Anton Shagin was born in one of the cities of the Bryansk region on April 2, 1984. After graduating from ninth grade, he and his grandmother made the difficult decision to enroll in a vocational school. It should immediately be noted that he no longer had parents at this time. He trained as a mechanic in his city of Karachev. Naturally, he also took part in amateur performances. After graduating from college, he decided to leave for Moscow to enter the Moscow Art Theater. He did it the first time. He graduated from the Anton Shagin studio school in 2006.
Actor's debut in the film industry
The first film in which Anton Shagin made his debut was “Hipsters”. Despite the fact that at first glance the film seemed light and cheerful, in fact, filming in it was quite difficult and difficult. The filming process dragged on for almost two years. The release of the film on television was constantly postponed.
There was even a fairly high probability that the interesting composition would be lost. But Valery Todorovsky, who acted as director, selected each individual actor with special care. Over time, Todorovsky more than once recalled that there was a feeling that a little more and the film crew would be attracted to shoot other films. And to say that you have to wait and refuse other offers is not very nice.
Movie
Anton Shagin’s debut was to be the main role in Valery Todorovsky’s musical “Hipsters.” But preparation, creation of costumes, selection of music took a lot of time. The filming of the film was constantly postponed for various reasons. Actors began to be invited to other projects. And then, in order not to lose the carefully selected cast, Valery Todorovsky decided to film them in another film.
So Anton Shagin starred in the youth thriller “Vise”. This is a story about people who decided to make quick money and got involved with drugs.
After “Vise”, work began on “Hipsters”, where Shagin appeared in the image of Mels. His hero is a Soviet student whose life changed dramatically when he met the dudes.
After the release of “Hipsters,” the directors bombarded Shagin with offers.
In 2009, Anton Shagin starred in the film “To the Touch.” This is the story of a blind boy whose sight suddenly returns after the murder of his father.
Then there were roles in the films “Hide” and “Without Men.”
The film about the Chernobyl disaster “On Saturday,” in which Shagin played the main role, participated in the Berlin Film Festival. His role in “Slackers” brought Anton a prize for best actor at the Tunis Film Festival.
Then the actor’s cinematic career was followed by two leading roles in dramatic projects.
In 2014, the series “Demons” directed by Vladimir Khotinenko was shown. In the drama, based on the famous novel by Dostoevsky, Anton Shagin played the role of Pyotr Verkhovensky.
In the fall of 2020, the multi-part film “Anka from Moldavanka” was released, telling about the criminal life of Odessa in the 70s of the last century. Shagin played the role of gang leader Arkady Sotnikov.
In 2020, Anton starred in the sports drama Hammer.
Filming a new film
And so that the actors would not run away, Anton Shagin and other stars were involved in the filming of the film “Vise” under the direction of the same Valery Todorovsky. The result of these efforts was a dynamic film with numerous chases and shooting. The essence of this film was that friends wanted to get easy money. To do this, they robbed a small dealer and took several shipments of ecstasy from him. As a result, three friends fell into the hands of a mafioso, who obliged them to work off their debt. Anton Shagin, whose filmography was expanded with his first film, played one of the main roles.
In addition to Anton, Maxim Matveev, Ekaterina Vilkova, Evgenia Khirivskaya and many other actors from the film “Hipsters,” whose original title was “Boogie on the Bones,” took part in the filming.
Personal life of Anton Shagin
While studying at the Moscow Art Theater School, Anton fell in love with his classmate Veronica Isaeva. After receiving their diplomas they got married. In 2008, their first child, son Matvey, was born. In January 2014, Anton and Nika had a daughter, Polina.
In the photo: Anton Shagin with his wife
After the birth of her children, Veronica gave up acting and devoted herself entirely to her family. Anton doesn’t like to talk about family life, rarely appears at events with his wife, and doesn’t like to talk about his family in interviews.
The actor prefers to spend his free time with his wife and children and loves to travel. Anton writes poetry. He has about 100 works. The author publishes them on the Internet; he has not yet decided to publish the collection.
Poems by Anton Shagin - fable “The Marriage of a Wood Grouse”
The desire to make the movie “Hipsters” was very high
Todorovsky has said more than once that this is exactly the kind of picture he wanted to make. He learned about the dude during his studies at VGIK. After that, he began to show interest and ask people what dudes were like. After which he decided that this story would be a good enough theme for filming a musical.
The script of the film was written by Yuri Korotkov, who was a friend of Valery. However, there was no money for filming, so filming had to be postponed for an unknown period. As a result, the musical remained in the director's dreams for a long time. However, there was no time to think. He shot a large number of films. But he didn’t forget about the dude either. It was very important for him to make this particular film.
The meaning of the film was conveyed completely and accurately
As a result, the director’s dream film was finally released on television, in which the hero of this review, Anton Shagin, also took part. Photos from the filming attracted quite a lot of attention, as did the film itself. We can say that the musical was watched in one breath.
It should be noted that the genre was not chosen by chance. Having avoided everything connected with the “chernukha”, the director quite accurately conveyed the spirit of the dudes, which was characteristic of the late 1950s. It should be noted that the film tells largely about free people who protested everything that is associated with gray everyday life and rigid boundaries.
The main role of a popular actor brought him popularity
Anton Shagin played the role of Mels in this film. This is a kind of abbreviation for Marx-Engels-Lenin-Stalin. At the very beginning of the picture it is said that Anton’s hero is a pronounced Komsomol member, whose main goal is to raid the dude. However, due to love, he gradually switched to the opposite side. And only at the moment when Mels became a dude, he began to look at the world completely differently.
The day after the film “Hipsters” was released on television, Anton was overwhelmed by colossal popularity. However, even among theatrical works there are those that can attract the attention of a large audience. For example, “Red and Black”, as well as “Shores of Utopia”.
Anton Shagin: “I have a wonderful father-in-law with golden hands”
Anton Shagin really woke up famous after the role of Mels in “Hipsters” by Valery Todorovsky. Although, according to him, nothing in his life changed then. Nine years have passed since then. During this time, not a single passing role happened in his film biography. He surprisingly manages not to waste his time, despite the responsibility - at thirty-three he is the father of two children - and despite all his devotion to his profession, he says that the main thing for him is family.
— Anton, you turned thirty-three in the spring, this number is considered karmic for a man. How do you feel about this, how did you feel?
They crucified, but not much, as Vysotsky sang. (Smiles.)
— By the age of thirty-three, with your success, you have only twenty-two jobs, and many of your colleagues by that age often have nearly a hundred...
“For me, the main criterion is still creativity and the desire to do something that I have not tried yet, in particular, to create a new character, unknown to me. But I don’t blame any of my colleagues. I refuse only in cases of outright lies, as was the case, for example, with Peter the Third in one of the subsequent series. I read historical chronicles and several books and realized that the sovereign had been slandered. He said that he was ready to act if they remade the script and the king wouldn’t look like such an idiot. The authors did not agree, and I replied that I would refuse then, since I was not going to multiply lies.
— Has it ever happened that you refused and then regretted it?
- No, I consult with Nika (wife, actress Veronika Isaeva. - Author's note), I give her the script to read. She is my main assistant and ally. In most cases we agree. Probably because we studied together. (Smiles.) Nika always impartially says what she thinks. And I am grateful to her for this, because not every loving person is able to tell the truth.
In the series “Walking Through Torment” Anton plays the poet Bessonov and reads his own poems
Photo: press materials
— Mark Anatolyevich Zakharov treats you with respect and allows you not to participate in the performance if you are not interested. Do you appreciate it?
— I came to work at Lenkom with director Mark Anatolyevich Zakharov. This is the whole answer. Yes, he's letting me go. And this, of course, is a great blessing.
— Are there any plans for the theater?
- Now I’m not rehearsing anything, because I’m filming every day, and in the second half of the season we’ll wait and see. There are proposals and my own idea, which due to various circumstances has been stalled for several years. This is a one-man show based on my poems, it takes time, and it doesn’t all depend on me alone. If it works out, I will be happy because I have something to say.
— Where are you filming so closely now?
— In the twelve-episode film for Channel One “Foundling.” The action takes place in 1926. A Nizhny Novgorod thief accidentally ends up with the Leningrad police, having found not only money in a stolen wallet, but also a one-way ticket to Leningrad. He decides to go there to escape. There the police meet him, waiting for an excellent investigator from Nizhny Novgorod, for whom he is forced to impersonate himself in the future. And he does it well, he easily solves one case after another, because he knows all the ins and outs of the gangster. But, being a newly minted investigator, he puts together a gang to rob the main NKVD warehouse with valuables that should be sent to Germany. But I won’t say yet whether he will succeed or not, I’ll keep the intrigue. I've never played a changeling like this before. In general, this is a dashingly twisted retro detective story. We film from August to December.
— It’s not easy to film in St. Petersburg in late autumn and winter...
— We have already filmed most of the location, but the interiors in St. Petersburg are cold, since no one heats them, because most of them are semi-abandoned buildings. At the site they try to turn on the heat guns so that we don’t freeze, but it’s still not hot. (Smiles.) And from the amount of text that I learn every day, I no longer have a brain in my head, but a library. (Laughs.)
In the role of Komsomol member Mels in the film “Hipsters”
Photo: press materials
— NTV is about to release the highly anticipated series “Walking Through Torment,” directed by Konstantin Khudyakov, where you played the poet Bessonov. Are you waiting to see how the film and your role will be received, are you worried?
- Why worry? Filming has ended. For me, this is not only an acting premiere, but also a poetic one. Konstantin Pavlovich Khudyakov learned during the auditions that I write poetry, and offered to write several texts for this film, which I did. Poet Bessonov reads poems by actor Shagin. (Smiles.) This is already the second experience when a director takes my poems into his film. Not long ago, Alexey German took one poem into his film “Dovlatov”, where I played a poet-metro builder.
— At what age did you start writing poetry?
— As a student, at the Moscow Art Theater School, the first attempts were made.
—Who did you show it to at first?
- To my wife. And subsequently the first book of poems was dedicated specifically to Nike, it is called “Her”. But I write mainly in order not to get lost in acting, in acting, in order to preserve myself.
— Do you retire somewhere to write?
- Yes, on the balcony.
- And in winter?
— And in winter too, it’s insulated. (Laughs.) For me, writing is a way of detaching myself from the real world and an opportunity to look at everything from a different perspective.
In the new TV movie “Foundling,” the actor played a shape-shifting thief
Photo: press materials
— You are a very emotional, impulsive person. Have you learned to restrain yourself?
— Last summer I visited Optina Pustyn, where I lived alone for a week, and after that, it seems to me that some changes took place in me. I don’t want to create pathos, but my need for confession, for living according to God’s law has increased.
—Have your roles changed anything in you? After all, they were iconic for you: Alexey Ivanovich in “The Player”, and Verkhovensky in “Demons”...
— Having played Verkhovensky in “Demons,” I got rid of my own. Not from all of them, of course, but I managed to unfasten a couple of very notorious ones. (Smiles.) There are certain buttons in an actor’s body that you need to learn to press in order to better understand it, explore it and reveal hidden resources.
— You always work to the limit of your capabilities. Aren't you ever afraid of "burning out"?
- No. The actor cannot be with a temperature of 36.6. This is an inconvenient profession and an uncomfortable state. The psychological stress is prohibitive. But if I start talking about it, I’ll start complaining, which I don’t want to do. These are working moments, without which neither cinema nor theater are possible. But the viewer doesn't need to know about this.
In the comedy “Kiss Through the Wall” Shagin got the role of a loser
Photo: press materials
— You’ve been filming in St. Petersburg almost continuously for three months now. How do you cope with separation from your family, because you are a very homely person?
- Of course, I am attached to home and still believe that family is the most important thing. But work is work. And Nika and her children come to see me; in August they were in St. Petersburg for two weeks, but since Matvey goes to school, the next time they visited me was during the autumn holidays. I met them, we walked, went to the cinema, to the museum, and spent a wonderful week.
-Are you a strict dad?
— We are trying to negotiate peacefully. But there are punishments in the form of deprivation of sweets. (Laughs.) And every weekend we put together a cultural program for children - and if there were offenses during the week, then they may lose entertainment.
— Does Matvey like studying? And do you go to parent-teacher meetings?
“I never attended a parent meeting, but when I picked Matvey up from school, I talked to the teachers. Overall he likes it, our school is good. But now education is lame, I see that they begin to study the topic and, without deepening it, without absorbing it, without analyzing it to the end, move on. Teachers do not hide the fact that children receive only thirty percent of their education at school, and the remaining seventy percent at home. But due to my workload, Nika, of course, is more busy with this.
— Is Nika working now?
— Yes, she still teaches artistic expression at one of the theater institutions.
Having played Verkhovensky in “Demons,” Anton admitted that he got rid of many of his
Photo: press materials
— What can really upset you in the behavior of children?
— The reason could be something inappropriate in their behavior in the theater or in a cafe, in any public place. And the point is not what others will say, but the fact that children must understand: other people also came to rest. We'll find another, more convenient place to fool around. We’ll go to the dacha, go into the forest, shout, and run around the area. There are rules of decency that should always work.
— Does Matvey go in for any sports?
- Karate braids. Last spring, he became the champion of Moscow in his category and won the right to compete at the World Championships, which were held here for the first time in forty years. Alas, I was unable to come, but my mother, uncle and friends supported him.
- It seems to me that you should love giving gifts and even inventing them...
- Yes, I like to give gifts. Giving is great joy and happiness. I like to surprise with something. For example, Nika came to St. Petersburg for her birthday. In addition to all the other surprises, I agreed with the storekeepers of the Russian Museum so that she could be taken there alone and shown our favorite artist Pavel Filonov. About seven years ago in Tallinn we saw his large exhibition and were completely shocked.
The actor claims that family is the main thing for him
Photo: personal archive of Anton Shagin
— In one of the interviews, you said that you don’t like falsehood and therefore would rather spend time at home than go somewhere...
- I'm not a recluse. I just think that family is the most important thing, and why should I waste my time on some parties and people that are completely uninteresting to me? Life is too short to waste it and waste it on something that does not enrich you, but only squanders your inner resource. This is my path, some will understand it, others won’t, I’m not going to convince anyone of anything. And in general, we must at least sometimes remember that life is given once, and our stay here will end anyway, and everyone will be asked. Perhaps this is one of the few things that reconciles me with reality - everyone will still be responsible.
- But you get joy from a lot...
- Yes, first of all, I am happy with my family, the fact that we live together. Friends who are nearby make you happy. And the fact that I still meet kind and bright people, to whom I am eternally grateful for their patience, responsiveness, and life lessons. I am glad that my work, my poems are needed by someone, that the group “Dancing Minus” with Vyacheslav Petkun used one of my texts for their mini-album. In general, I am grateful to God that I live and that I have arms and legs (laughs), that all my loved ones, thank God, are healthy.
- These hands can also do a lot...
— Not much (smiles), but I try and strive to learn, fortunately someone has. I have the most wonderful father-in-law, Alexander Semenovich, with golden hands. He made incredible marble walls for us at home. My little part is there too. Marble is a very fragile material, you grind out one segment, smear it with mortar, press it down, and there is a pebble in the mortar, and everything cracks. And you spent about twenty minutes on this segment, sharpening it from all sides. But all this, of course, is training in patience and humility. (Laughs.)
“I write mainly so as not to get lost in acting, in acting”
Photo: personal archive of Anton Shagin
— Do you have heated conflicts with Nika, or do you just have a pastoral picture in this sense?
- There are, of course. But not scandals, not fights, but just minor misunderstandings. And in this situation, we need to explain everything and talk. If I'm wrong about something, I'll definitely apologize. We can sulk at each other for a maximum of half an hour, and then we smile and move on.
- I know that you have undergone some changes in your everyday life - you got a car. When we met last time, two or three years ago, you confidently said that you didn’t need her.
- Well, we have two children, it became a necessity. (Smiles.) My wife and I went to a driving school and sat down at the desk again. We decided to become classmates again, studied together and got our license.
- And who mastered this science faster?
— Probably, after all, Nika, because I am a person with a restless character. But here you need rationality, it is important not to involve your emotions. But I get great pleasure from driving. And in general I realized that the car is wonderful. I turned on some nice music, blocked myself, and... good. (Smiles.)
— When choosing a car, did you think about prestige?
- No, we bought a Toyota. It is comfortable, reliable, roomy, primarily for traveling to the country.
With his wife Nika, children Matvey and Polina
Photo: personal archive of Anton Shagin
“I understood that the car was needed primarily because of the dacha that had appeared. Do you enjoy country life?
“We feel great outside the city and are very happy about the fact that we managed to acquire the land. It is located near Sergiev Posad, not far from the Lavra. We wanted the site to be completely empty so we could start doing everything ourselves from scratch. You wake up, pick up the car - and go. First you lay down the fabric for the path, then pour in sand and gravel. My wife and I planted apple, pear, plum and other trees. It is said: “Make heaven” - so we are trying. We also have a greenhouse. It’s a joy to grow vegetables there and feed them to your children. It's a completely different taste and smell. Despite the enormous work, we get a thrill from farming.
— Do you already have a house?
— They built a small house. The whole family began to build a bathhouse with their own hands, poured the foundation, and next summer we will continue construction. If possible, we do everything ourselves, because once we relied on “specialists” to install our plumbing, but the pipes began to burst - all the work went to waste and so did the investments. My father-in-law and I had to dig the trenches again and redo everything. Our soil is clayey, so digging two meters deep is exciting. (Laughs.) But there is also an educational moment here - children see that not everything is easy in this life.
— Is Matvey already helping?
- Certainly. Even Polina helps at three and a half years old. The hostess is growing. (Smiles.) She waters, she has her own watering can, and Matvey and I carry crushed stone and sand. So everything is busy: we arrive at the dacha - there is no time to rest. (Smiles.) True, barbecues and tea parties in the open air still happen. We bought a large antique samovar near Sergiev Posad, famous in the 19th century. In my opinion, tea from a samovar tastes better. In general, life began to sparkle with new colors.
Artist's children
Photo: personal archive of Anton Shagin
“It happens that a dacha appears and people stop going anywhere. Have you ever loved to travel...
- And we continue to do so. This year we sailed along the Volga on the ship “Vasily Chapaev” to Cheboksary. It was an unforgettable trip. We saw fifteen cities, and most importantly, there were absolutely amazing people on the ship.
— How long can you rest peacefully and not think about the fact that you’re not filming, that they’re not calling with offers?
“On such days, I take a sheet of paper and write poetry or read, because the feeling of dissatisfaction with myself does not leave me. And I enjoy spending time with my family. But, of course, I won’t be able to live fully without the acting profession.
— Mark Anatolyevich Zakharov likes to talk about the fact that the officer’s wife was chosen by the officers, since they considered it fundamental in how his future life would turn out...
- I completely agree with this. I always say that we cannot even be born without a woman. (Smiles.) To develop and succeed without a woman is generally an unthinkable thing. (Smiles.) Therefore, all my achievements can absolutely be attributed to my wife Nika.
Filming in new films
2011 was marked for Anton by the beginning of filming in the comedy film “Kiss Through the Wall”. There he played together with such stars as Ivan Okhlobystin, Pavel Volya, Karina Andolenko, etc. Anton got the role of Innocent, who won the heart of his beloved girl in every possible way. However, he understood that keeping a girl was much more difficult than simply drawing her attention to himself.
In the same year, the actor took part in the filming of the film “On Saturday,” in which he played the role of one of the eyewitnesses of the Chernobyl accident. He was also nominated for the Crystal Turandot award, which is considered the most prestigious among theater workers.
Laurel
While still a student, he got involved in the play “Don’t Part With Your Loved Ones” and immediately received his first award - the Golden Leaf Award. Next - the Russian Youth Academic Theater, the Innovation Theater, and the Praktika Theater. Having gained experience, Shagin will audition for Lenkom. He will be flattered when Mark Zakharov himself calls the young actor to invite him to the troupe.
"Peer Gynt" (2012)
On this stage he will play the main role in the play "Peer Gynt", for which he received a state prize, and in 2011 Shagin was also awarded the main theater award - "Crystal Turandot".
The life of an actor outside the filming process
Anton Shagin tries not to talk about his personal life. His wife, as it became known not so long ago, graduated from the studio school with him. However, she decided not to continue her acting career and moved away from her profession. In addition, Veronica is not at all embarrassed by the fact that she is in the shadow of her husband.
Veronika Isaeva, the wife of Anton Shagin, believes that the success of her beloved man is also her success. And the main thing for a woman, in her opinion, is the opportunity to provide a reliable rear. Which she tries to do with pleasure and care.
The romance between the acting couple began during their student years. The wedding took place immediately after the studio school was completed. The girl was able to win Anton’s heart almost immediately. Her spiritual beauty and openness helped her in this. It should also be noted that the course Anton studied in turned out to be stellar. Ekaterina Vilkova, Miroslav Karpovich, Maxim Matveev, Anna Begunova and Pyotr Kislov studied with him. Anton Shagin and Veronika Isaeva currently have two children - a son and a daughter.
Anton Shagin's childhood and family
Anton's parents died when he was still young. Until the age of 14, he bore his grandfather’s surname, Gorshkov, after which he took his stepfather’s surname. The boy was raised by his grandparents. Childhood in the Bryansk outback, which occurred in the 90s, was difficult. Anton was never distinguished by exemplary behavior and was certainly not a diligent schoolboy. In the 9th grade, the teachers made it clear to the boy that he should not go to the senior level. Anton’s grandmother advised him to apply to a vocational school, and so he began to study metalworking. Already at school, Anton became interested in amateur performances. Interview with Anton Shagin: about childhood, youth and much more When his grandmother died, Anton was thinking about leaving his native Karachev. Noticing his mood, the literature teacher suggested that he try to enroll in a theater university. Anton went to Moscow and on the first try passed the exams at the Moscow Art Theater School. He studied in the workshop of Sergei Zemtsov and Igor Zolotovitsky on a course together with Ekaterina Vilkova, Maxim Matveev, Miroslava Karpovich.
To be continued…
Regardless of the fact that the actor himself considers himself a theatrical figure, his filmography contains a voluminous list of roles that he played in films. And besides the musical “Hipsters,” there are eight more projects. Among the most successful films with his participation in the title role is “To the Touch.”
It should also be noted that the actor does not refuse to star in television series. Regardless of how busy he is, he considers absolutely all offers that might somehow interest him. And more than once he stated that a large number of creative works and interesting roles awaited him. And Anton’s success will depend only on him. Therefore, we should wait for new films in the filming of which the talented actor will take part.
