10 Russian actors under 40 you should know (PHOTOS)
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Loading... - Jake Martin
- 17 Jan 2022
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10. Irina Starshenbaum, 29
Irina is a natural actress. She relies on her instincts, intuition and emotional intelligence.
Starshenbaum always plays it by ear, she never studied acting professionally and is not afraid of experimenting on set. She is in her element playing various roles in wildly different genres, be it a comedy or a period drama or a sci-fi blockbuster like Fyodor Bondarchuk’s ‘Attraction’ (2017). Her breakthrough came in Kirill Serebrennikov’s drama ‘Leto’ (2018) about iconic rock musician Viktor Tsoi. Filmed in black-and-white and filled with lots of music, it follows the story of three carefree lovers - Viktor, Mike and his wife Natasha (portrayed by Irina Starshenbaum) - during one summer in the early 1980s in Leningrad. ‘Leto’ is also about the birth of the underground rock scene in the Soviet Union, about friendship and freedom. Irina, with her charming smile, is one to watch. She was even more stunning when the Russian star walked the red carpet at the Cannes Film Festival.
Her latest notable role is in Roman Vasyanov’s drama ‘The Dorm’ (2021), set in 1984 in the Soviet Union.
9. Alexandra Bortich, 27
Bortich is a triple threat: She is blond, blue-eyed and beautiful. Before breaking into filmmaking, Bortich worked as a waitress in a bar and auditioned for various TV shows.
She is ready to go to extremes to look convincing on screen. When she played the lead in the sports comedy ‘I Am Losing Weight’ (2018), Alexandra had to gain 20 kg! After all, she had a good role model – Renee Zellweger, who had to gain 15 kilos for her role in ‘Bridget Jones’s Diary’ (2001). Bortich, with her sweet angelic looks, can pep up any movie.
Charming and charismatic, she did a great job in a supporting role in ‘House Arrest’ (2021), directed by Aleksei German Jr. The actress, who played opposite Merab Nindze, became a ray of light in the realm of darkness of the dense social drama.
8. Aleksandr Petrov, 32
Between 2012 and 2020, the indefatigable actor was in every movie and TV series you can think of, from the war drama ‘T-34’ (2018) to ‘Gogol.
The Beginning’ (2017), a period piece in which Petrov portrays the iconic Russian writer. He’s appeared in musical comedies, sci-fi adventures and melodramas, but it’s his role in the grotesque TV show ‘Call DiCaprio!’ (2018) directed by Zhora Kryzhovnikov that fully revealed Petrov’s natural talent and a passion for cinema.
Petrov brought an emotionally engaging performance to the ‘Text’ (2019), a crime drama based on Dmitry Glukhovsky’s bestselling novel. Last but not least, Petrov has a serious background in drama theater. Read More…
