Interview with Vasily Stepanov. The relatives of the “Inhabited Island” stars Vasily Stepanov, who broke his spine, are asking for help. Personal life of Vasily Stepanov

Vasily Stepanov is a Russian actor who was remembered by television viewers thanks to his participation in the film “”.

His fate can be called tragic, because the phenomenal success in the film was a temporary achievement, and rapid oblivion led to depression, which destroyed the consciousness of the once famous movie star.

Childhood and youth

Vasily Stepanov was born on January 14, 1986 in Moscow. He comes from a simple family. His mother worked as a salesperson, having previously been a school teacher. The father of the young talent, a native of the small village of Krupenikhi in the Smolensk region, worked as a policeman. The actor has a younger brother, Maxim. As a little boy, Vasily spent all his summer holidays with his beloved grandmother in the village. Judging by her memoirs, in childhood he was a difficult child, a brawler and a ringleader.

His studies were not going well, so after school the future actor entered the College of Physical Education and Sports. There Stepanov received the specialty of a physical education teacher. During his studies, the young man attended classes in hand-to-hand combat and even received the title of master of sports. But soon he wanted to change his life and move away from sports competitions. Vasily entered law school. Despite his desire to obtain a law degree, the student was expelled due to frequent absenteeism.

In order to compensate for failures in his studies, the future actor got a job as a bartender and starred in several commercials. One clip with his participation campaigned for contract military service, although Vasily himself did not serve in the army.

Stepanov’s friends saw talent in him, so they insisted that the guy try his hand at acting at VGIK. Vasily tried to enroll in several theater universities at once, but in the end he chose the Shchukin School, where he was a student of Vladimir Poglazov.

Movies

At the audition, Stepanov met Pavel Kaplevich, the main person in his destiny. He supervised the casting of actors for the film "". Noticing the young talent, he arranged a meeting for Stepanov with Fyodor Bondarchuk. The director appreciated the guy’s appearance: stately and handsome (Stepanov’s height is 192 cm and his weight is 85 kg), he was suitable for the role of the main character in the film by Maxim Kammerer.

To participate in the filming of the film, the artist took a short sabbatical. The painting “Inhabited Island” made him famous literally in one day. True, Stepanov had to dye his hair for the film, and then the ash blonde became the dream come true for many Russian girls.

In addition to working in film and theater, he also tried his hand as a television presenter. So, in 2011, Stepanov hosted the TV show “Long time no see” on the TV Center channel. But the actor only managed to appear in a few programs, after which he ended his career as a TV presenter.

In 2009, Vasily Stepanov took part in a photo shoot for the cover of the book “Attraction.” His partner was model Olga Golovina. Their photographs soon appeared on promotional posters and in commercials for the book of writer Elena Usacheva, and fans started talking about preparations for the creation of a new film similar to the American “Twilight”.

Vasily Stepanov could also be found on the theater stage. Among the stage works of the talented actor, the audience remembered his performance as the schizophrenic Edward in the production of “Veronica Decides to Die.”

The feature film “Inhabited Island” directed by Fyodor Bondarchuk became a breakthrough in Vasily’s creative biography. The film adaptation of the Strugatsky brothers' novel of the same name elevated the actor to the top of Russian cinema. In addition to Stepanov, such famous film actors as Fyodor Bondarchuk and others were also involved in the filming of the film.

The film tells the story of Maxim Kammerer, an earthling from the future who finds himself on the post-apocalyptic planet Saraksh and is involved in the fight against the local regime. The audience appreciated the new film. Soon the second part of the sci-fi film “Inhabited Island: Brawl” was released.

The film received positive reviews for its special effects and visuals, but many experts reacted negatively to the editing of the film and the performance of the main role by Vasily Stepanov. However, most experts said that the actor even surpassed other celebrities who participated in the filming with his acting and professionalism.

Among all the films that were shot in Russia in 2009, “Inhabited Island” turned out to be the most successful at the box office. At the end of the year, the film's box office grossed $21.8 million, entering the list of top films in Europe.

It would seem that participation in such work would allow Vasily to reach a new level, and his filmography would be replenished with new bright roles, but a streak of failures began in his life, fortune turned away from him.

Depression

After participating in the film “Inhabited Island,” many social network users began to wonder where Vasily Stepanov had disappeared to. In 2014, the actor appeared in the program “We Talk and Show.” It turned out that fate was unkind to Vasily. After participating in the film, the artist suffered numerous troubles, he had to go through many trials - illness, lack of money, debt, oblivion.

A protracted creative and personal crisis began. Perhaps the apathy was caused by stress and emotional overload during filming.

Information has repeatedly appeared in the Russian media that after participating in the filming of “Inhabited Island,” the artist no longer received offers from other directors, but, who lived with the actor at one time in a civil marriage, assures that this is not so. According to the girl, there were many options, but the film actor was indifferent to any initiatives of directors and producers.

Total depression consumed him: problems arise in his studies, he couldn’t get to the auditions, and his alliance with Daria is falling apart.

In these difficult moments, Vasily’s relatives help him. His relatives turned to specialists for medical help. In order to pay for the expensive course of treatment, Stepanov’s family is forced to take out a loan. Vasily washed trolleybuses at night, trying to help pay off his debt.

It seemed that the disease was receding, as a new serious illness deprived the actor of strength. A blood clot in his left leg almost led to death, and only a timely surgical operation saved Vasily’s life.

Failures changed Stepanov’s stellar appearance. Now it is almost impossible to recognize him as the handsome Maxim from The Inhabited Island. The depressive state significantly affected the actor, and a severe spinal injury further aggravated the situation.

At the end of 2016, Vasily began acting for the first time in many years. Online "Instagram" Photos even appeared from the filming of the film “Tank Men” (released as “Indestructible”), in which the film actor participated. His relatives and colleagues were already able to notice how inspired Vasily was and strived to realize himself again in cinema, but then the villainous fate intervened again.

Shortly before the New Year 2017, during frosts and ice, Stepanov was seriously injured. While climbing the stairs, the artist slipped and fell. As a result, doctors recorded a fracture of Vasily’s hip bone and two vertebrae. Doctors prescribed him bed rest and also ordered constant examinations, saying that the actor needed to learn to walk again.

Maxim Stepanov, Vasily’s younger brother, commented on the actor’s health in the “Live Broadcast” program. According to him, doctors in February 2017 gave a comforting prognosis regarding Vasily’s physical condition. He stated that his brother would walk, but a rehabilitation period was required.

Vasily himself calls the series of failures “Bondarchuk’s curse.” In one interview with media representatives, he said that he could not return to his former glory due to his participation in the popular blockbuster “Inhabited Island.” According to him, after filming the film, he is not hired even as a courier or sales consultant, because they are afraid that fans will visit the store only to get an autograph from the once famous actor.

On April 12, 2017, it became known that the star of “The Inhabited Island” Stepanov lived in an apartment located on the 5th floor. The actor received many injuries and fractures, but has already been discharged from the hospital. The investigation did not exclude the possibility of a suicide attempt; Vasily was placed in a psychiatric hospital for examination.

The diagnosis was made - schizophrenia, but it turned out that everything that happened to the artist was an accident. Stepanov saw a cat outside the window hanging on the ledge. He decided to help the animal, but could not resist the visor. The artist remained alive, but received multiple fractures of the pelvis, right shoulder and heel bones.

Personal life

Little is known about the artist’s personal life. After filming the film “Inhabited Island,” thousands of fans dreamed of meeting him. The blue-eyed blond was a welcome guest at many parties and celebrity gatherings, but soon everything changed.

The actor has not yet managed to improve his personal life. True, Stepanov had a serious relationship. The first student love is the artist Daria Egorova. They not only met, but also managed to live in a civil marriage. Soon the girl decided to end the relationship, saying that she was tired of dealing with her beloved’s constant depression.

Now he is single and looking for a girl for a permanent relationship. Although, according to Daria, the actor still has not forgotten his first love. From time to time he calls her, but every time the communication between the former lovers ends in a quarrel.

Vasily Stepanov now

After a number of tragic incidents, director Natalya Verevkina came to the aid of her colleague and began work on the project “Who’s next, dreamers?”

The film tells the story of the life and work of a dancer who, after an accident, tries to start over. Vasily appeared on the screen as a visitor to the office of an insurance company, where the main character (Igor Petrov) went to work. The artist’s younger brother Maxim Stepanov also appeared in a cameo role.

Initially, it was planned to use the star of “The Inhabited Island” as the director of the company, but due to an accident, Stepanov was forced to miss filming the planned episodes. According to the director, the artist behaved in a disciplined, professional manner, showing no signs of depression or star fever. The film was not released for a long time, as difficulties arose with financing. The premiere took place at the end of 2018.

Now Vasily is trying to rebuild his life. He reads a lot, goes to the village, where he helps his grandfather with the housework. Stepanov has not yet decided on his plans for 2019.

Filmography

• 2008 - “Inhabited Island: Film One”
• 2009 - “Inhabited Island: Fight”
• 2011 - “Insured Event”
• 2011 - “The Kiss of Socrates”
• 2011 - “My boyfriend is an angel”
• 2013 - “About Football”
• 2017 - “Indestructible”
• 2018 - “Who’s next, dreamers?”

On April 10, actor Vasily Stepanov fell from an apartment window in Moscow. The young man miraculously survived. The media reported about the actor’s mental problems; Vasily himself only said about the accident: “that’s how it happened.” The story of an actor who instantly became a star, but was unable to cope with his fame, is in the material “360”.

Vasily was born in 1986 in Moscow. As a child, he spent a lot of time in the village and, as he himself admitted later, was a rather difficult child.

Stepanov did not intend to become an actor: he graduated from the College of Physical Culture and Sports, received a teaching profession, and then entered the law school. Law didn’t work out either, so the future actor soon left the institute. confessed he in 2009 to Komsomolskaya Pravda.

After his acting debut, Stepanov decided to enter drama school. It was during the exams that the creators of The Inhabited Island noticed him. Vasily passed the casting and, probably unexpectedly for himself, found himself the main character of a Russian blockbuster with a budget of 36 million dollars, led by Fyodor Bondarchuk.

Despite the fact that the film and Stepanov’s performance received mixed reviews, Vasily became famous already during filming. Young, successful, handsome - journalists saw him as one of the main actors of the generation. However, Stepanov himself admitted after the film’s release that he was not particularly recognized on the street, and spoke with doubt about future projects.

That is, if time appears - for example, during the summer holidays - and there is an interesting offer, then why not. But I’m afraid that many will want to profit from the tangible wave that “The Island” will certainly raise. But I really don’t want to agree to cheap TV series and comedies that are filmed in twenty days

Vasily Stepanov.

Stepanov, by his own admission, acted “a little frivolously” with his fee for “Inhabited Island.” “I just lived on this money, existed, took girls somewhere - and as a result, I had already spent almost everything. In addition, a large amount of money confuses me a little; unfortunately, I don’t really know how to manage it yet,” he said in 2009. At the same time, he said that he lives on a student scholarship and the help of his parents.

Despite the fact that journalists predicted a great career for him, Stepanov’s filming never worked out. At the moment, “Inhabited Island” is essentially the only great success in his career. On the actor's Wikipedia page, in the section of his works, several little-known paintings are modestly listed.

Stepanov himself in an interview with Life in 2014 told, that after “The Inhabited Island” he lost interest in the profession. “This filming is vanity of vanities. I simply have no desire to continue working in this area,” he said.

In the same interview, Stepanov said that he had been unemployed for four years. In his opinion, it’s all about Bondarchuk’s film - supposedly because of it they don’t take him to other projects.

I was told that after Fyodor Bondarchuk no one would hire me for good projects, because he has a certain reputation. They asked me: “Oh, Vasily, you don’t know what Bondarchuk’s reputation is? Well, you don’t need to know.” I tried to understand this scheme, but, alas. I came to the conclusion that Bondarchuk is not a director and he does not position himself as a director; rather, he is just a seasoned music video director

Vasily Stepanov.

The actor said that his parents help him with finances. The young man has a difficult relationship with money - according to him, it is better to ask his grandparents for money than to “beg around Ostankino.”

In good theaters they receive a decent salary. But what is this money to me? I go to the store with them twice - that’s all. Will I be able to buy myself an apartment or a car with them? I’m not a homeless person without a residence permit, but I’d rather ask my grandparents for money for a while, and they’ll send me my pension. I'll call them, and this money will reach me faster than I will have to beg and walk around this Ostankino

Vasily Stepanov.

Although Stepanov’s acting career died out, from time to time he was invited to television shows on federal channels. The story of a young handsome man who quickly achieved success and lost it just as quickly attracted viewers to the screens. Stepanov’s life was full of rumors: the media talked about his struggle with depression and love spells that ruined the life of a promising actor.

In 2016, the publication of StarHit published report about the life of Stepanov. According to him, Vasily lives in a two-room Khrushchev apartment in Moscow. The actor does not have his own room - he shares it with his younger brother Maxim. Only the mother works in the family - as a cashier in a restaurant, and Maxim - as a realtor. The father of the family is retired, and Vasily continues to look for work and plans to try his hand at directing.

Confusion immediately arose around the news - either the actor jumped out of the window or fell out. Either he fell from the height of the fifth floor, or from the third. Vasily himself, in a short comment to the Life portal, said that the fall was not accidental, and no one pushed him. At the moment, the actor is hospitalized in a psychiatric clinic, where he is under the supervision of doctors. The media is replete with different interpretations of what is happening, but so far the leading version is that the actor, who had been severely depressed for a long time, tried to commit suicide.

According to Lyudmila, Vasily tried to save a cat that ran out the window. And there were no prerequisites for suicide.

“My son is healthy, he is completely healthy. I don’t know where the press got what they write.”

When asked by Malakhov how Stepanov ended up in a psychiatric hospital, Lyudmila replied that it was the initiative of the ambulance paramedics who came to the actor two days after the fall. Stepanov felt a spasm in his chest and asked his brother to call an ambulance. Paramedics, having learned about what had happened two days earlier, called an “additional” team and hospitalized the actor. Stepanov’s brother Maxim spoke about this in more detail.

The actor admitted that he feels resentment towards him, who does not pay any attention to him and does not support his career.

“After the project, I rarely saw him; we went to shows several times, somewhere else. That’s basically how I am with him... I called him once, just in 2017. “Hello, Fedor Sergeevich, hello.” He was like, “Oh, great.” I say: “Fyodor Sergeevich, what are you doing?” back and forth, and he says, “Oh, today is my first day of filming, I don’t have time right now, sorry.” And hung up, and that was it. This is the kind of conversation that took place, although the assistants told me, “If anything happens, call me, he’s there, maybe he’ll give you some kind of role,” or something else. But he apparently has other creative plans. Well, yes, maybe he’s offended somewhere. Something isn’t working out somewhere, but I demand some further work and support from Fedor. In principle, I believe that it is his personal business as a director - to communicate with the actor or not to communicate.”

— Vasya, how long did you have to train for filming?
For six months, while the preparatory period for the film was going on, Petya Fedorov, who played Guy Gaal, and I went to the gym, where we each had our own tasks: Petya needed to gain muscle mass, and I, on the contrary, needed to “dry out”: I was very large , I needed to improve my body in order to become leaner. For each, we developed a special training system for detailed development of the entire body. Before this, my figure was disproportionate: the top was very pumped up, and the bottom lagged behind. I just always paid attention only to the top, and never really pumped my legs: a large load on them can be harmful - your knees fly, for example, if you squat incorrectly. During training, we began to squat with a barbell - our trainer showed the correct exercises and controlled the process. We spent a lot of time on the abdominal muscles, especially the oblique muscles. I remember there was such an exercise: I lay down on a hemisphere, the trainer held my legs - and I had to stand up and hold my torso, starting from 30 seconds and then up to a minute. Great!

—Have they also developed a special diet for you?
Of course, there was an individual approach to everyone. We went to a nutritionist who carried out some tests, connected wires, measured something - the amount of water and various substances in the body. And then they began to accustom us to special food. In the morning, be sure to have oatmeal, during the day, buckwheat porridge with meat, preferably boiled meat. That is, we ate high-protein foods that help muscle fiber cells develop correctly. Additionally, we drank proteins that stimulate muscles to develop a little faster - not anabolic steroids, I emphasize. In general, everything was done to get us into the right shape.

— Did you like all these diets? After all, everything that is healthy is tasteless.
Well, you never know, it tastes bad. This was needed for the film. But sometimes I gave myself free rein and went to McDonald's - I like to go there sometimes, because, of course, it is impossible to sit on only healthy food all the time.

— Have you given up all your workouts and diets now?
There is simply no time to go to the gym and eat right. I’m trying to do something at home - push-ups, some basic things, plus at the institute there is quite a heavy load, we warm up there in pairs. But now I want to stretch myself a little, give freedom to my body, because the gym still “downloads”: after training you go out, and your body is so clogged, in hypertonicity. The sensations are cool, of course, but you still need to strive for harmony. In my opinion, gymnasts have the ideal body. Their muscle structure is developed harmoniously, and they are well stretched. It’s too late for me to think about this topic - but there is yoga, for example. I haven’t tried it yet, but many say that it helps a lot - not so much by raising your legs higher, but from the point of view of internal balance and harmony: through physical sensations you turn to yourself and can regulate your internal state.

—Did these trainings—and your film work in general—benefit you at the institute?
Not yet - I don’t take part in plays, I’m still a junior. We have now submitted different “images”. I need to look for something new, I can’t always be a romantic character, so I had the image of this particular male cop with one twist. It was interesting to try what it is - I really got a kick out of this work! Then, maybe, the “Island” skills will be useful for the classic image of the hero. I played the personification of honesty, impartiality, a person who is capable of challenging the entire planet. In modern society there are few people who could challenge circumstances. I believe that Maxim has those qualities that allow him to make decisions and not be afraid of the consequences. He commits rash actions, without weighing the pros and cons - but he has a good intention, the goal is to save people, help them gain freedom. I think it's great. But we, of course, live in a different coordinate system. It’s difficult for us to even defend our point of view.

-Have you ever had to defend your position like this?
Certainly. Life makes it clear: in order to set the rules of the game, you must have wisdom and experience that would allow you to do this.

- Your session is over, the holidays are coming in February - how do you rest and relax?
Differently. I can come to my friends, sit in the kitchen, chat, have a drink. There is no proper rest yet - and perhaps it is not needed at all. It seems to me that there is no need to rest just yet. Now we need to work more on ourselves, get an education.

— What do you like more: reading books or watching movies?
Now - watch a movie. Because I don’t like to read randomly, for me it’s a waste of time, you miss a lot of important things. And in order not to re-read it several times, you need to read carefully and for a long time, emphasizing some things for yourself. And now I just don’t have time for this.

— In one interview you said that you were fond of esoteric literature.
It was so. I’m interested in reading about something that has some kind of mystery, an unknown side, a slightly different world. This does not mean that I am directly a fan of esotericism - there was simply a period when I was interested in it. I was interested in the perception of oneself, of God - there these things are presented from a completely different position than the one offered by religious canons. I believe in God, I was baptized as a child, but it seems to me that esotericism is a more realistic position, or something. It gives you the opportunity to make some kind of choice, so that you can decide for yourself how to express your attitude towards God, and not live according to rules imposed by someone.

—In another interview, you said that you baked buns as a child. Do you like to cook?
I just wanted to try it - I was 11 years old, I don’t remember exactly. These weren’t even buns, but “brushwood”—the girls taught me in the village when I lived with my grandmother. I loved these sweet things - in general I love to eat delicious food. I kneaded the dough myself according to some recipe. This hobby has appeared - why not? Then it passed.

— What other hobbies did you have that were unconventional for a boy in childhood?
No, nothing like that happened. I climbed on roofs, through all sorts of garbage dumps, burned slate with the boys, walked through the forest, made explosive packages. I was such a hooligan as a child.

— Did you fight a lot?
There have been cases. He was a bully.

— Did you beat girls?
Didn't hit me. He pulled their pigtails, looked under their skirts - everything was as it should be.

— What is your most vivid childhood memory?
I was 8-10 years old, and the guys and I in the village went fishing 5-6 km away. It so happened that we returned late and walked past the cemetery. For me it was a very strong impression - it seemed that something like this was going to happen, that someone would come out and grab us. It was such a mystical fear! Can't compare with anything until now. There were no people my age in the village, and I had to communicate with older guys - so they instilled even more fear: all these stories about the Red Hand, the Black Sheet are creepy!

And now what is Vasily Stepanov most afraid of?
The end of the world!

- Come on! Is there anything simpler? Stage fright or something else?
Well, I'm afraid of hot water! And there are also closed spaces - so narrow, narrow!

— You liked Bruce Lee as a child. Do you remember what was the first movie you saw with him?
"Fist of fury". Then there was nothing else - only such action films and nothing more. This probably helped me decide on my sports future. I did a little judo, went to the gym when I was 15, then did karate, then volleyball, because I was taller - but I didn’t really like volleyball. And I played basketball - they made hoops in our yard. I went to the horizontal bars - they were also not far away. In general, I grew up in the yard - in the evenings I would get together with the girls and guys and go for walks.

-You told me that you like to listen to girls and listen to what they say.
Well, not that I listen - I just had a period, before I was twenty, when relationships mainly developed with girls older than me. I found it more interesting with them.

- And now it works out with younger girls?
Now the situation is a little different. A lot of time is spent studying, so any romantic stories are, of course, rare. We at the institute sometimes even stay overnight after rehearsals.

— If we talk about sports and girls, many torture themselves with diets, suffer in the gym, and count calories. Does it matter to you that the girl looks like a picture?
You want to see a girl beautiful - and I am no exception to the rule. If a person takes care of himself, it means he has order in his head. I won’t say that I love ugly, small, plump people - this is a complete lie.

- Well, would you stand being with a girl if she kept saying: no, no, I can’t do that, I don’t eat after six?
What difference does it make to me! If she wants to go on a diet - let her do it, if she doesn’t want to - don’t, why should I think about it. If she suits me, then I don’t care whether she adds or loses a kilogram. Should I measure it, put it on the scales? No, I can give a hint - like, listen, you’re not okay here, it seems to me that you need to work out, but I won’t force you. In general, you need to have a healthy attitude towards everything, not just your health. If you don’t eat and don’t sleep, you work out like crazy - this is nonsense. You need to listen to your body - and not stupidly adhere to the rules.

Olga Belik
Magazine "Healthy People"

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