Interview with the Dhampir.

It’s already been posted everywhere that you’ve got a part in the Vampire Academy (VA) movie, but you yourself haven’t actually talked about it yet. Tell me something.

Sorry, I can’t go into details. But here are some basic facts. VA – is a book series by an American writer Richelle Mead. There are 6 books in the series, the movie covers the first one.

Do you like movies about vampires?

I do, though I can’t say I’ve seen a lot of them. I’ve certainly seen ‘Interview with the vampire’, different versions of ‘Dracula’, ‘The Fearless Vampire Killers’ (‘The Fearless Vampire Killers, or Pardon Me, But Your Teeth Are in My Neck’, originally titled ‘Dance of the Vampires’ – Translator’s Note). These are all classical vampire movies, and it’s a little bit presumptuous to put yourself in the same category. But actually VA is an extremely popular story in the West – millions of copies in different languages have been sold, it has a huge fandom around the world. Hollywood won’t miss such a thing. The filming starts in May (Zoey stated on Twitter that they start filming at the end of May – TN), the director is Mark Waters, I was cast for one of the roles.

Is it a big part?

It’s a good one, I even have some lines to say. Actually, I’ve got the male leading role.

Were you cast because the character is a Russian?

That’s the first reason that comes to your mind, isn’t it? Yes, the character is Russian, his name is Dimitri Belikov. I know that at first the producers were looking among American and British actors, but in the end they changed their minds. But they needed an actor with a good command of English, it was one of the main requirements. According to the protagonist (Remember Rose’s observation at the beginning of the first book? =) - TN) the guy’s English is as good and fluent as hers and it's his charming accent that betrays him as Russian.

Will there be a lot of action in the movie?

There’ll be plenty of it but VA is not only about action, it also will deal with psychological aspects. That’s why to me it seems a bit more complex that ‘Twilight’. The characters, mine included, are no strangers to human emotions – they love, suffer, fall into depressions.

Doesn’t it bother you that this Dimitri might be dumber than you are? That this is not the part for which you have to grow and develop, that you’re taking up something beneath you?

I won’t say this part is beneath me. See, I’m very careful about picking roles on the whole, not only in Russian movies. If I were offered a part of a Russian fool, I wouldn’t rush after it headlong. I was offered a great romantic part. When it comes to that, it’s the first role for a Russian actor in an American movie in years. I was given a chance to become a ‘convertible’ actor. So I can’t say that this is beneath me. It would be wrong to rush to Hollywood and leave Russian films behind.  It would be improper, stupid, unwise – and it’d take time to get the same offers in US as I get in Russia. But I don’t mind living in two countries and work in two film industries. It’s no secret that it’s always been my dream. I like American cinematography and their culture. I even learned their language.

Pilnā intervija: http://sharpneedle.blogspot.be/2013/04/interview-with-dhampir.html?spref=tw