From “Big Change” to “Spiderman”: how Ilya Baskin became his in Hollywood

Ilya Baskin. Photo: Irina Khozyainova

For some reason, the first thing that caught my eye when I parked at the house of actor Ilya Baskin was a mailbox. The same one that appears so often in American cinema and is associated with a green lawn, a swimming pool, smiling neighbors and, of course, the house itself - cozy, large, tastefully furnished - a symbol of success and the American dream come true. In this sense, the actor's house fits perfectly into a row of other houses in one of the quiet areas of Los Angeles.

The difference is already felt inside, thanks to the host and outstanding hospitality. Our conversation does not begin until the coffee is prepared and the table covered with sweets.

Ilya Baskin is one of those actors whose face “gives it away”. Even without knowing the name, many probably remember the face of the curly-haired student from “Big Break,” Mr. Ditkovich from the “Spider-Man” blockbuster series, and the failed defector clown Cherkasov from the film “Moscow on the Hudson.” In addition, Baskin worked in the films “The Presidential Plane”, “The Name of the Rose”, “2010: A Space Odyssey”, in the TV series “Deadly Force”, “MacGyver”, “Castle” and many others.

Baskin was born in 1950 in Riga. In Moscow, he graduated from the conversation department of the variety and circus school, worked in the theater, acted in films, and was awarded as the best young actor at the Moscow Comedy Theater. But, despite the bright start on the Soviet screen, in 1976 the actor decided to leave for the USA. To do this, I had to “buy” myself from the state: for my right to leave I had to pay 700 rubles - an amount equal to an actor’s salary for several months. Thus, those leaving renounced Soviet citizenship and the opportunity to return.

Still from the film “Big Change” (dir. Alexey Korenev)

What are your expectations and hopes regarding the acting profession going to Hollywood?

I didn't go to become De Niro. I just wanted to leave. I was very disgusted with life in the USSR, where you cannot be yourself. You must think correctly, behave in a certain way, must be loyal to the authorities. Back in Moscow, I was friends with Savely Kramarov: this man was such a star then that you couldn’t go anywhere with him, everyone pushed him around and pestered him. But even he was so dependent on them that, for example, when he came to the store, he was forced to almost organize a concert for the director in order to get some scarce products. It was so humiliating and disgusting that when I found out about the opportunity to leave, I left. I was afraid that there might not be such an opportunity again. I drove and hoped that maybe something would work out, but I wasn’t sure.

So you were ready for the fact that you may have to part with the profession of an actor?

Yes. In addition, during the transit, everyone said to me: “Forget it,” “immediately change your profession,” “the actors have such a competition.” But you listen, you listen, but you still hope and know that you will try anyway.

For the next seven years, the young actor “tried”: he learned the language, went to castings, and acted in small episodes. Adding to the difficulties was the emphasis that limited the choice of roles. For a long time, in order to support myself, I had to earn extra money wherever I could: washing dishes in a restaurant, selling insurance, and even publishing a newspaper.

How did you manage not to be disappointed, not to quit trying?

There were moments. I then had a newspaper, I thought at all to break with my agent and leave. And he tore it up. And then I realized that I couldn’t live without it. I can’t - that’s all. Came back to the agent and said “let’s try again.” And it all began.

It began in 1984, thanks to Paul Mazursky’s film “Moscow on the Hudson.” Baskin plays the clown Anatoly, an ardent opponent of Soviet power who dreams of escaping to the West. Ironically, his colleague runs away instead of him during the troupe’s tour - saxophonist Vladimir (Robin Williams). Further, the picture tells about the fate of Vladimir, about how the hero adapts and tries to find his place in capitalist America.

Still from the film “Moscow on the Hudson” (dir. Paul Mazursky)

How did this role come about?

Accidentally. The character was originally written differently, and they wanted to cast Alexander Godunov, a dancer, for the role - he was a defector (defector - Author). But Godunov didn’t want to, since the role was not the main one. When I met with Mazursky, he offered to make my hero a clown, showed him several of his tricks. He laughed - and so it went, we completely remade this character.

This picture is very dear to me. Mazury is an amazing director, Robin is wonderful. We filmed in different places: in Munich, New York, and there were always wonderful people and atmosphere around. It was a celebration of life.

Saveliy Kramarov, who had also moved to the USA, also participated in the film. Friends of coincidence met in the picture, which for both was decisive. For Ilya Baskin, this role served as a stepping stone to a full-fledged acting career. After the success of “Moscow”, he finally was able to abandon additional work and live solely through filming.

In general, in the actor's fate a lot depends on the circumstances. If Mazursky didn’t shoot Moscow on the Hudson at that moment, Perhaps today I would still be running around on some small roller skates. But that’s how the circumstances turned out, and that’s it. They started inviting me a lot, I got a very serious agent.

The next big picture was 2010 Space Odyssey and the role of astronaut Brailovsky. After her, Baskin began to be invited to all sorts of talk shows: among others, he was with Johnny Carson, David Letterman. Awareness came too: the actor was stopped on the streets.

Still from the film “2010: A Space Odyssey” (dir. Peter Hyams)

How did people react to you? Asked for an autograph?

They came up and said some words, some asked for an autograph, some didn’t. Mostly these were very enjoyable moments and I won't lie - I really enjoyed it.

Later there were roles in such large Hollywood projects as “President’s Plane”, “Austin Powers - International Man of Mystery”, “Spider-Man”, “Transformers” and others. During his career, Baskin participated in filming of various sizes and had the opportunity to see the work of the mechanisms of the “Dream Factory” from the inside.

It's no secret that Hollywood is a system aimed primarily at making money. Does the actor manage to realize his creative potential?

Yes, Hollywood is a business. If you're lucky and you come across an interesting director, you end up in an interesting project. But basically what we're doing is fooling around. We change clothes, we are put on makeup, we become different people. Of course, if the project If I’m not satisfied with ethical reasons, then I won’t be involved in it, but in principle, I have much fewer truly interesting paintings than any nonsense. And there is more nonsense, because they pay for it, and then in any case you do what you love. Actors are performers, after all. It’s pure pleasure for us to transform into other people.

Is it possible to improvise and compose on the set? Or is everything clear and according to plan?

Again, it depends on the director. For example, everything you saw in Spider-Man 2 and 3 I improvised; none of it was in the script. I came up with this little image with my daughter (Ursula, Mr. Ditkovich’s daughter - approx.), and it was completely abandoned. And sometimes it happens the other way around. I remember at the beginning of my career, when I still didn’t understand how it worked, there was this film “Being There” with a bunch of stars, with Peter Sailers, Shirley MacLaine. I started coming up with all sorts of things on the set. Everyone laughed, everyone liked it, everyone filmed it. But then it all ended up in the trash. Then the same lesson was taught to me by the wonderful actor Jamie Farr from the “MESH” series. We played the scene together, and I also began to invent. And he says: "You understand that nothing of this will be in the film." I ask: “Why? This is ridiculous! ” He replies: "Yes, it's funny, but it has nothing to do with history."

Frame from the movie "Spiderman 2" (dir. Sam Raimi)

Colleagues of the “stars” during his career, Ilya met quite a bit, with some he still maintains friendly relations, and speaks of one with particular warmth.

I had a special human relationship with Robin (Williams - author). We communicated quite closely. Except for his last 4 years, when he was already very sick.

Who of the stars with whom I had to work, made a big impression?

Each in its own way. I really liked Sean Connery as a very kind-hearted, simple person. But, basically, he made an impression, of course, because of its magnitude.

I am friends with Richard Dreyfuss (winner of “Oscar”, “Jaws”, “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” - Author) - also a simple, warm person.

What is, in your understanding, “successful actor”?

Someone who can do what he loves and feed himself with it. If fame, success and big money come, that's a bonus. But I always wanted to just do my job well. It didn’t always work out, but when it did, it was a great pleasure. I’ve never had this problem: “he has a bigger house, I want the same one.”

And “he has a bigger role, I want the same”?

That was it.

And How?

Well, you never know what I want. I realized that I did not get it, but that. I was glad and that.

And it got not so little: the complete filmography of Baskin has more than 90 roles in movies and on television. The actor and now continues to be removed. Roles are often offered with one call, without the need for casting.

Ilya, you have been working in Hollywood for about 40 years, has your perception of it changed over the years?

Hollywood has changed. He became more corporate. When i came here and I got to my first studio, Twentieth Century Fox, and I had the feeling that I was at Mosfilm. There was a more family-like atmosphere. Back then, the studios were owned by people who loved this business and put their souls into it. And today they are owned by huge corporations, which are interested in one thing - profit (profit - Author). That's why it's mostly these terrible comics now. Because it is guaranteed to bring profit. Why take the risk? He has a salary of several million a year, he is a studio director, and if he makes something that doesn’t make money, he will be thrown out immediately. And then - these people grew up mainly on television and video games, they simply don’t know anything else.

Yes, it's sad.

Sadly But, on the other hand, there is a whole army of people in Hollywood who read everything that goes into literature. Even the most insignificant. Looking for what to cling to to make a movie. That is, the process still goes on, and along with the garbage, absolutely beautiful, humane pictures suddenly appear on the screen.

Is it true that Russian and Soviet actors more often play “bad guys”, bandits?

Yes, such roles are, in principle, the most, nowhere to go from this. Often call and offer "mafia boss", the killer there is some gangster. But I have a lot of other roles, the bad ones are definitely smaller than the good ones. My face just is not villainous. And that's bad. (Smiles).

In general, I was probably lucky: I managed to get rid of “Russianness”. I played the Germans, the Dutch, the Romanians, the Bulgarians, even the Irish played the French director Jean-Jacques Annaud.

Jean-Jacques Anno shot the picture “The Name of the Rose” based on the novel of the same name by Umberto Eco. Ilya Baskin plays monastryr herbalist Severin, and Sean Connery as William of Baskerville. Baskin considers this painting one of his most interesting works.

Still from the film “The Name of the Rose” (dir. Jean Jacques Annaud)

Ilya, you make an amazing impression of a person in full harmony with the world and yourself. What's the secret?

There is such an old Jewish saying: “It could have been much better. But it could have been much worse. So thank God. ” (Smiles).

That is, the risk paid off?

Yes, I think so. I am very pleased that I made this choice. I don’t have any negative feelings towards Russia, but then I had a lot of them towards the USSR. And since my main life was spent here, this is my home - my friends are here, everything is mine. When I come to Russia now, I come to visit. And, as they say, “it’s good to be away, but at home...”.

And home is better.

See also:

Lady with a dog. How ex-Kharkiv wore dogs of all Hollywood stars

Our Beverly Hills: a doctor with Soviet roots about his clients Michael Jackson and Mile Jovovich

Our people in Hollywood: how to break through the actress

As a former Muscovite became one of the best cartoonists in the USA

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