Victor Panchenko
He played in Anna Shapiro‘s Derailed Dollar Baby film as Yan.
SKSM: Could you start with telling me a little bit about yourself? Who are you and what do you do?
Victor Panchenko: My name is Victor. I’m an actor. Mostly I play in theatre for about 12 years now allready. And I dreamed to play there first and only after that in cinema. But when I was about 5 years old I loved to watch movies of the 90’s with fightings and so on, and I remember once I said that I’m going to be a famous film actor. This dream has not become true yet.
SKSM: When did you know you wanted to become an actor?
Victor Panchenko: I decided to become an actor in the end of the school after I saw my first drama theatre perfofmance wich I visited thanks to my friend. Something happened inside of me. Intuition told me that this might be mine. But first of all – I studied very bad at school, didn’t understand anything. Secondly – I though started realising that I’m not so dull as the the school marks declaired and that I want to be interestd in something but school at that moment hadn’t enough tools to make knoledge a happy thing. I started reading books and started to think of my self different. I asked my self questions like about what I’d love to do for living. The key word was Love in that question. And several conditions appeared- It should be something real (remember my school marks) , something creative (???) and something that would give me education and provocate a journey in to my self. And then I thought that it would be great to be a director (theatre or film, no matter) and I’ve had I heavy talk with my father that brought down my selfworth deeper than it was and after what I lost any believe in my self. Then I started visiting courses in a polititian institute, thanks to that friend again. And felt so shameful that I couldn’t answer simple questions about history. I felt It wasn’t mine. So I took the least innerstrength I had and decided to become a theatre actor. My mother payed acting clases for 6 months (for what I’m greatfull to her) , with a theatre actress we prepared a program and right after school my dream came true. It was a big luck and at the age of 17 I became a student of the Russian Academy of Theatre Arts in Moscow (for free) with out any experience of being on stage, school drama class or something like that. After what my Master invited me to his theatre where I still play.
SKSM: How did you become involved in Derailed Dollar Baby film?
Victor Panchenko: I was involved in Derailed mouvie by chance. The director Anna Shapiro saw me in theatre if I’m right and our common friend told her about me I think. But I’m not sure.
SKSM: You worked with Anna Shapiro on this film, how was that?
Victor Panchenko: Working on the Derailed was hard because it was very cold and I had very less of experience in cinema.
SKSM: What are you working on nowadays?
Victor Panchenko: Now I’m working on producing theatre performances and continue playing in theatre.
SKSM: Are you a fan of Stephen King’s work?
Victor Panchenko: I’m not a fan of Stephen King but I read the Shawshank Redemption and saw the film for about 50 times not less.
SKSM: Thanks for taking the time to answer my questions. Is there anything you want to say to the fans that read this interview?
Victor Panchenko: I would like to say to whom it may concern -actors, editors, playrights, artists, musicians and so on and not only, anybody –
It’s not a shame or crime to have a dream and to follow it, to obtain it (if it’s positive and crimless of course)
It’s good for an artist to be friends with his head, with his brain, his psichologie. It’s better to know your self good, to treat your self well , to accept and love your self and know what you want before acting or creating and so on, because artists (actors , directors, musicians etc.) with deep problemes mostly make depressive art pieces (as I think, It’s my opinion) and it doesn’t cause much pleasure or happiness, It’s all about suffering mostly that causes next suffers. Some can like it of course but it should be realised I think. Art should be healthy, meaningful but healthy, vital and the main purpose of it should not be the changing of the world or something like that but mostly just for the life’s beauty.
And It’s good to have some other skills besides in case of failure or hunger. Life is not only about art, there are many other interesting things.
And it’s important to remember that failures in art are very usefull. Such failure as I think is my work in Derailed. I’m not ok with my job there. But who could know how It’s gonna be in the result.
Thank you. And good luck.
