (laughs). And as for the acting, I did everything at the highest level. But regarding directing, then, of course, they encouraged me.

I was a very cheerful, cheerful student, with a sparkle in my eyes, but with my own attitude. I remember these happy years with a smile. I enjoyed making art. We practically didn’t sleep at night, didn’t eat, we always had sunken but burning eyes.

— Are student Konstantin Shelyagin and student Maxim Ivanov two different people?

- Certainly! Ivanovich is a real schemer. Sometimes, of course, he reads something, but it’s easier for him to come up with some kind of fraud, to outwit him in order to get a grade. And he always makes it easy and simple. But for me, studying was happiness, I was flying to rehearsals. I always wanted to be better. And if I was not a very good student, it was only because of my position. But Ivanovich simply did not like studying. By the way, I dreamed about him today, apparently I missed this image (laughs).

Still from the TV series “Univer”. Source - youtube

Larisa Baranova (Lilia Volkova)

The actress has starred in the series since 2010 as a charismatic biology student.

After finishing filming the series, Larisa, in the role of Lilia, starred in the television series “SashaTanya”, and also worked in another series “Mommies”. In 2012, she played a role in the social drama “Flying,” where the actress was able to show a different side of herself, leaving the comedic image.

Larisa's career is going up and her fans are looking forward to the release of new works. In her personal life, the girl is not alone, although she has not yet met her man, according to her. Photos of Larisa with her little daughter Sasha periodically appear on social networks.

Anna Khilkevich (Masha Belova)

The heroine of the sitcom Masha Belova is the complete opposite of the actress. Unlike her character, Anna is a fairly smart girl.

Khilkevich has been involved in acting for quite some time. Before filming at Univer, Anna played roles in other TV series and films.

The actress’s piggy bank is replenished with 2-3 films a year. Some of the last films with her participation were “Yolki 5” and “Zomboyashchik”. Anna is a frequent guest on various television shows on popular entertainment channels. She has repeatedly taken part in the program “Where is the logic?” on the TNT channel, and recently has been hosting a culinary section in the Friday channel program with host and friend Regina Todorenko “Regina+1”.

Anna Khilkevich, in addition to her acting career, is successfully developing in business. On her official Instagram page, the girl said that she opened her wedding agency together with her colleagues in 2020. She also has a branded clothing line called Hilly, where Anna promotes the designer brand as a commercial director.

Khilkevich is married to businessman Arthur Volkov. Recently, the couple had a second girl, who was named after the heroine of “Univer” Maria.

Nastasya Samburskaya (Kristina Sokolovskaya)

The first time, the girl did not pass the casting for the series “Univer” and she got a minor role as Michael’s girlfriend in one of the episodes. But in the continuation of the series, Nastasya auditioned for the role of a student with a tough character - Christina.

Deciding for herself that Nastasya had already outgrown the role of a student, she left the project in 2020 and began to further develop her career as an actress. The girl has various roles in comedy series and films, detective and melodramatic ones.

Nastasya is actively developing not only her career as an actress, but also as a TV presenter. On the “Yu” channel there was a women’s talk show “I’m right,” and on the “Friday” channel there was a “Spring Cleaning” project, where the girl was a successful presenter. After Elena Letuchaya moved to another channel, Samburskaya became the main horror of all restaurants in Russia as the host of the Revizorro program.

In addition to acting, Nastasya tries herself in music, writes songs, and makes videos.

Due to her wayward nature, the girl’s personal life is not as good as her career. She had a couple of scandalous novels and even got married, but at the moment the girl is single.

Star of the TV series “Univer”: I almost killed the legendary actor!

Actor Andrei Sviridov is known and loved for his role as security guard Gena in the popular TV series “Univer” on the TNT channel. This artist, notable in all respects, has also worked in the films “Tumbler”, “I Stay”, “Inhabited Island”, “Bros”, “Escape”... However, few people know that Andrei worked as a real security guard and acted in films in Hollywood and once on the “red carpet” he almost crushed a world cinema star.

– Andrey, very interesting: how tall are you? When you walked down the street, all the passers-by looked around!

– I’m used to such attention, because it’s impossible not to notice me – I’m 2 meters 12 centimeters tall.

– You grew up in the Belarusian Mogilev. Were you big and strong already at school age?

- I was... a dunce. Dead. He stretched out quickly, but his muscle mass could not keep up with his growth. I played basketball. A poor student in Russian, an excellent student in mathematics. My classmates were not afraid of me; on the contrary, we were friends. They are afraid of the small and harmful. I'm kind and cheerful. Once, there was a case, I broke into a bully from our class. But he really asked for it, then the whole class applauded me. But in general he did not abuse his power. Especially after one incident, which, however, did not occur at school, but a little later. I once almost killed a man while playing basketball. He turned poorly and hit another player in the head with his elbow. I didn’t see him, there was a game moment. The guy suffered a triple concussion. When I went to see him at the hospital, the doctor said: if you had been three kilograms heavier, he would not have survived. After that, I decided to try to always be more careful.

– Did you end up in America thanks to sports?

– Yes, I played in a basketball league. I left my native Mogilev - I weighed 98 kilograms, and returned - 130. My friends recognized me with difficulty: Andryukha, is that you?! I didn't take anything special. We just had a translator, a former master of sports in rowing. He took care of us boys and turned us into strong guys. However, I soon had to leave the sport: I was injured - a small bone in my foot cracked. When I was leaving the doctor, I met my trainer. He didn't even say hello. I realized that I, as they say, had been “written off” - I was not needed... I recovered, I could return. But I decided for myself: I’m 25 years old, almost retirement age for sports. I had to think about what to do next. And I decided to rush to Hollywood.

Once at home, lying on the couch, I told my parents: you know, I would probably like to act in films in Hollywood. Mom looked at me very strangely and said: “Only my son could come up with such a thing!” But I, as it happens, actually starred in several American films. Of course, he didn’t become a star. Yes, this is not necessary, it is more important to understand that you were not afraid and achieved your childhood dream. I still have an acting agent in America, and if there are specific offers, I will go. But my main job now is in Moscow.

– They say that you worked as a security guard on the “red carpet” of the famous Oscar film awards, is this true?

– Not at the Oscars, but at the world premieres of the Disney film studio. After all, work in cinema was not always possible; I worked part-time as a security guard, in a nightclub, and at premieres. I was the highest ranking security officer there. One day a funny thing happened when I got seriously scared. There is such a dwarf actor Michu Meszaros, he starred in “Doctor House”. He's really up to my knees. And my colleagues, other security guys, decided to play a joke on me. They found out that Mesaros was coming, and they told me: go meet that car. I went, having no idea who was coming. And then the door opens, Michu gets out of the car... I took three or four steps behind him and then I realized that I could step on him... To hurt is an understatement, I could hurt a person. I turned around, left, and asked another person to guard him. Fortunately, the actor himself did not notice anything, did not even look in my direction. At that moment, three hundred photographers aimed their cameras at him, he was enjoying the glory.

– You even starred in one of Enrique Iglesias’s videos. What do you remember about the singer and sex symbol?

“We said hello, he asked where I was from.” I said that I was from Russia. “And I have a girlfriend from Russia - Anna Kournikova ,” he said. “Oh, great, isn’t Sergei Fedorov bothering you?” – I joked. Fedorov is our former hockey player; there were rumors that he dated Anna before Enrique Iglesias . Enrique smiled: “No worries.” In general, a good guy, not lacking in humor. And completely ordinary, normal. Only when the camera turns on does he turn into the sex symbol that his fans know him to be.

– What are your overall impressions of the Americans?

- People are like people. But they are very afraid of the Russian mafia. Although no one knows what it is. Once I was working as a security guard at a club, and a visitor came in, incredibly drunk. He almost couldn’t stand on his feet, tried to joke with me, said: “You’re so big, you’re probably from the Russian mafia.” To which I replied with a serious look: “What, do you have problems with the Russian mafia?!” He sobered up instantly! If you are big and from Russia, that means you are from the mafia. Stereotype!

In general, there have been many stereotypes in my life. Many people thought: since he’s tall, he’s an athlete, which means he’s probably stupid. There is even a saying: “Tall skyscrapers have empty attics.” Once I gave an interview in America, the journalist was surprised that I expressed my thoughts well. We had a good talk.

– The stereotype about America is this: there it’s every man for himself, it’s not accepted to help. This is true?

- In general, yes. It is customary there that people promise a lot, but when it comes to action, they do nothing. Visitors have to go through a lot in order to somehow gain a foothold. I could tell you how I survived in a foreign country, but I won’t - it would seem like I’m complaining.

– How did your meeting with Andrei Krasko happen?

– We met on the set of a film in America, where I had a small role, and Andrei Krasko a big one. The name Krasko , however, didn’t mean anything to me then. What kind of person is he? He was like a magnet: he attracted attention, you wanted to be nearby, to listen. It wasn’t that I was depressed then... but I didn’t really have any idea how to live on: “my America” had outlived its usefulness. Andrei Krasko called me “little one.” I told him about my situation. And he said: “Boy, everything will be fine with you. Don't worry. We’ll find you a job in Moscow, we’ll find a bride, you’ll rent an apartment, then everything will depend on you.” I took this as another Hollywood promise. And I was very surprised when, two weeks after filming, Andrei Krasko called: “I found you a bride, a job too, and the apartment is in order.” He sent me the script for the film “Tumbler”. And without thinking twice, I sold the car, rented out the apartment and went to Moscow. He starred in Tumbler, then other roles came. The main lesson that Andrei Krasko : no matter who you are - a simple man or a star, or even a president - in any situation you need to remain human.

– What happened to the bride that Andrei Krasko found for you? Or was he joking?

- No, he really found him and introduced me. Good girl. But at that moment I had to work, nothing worked out for us.

– Do funny meetings with fans happen often in your life?

– Once I was on the subway, there were a lot of people. A young man and a girl sat opposite me. At some point the train stopped in the tunnel, there was a second of silence. And suddenly the guy, recognizing me, shouted: “Gena! The whole zone is for you!” “Why Gena? – I thought. “Why not Sour or Skull - I’ve played so many bright images of bandits?!” A couple of years ago, there was a time when I flew to visit friends in the city of Nakhodka. We dropped into a cafe for lunch. There are not many people, we sit and eat. And a large, healthy guy was sitting at the table next to me, looking at me point-blank. Then he came up and asked: “Listen, aren’t you from Univer?” What are you doing here?” “You see,” I joked, “Kuzya got lost in the taiga, so I came to look for him.” He laughed and gave me a bottle of cognac. Before we had time to go outside, another man came up, also with cognac: they say, take a gift from the bottom of your heart and give an autograph for your son. “Okay,” my friends laughed, “we have alcohol for today, then we’ll have some snacks.”

- You are, as they say, an eligible bachelor - you are not married. The heart is free, do fans have a chance?

- Was married. But, as they say, it didn’t work out. Now I have a girlfriend. So the fans have no chance. My beloved is not an actress, just a good person who understands me. I want to create a family like my parents. We had a very friendly family; now there are few of them. Mom Ekaterina Mikhailovna is an accountant. Half of Mogilev paid their respects to her so that she could explain how to prepare reports. Father Nikolai Fedorovich worked as a teacher of Russian language and literature and was a school director at one time. Then he went into business and was elected chairman of the trade union of private business and small entrepreneurship. He was highly respected in the city. Unfortunately, my father passed away in January last year. Only with age do you understand: there are things that are more valuable than all the best films taken together - people close to you. When they leave, unfortunately, you can’t bring them back.

– Are there any roles you dream of?

– So far they’ve mostly offered to play bandits and security guards – I fit the profile perfectly. Now, however, I play an investigator - at least not a bandit. But I would like, perhaps, to play a good-natured, somewhat romantic person in a drama. I don’t want to play a hero-lover - some kind of Romeo: as they say, not my type.

Recently we talked with one good director, he said: “We need to make a separate script for you.” Maybe we'll do something over time.

Anna Kuzina (Yana Semakina)

Before Anna starred in the popular sitcom “Univer,” she already had roles in 12 films. The heroine of Anna, student-activist Yana Semakina, fell in love with TV viewers from the first episodes due to her naivety and desire to help everyone.

In addition to films, Anna takes part in theatrical performances, constantly torn between her native Kiev and Moscow.

In 2020, the girl starred in the Ukrainian melodrama “There Are No Chance Encounters.”

Anna Kuzina carefully hides her personal life and says that she has not yet met a man with whom she would like to live her whole life.

Star of “Univer” Kostya Shelyagin - about Ivanovich: “Added the features of Jack Sparrow to the hero”

The young actor told what awaits his character in the new episodes of the sitcom “Univer” on TNT
- It is clear that you cannot change the script, much less the format. Your hero operates within the framework of a sitcom. But how does it change?

— You know, while watching great directorial and acting works in world cinema, I, of course, want to learn something for myself. And then use it. Here you can “succumb” to Johnny Depp, here you can be Brad Pitt, here you can watch Al Pacino. At Univer, I also try to revive Ivanovich in this way. Sometimes the director stops. When we get carried away. But sometimes it misses. I really like the actor Johnny Depp. So in the new episodes of “Univer” my character is as close as possible to the image of Jack Sparrow from “Pirates of the Caribbean”. Added a little grotesque. The image changes. To ensure the actor's self-interest and interest, we try to add different colors to it. We constantly come up with something new. In the next 20 episodes, Ivanovich will not have a love affair, so he essentially has nothing to do. Works for Michael in a cafe, gets into Kisel’s “relationships”...

- Even so?!

- This doesn’t happen on purpose. He wants to help Grisha, who is getting a job at Univer TV with Nika. But he fails and sends Ivanovich. Here we learn that Nika may be interested in Gopniks.

— So the boys’ brotherhood is under threat of collapse?

- Yes, and it’s very interesting to watch. When the friendship of two bosom friends suddenly goes through fire, water and copper pipes. And he begins to fail to withstand the tests. This is a very dramatic moment. How will they behave and what will happen? Watch the new episodes of “Univer” on TNT!

— How does your hero live?

— To live in Russia, you need to be able to twist and turn. Therefore, Ivanovich and Kisel come up with various ways to take money from the population. They organize an intellect casino, for example. As a rule, these are “dashing” things, so it does not always result in earnings.

- And there are quite a lot of such people: work less, earn more.

- But we take both plots and characters from life. From the people. In this pair, Ivanovich remains the main schemer. He is the brains of the company. But either Grisha Kiselev or circumstances always spoil the plan. And Ivanovich himself sometimes pushes the plan, which in the end turns out to be his duty. The new season is very interesting. In the sense that we were allowed to add new undertones to the images of the heroes. I think these features will be interesting to the viewer.

— Your face, to be honest, doesn’t look like the physiognomy of a typical gopnik at all. Are you comfortable in this look?

“Don’t feed the actor bread—let him play something atypical and uncomfortable.” This is our interest. I always dive headfirst into such adventures. When creating the image of Ivanovich, the same. It was difficult. Because I feel like an actor at the junction of the eras of the 18th-19th centuries. Lermontov-Pushkin period. Maybe Onegin or Pechorin in the soul. That's why I'm interested in Univer. We are all echoes of the 90s. We grew up on Once Upon a Time in America and The Godfather, Brigade. This is our topic. You can create different Gopnik. We create honest heroes. Comical, but with a core. I'm interested in creating such an image. When I come to any Russian city, there is a person who comes up and says: “Bro, we have a hundred people like you working at our factory. You're just a people's favorite! Thank you". Sometimes guys four meters tall come up and offer to treat you to something. Apparently, it just so happened that it was horrible. Thanks to TNT and Comedy Club for believing in me as an artist.

— On Instagram you periodically post videos of facial gymnastics. While driving a car, you suddenly start making faces to the music. What is this and why?

— There are artists who know how to promote pages well. I'm not one of those people. I was just driving in the car one day, listening to music, and I suddenly wanted to share my mood and melody with my subscribers—I had 20 thousand of them at that time. Recorded it, sang it. There were good reviews. I realized that I was lifting people's spirits. And this is my goal. A little more rays of light and positivity. Everything honest has a good response from the viewer. That's why I don't write it down every day. When I have the mood and impulse to share my mood, energy, humor, thoughts, poetry, I give. No, that means I'm silent.

— You also record small videos with your son. Did they show him Univer?

— In general, we limit his TV viewing. Except that sometimes the cartoons are Soviet, and sometimes not all of them. Let's choose. But “Univer” still comes with the marking 14+, I follow the law, so I’m not old enough to look at the folder yet. But he is such an artist in himself that soon I will be watching him on TV. God forbid.

— Do genes make themselves felt?

- Well, yes, my wife and I are actors, so, apparently, we can’t do without it. No one is pushing him down this slippery slope. But organic in itself is an infection. There's no escape. We would like the child to be fulfilled and happy. If you enjoy the profession, then so be it. Mom and I get it. And we advise everyone to enjoy life too. I would like to wish the audience more light, positivity, mood, forget about problems and immerse themselves in the beautiful, fantasy world of “Univer”. We will be glad to help you with this. Friends, watch the series. We love you and send love through the screen!

“Univer”, new season, from Monday to Thursday at 20.00 on TNT

Alexander Stekolnikov (Valentin Budeyko)

Thanks to his appearance, Alexander was assigned the role of a nerd in the popular sitcom “Univer”. Before this, the actor appeared mainly on the theater stage of his native St. Petersburg. During filming, Alexander had to move to live in Moscow, where new opportunities opened up for him thanks to his role in Univer.

Some of his latest works were roles in the TV series “Fitness” and the film “Outrunning Time.”

Stekolnikov teaches acting courses, focusing on body plasticity.

Alexander is happily married and has two boys.

Natalya Rudova (Ksenia Andreevna Kovalchuk)

The main character of the series “Tatyana’s Day,” Natalya Rudova, played the role of Ksenia Andreevna, the head of the department in the series “Univer.” According to the plot, she had an affair with one of the characters.

Filming in the series did not bring the actress any new impressions or disappointments. This became another project.

The popular actress continues to be invited to shoot films, some of the latest being “Women against Men”, two parts, “Happiness, Health!”

The actress stubbornly hides her personal life, constantly making provocative pranks about her life partner.

Anna Khilkevich

Photo: Interlocutor

Anna was born in Moscow on October 15, 1986. The future actress graduated from a French gymnasium. Then she studied at the theater school at the Shchepkinsky School, but dropped out because of filming in the popular TV series “Firefighters.”

Anna still has her studies at the G.V. Plekhanov Russian University of Economics behind her. In addition to filming on television, the star is successfully engaged in business.

Khilkevich had a desire to be an actress from the first grades of school. Parents supported their daughter's plans. Therefore, filming in the series “Univer. New hostel" did not come as a surprise.

In the television project, Anna played the role of blonde Masha Belova, who came from Krasnodar to study as a journalist.

Masha loves to relax in clubs, wear fashionable clothes and just have fun. Sometimes this heroine is naive, and at times she embarks on various adventures. A crowd of fans constantly runs after her.

Anastasia Ivanova (Yulia Semakina)

The heroine of Anastasia harmoniously joined the composition of the Univer residents from the first episodes. The audience fell in love with Yana's cunning and sexy younger sister.

This role brought popularity to the young actress; after many episodic roles, she began to be recognized on the street and invited to other projects.

In 2020, the young actress received leading roles in the Ukrainian TV series “The Reluctant Heiress” and “Journey to the Center of the Soul.”

Anastasia’s personal life is little known; she tries not to talk about her fans, saying that she has not yet met her man and everyone has a chance to win her heart.

Ekaterina Molokhovskaya (Varvara)

In the latest seasons of “Univer,” the Belarusian actress played the role of Michael’s girlfriend and the rector’s daughter.

The actress’s career is aimed mainly at detective and melodramatic series, where she gets supporting roles, but the girl’s spectacular appearance promises that perhaps soon the viewer will see her in arthouse films, something that Catherine herself has long been ready for.

The girl’s personal life is going well, as is her career. She has not yet disclosed the name of her chosen one.