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Anna LegchilovaActress
Country:
 Belarus |
Content:
- Biography of Anna Legchilova
- Childhood and Youth
- Acting Career
- Director
- Personal Life
- Lifestyle
- Current Activities
Biography of Anna Legchilova
Russian actress Anna Aleksandrovna Legchilova is a Belarusian and Russian actress and director who constantly delights fans with new film works. The artist's filmography consists mainly of supporting roles, but her characters are memorable and touch the hearts of the audience.
Childhood and Youth
Anna Legchilova's biography began in the Byelorussian SSR, with her date of birth being December 22, 1969. Her childhood and early youth were spent in Minsk, but it cannot be said that she is Belarusian by nationality: her maternal relatives are Polish. Anna and her brother Pavel were baptized by their grandmother in a Catholic church, and she read them poems almost from infancy. The girl had a difficult, free-spirited character. She would fight with boys at school in defense of justice and received reprimands from teachers for her behavior. At home, she loved to draw and read at night. However, waking up in the morning and sitting in class was difficult for her, but she was a good student. She first encountered cinema in first grade when she watched the comedy "Le Magnifique" with Jean-Paul Belmondo, and in fourth grade, she wrote in a questionnaire that she would become an actress. After school, she unsuccessfully tried to enter Moscow theater schools. Returning to her homeland after another failure, Anna graduated from a local theater studio, then performed in a House of Culture and worked in television and radio.
Acting Career
Legchilova made her debut in minor roles in films in her homeland. These were episodes in the films "Epilogue" and "Brunette for 30 Kopecks." They did not bring her success or recognition, but they marked the beginning of her filmography and provided invaluable experience in front of the camera. The situation changed in 1998 when the melodrama "Crossroads" directed by Dmitry Astrakhan was released. The actress transformed into the main character, schoolteacher Elena Morozova. The film was emotional and captivated the audience. Legchilova began to be recognized, and she gained fans. Anna then appeared in several more films by Astrakhan. The project "Alchemists" became memorable—a science fiction film with elements of comedy based on the play "The Alchemist" by English writer Ben Jonson.
After that, Anna was invited to the series "Long Haul Truckers," where she appeared in the eighth episode as waitress Zinaida. In 2002, the TV show received the Golden Eagle Award for Best Miniseries. Later, Legchilova appeared in the melodrama "Two Destinies" as a dormitory supervisor. Since the project had a limited budget, several episodes had to be filmed in the actress's parents' apartment. Due to the large number of episodes, the project was referred to in the media as the "Russian Santa Barbara."
Over time, the native of Minsk worked on the set of the drama "Moscow Saga" based on the trilogy by Vasily Aksenov. It is noteworthy that the literary work ends in the year of Joseph Stalin's death, but the filmmakers went further and showed the period after the exposure of the cult of personality.
Anna later appeared before the audience in the war drama "Diversant: The End of the War." The multi-part film was based on the novel "Diversant" by Anatoly Azolsky. In 2008, the project received the Golden Eagle Award in the category of Best TV Film or Miniseries (up to 10 episodes).
In 2016, the actress appeared in the drama film "Principle of Retaliation." It is a complex author's film, the premiere of which took place at the Bridge of Arts Film Festival in Rostov-on-Don. The main theme of the film is the lack of parental love, as well as the misunderstanding between generations and the principle of "an eye for an eye."
A year later, the popular actress received a supporting role, but in an interesting project. Anna Legchilova and Dmitry Astrakhan portrayed a married couple in the romantic comedy "Civil Marriage." The sitcom was produced by one of Russia's largest film companies, Good Story Media.
Anna then participated in the filming of the TV show "Detectives by Anna Malysheva" in the episode "Tristan's Altar" based on the book of the same name by Anna Malysheva. The film is part of a detective series about the artist-restorer Sasha (Elena Velikanova), who helps investigators catch criminals.
In the comedy "Diplomat," the screen star transformed into a devoted wife of a diplomatic service employee. Russian actors sometimes had to speak in foreign languages in the film. For example, Alexander Lazarev Jr. spoke in English, German, Spanish, and learned a few phrases in Chinese dialect.
In 2019, the Ukrainian channel "Inter" presented the series "On Different Shores." Legchilova played the stepmother of the main character, Tatiana Lutaeva, and before the premiere, she revealed that as a fan of the show "Fargo," she discussed the work with Dmitry Shevchenko. They decided that their characters would resemble characters from Noah Hawley's dark tragicomedy.
Simultaneously, she appeared in the thriller "Whirlpool" about the relationship between the owner of a yacht club and his press secretary. The film was first shown to Ukrainian audiences in early 2020. Legchilova admitted that she was attracted to her character's ambiguity:
"My character is impulsive, a strong personality who knows what she wants. At first glance, Marina is a negative character, but in reality, her role is very complex and deep. I am glad that our series will be seen by viewers on the channel 'Russia' because the story is really interesting, the characters are contradictory, and the intrigue continues until the very last episode."
Director
In her youth, Legchilova believed that an actor and director in one person was wrong because a director cannot see himself objectively. However, her perspective changed when she began directing herself.
At the age of 30, when few people dare to sit in a student's seat, Anna enrolled in the Higher Courses for Scriptwriters and Directors with Vladimir Hotinenko. The artist admitted that she did not want to lower the bar set by her mentor, so she does not shoot long-lasting "soap operas" that the audience consumes regardless of their quality:
"Many problems arise from blatantly bad scripts. If the drama is poorly written, neither the director nor the actors can save it. I also have complaints about the themes—people shoot the same things. This applies to cinema as well. And since this touches on ideological issues, we can talk about obvious omissions in the state's policies."
Anna made her directorial debut in 1999 with a short film called "Pawn." Four years later, she presented the audience with the detective four-part film "Taste of Murder." The miniseries is based on the novel of the same name by Anna Malysheva.
She was offered to shoot the psychological thriller "Obsession" by Dmitry Lesnevsky, the general producer of the "REN TV" channel, who commissioned "Taste of Murder." Legchilova was drawn to the "simple yet interesting, purely feminine story" and the life's ending.
She then directed the eight-part romantic comedy "Hen Party," in which the actress portrayed young girls gradually transforming into determined women. The director of the project stated that "it is important for her to show the ironic attitude of the heroines towards themselves and the world around them, which is not always fair to them."
In 2021, the premiere of the TV show "Rook to F8" took place, and filming began in late July in Gelendzhik. In her ninth directorial project, the filmmaker invited Lyanka Gryu to play the main character.
Personal Life
Her husband is the only person whose opinion and criticism matter to the actress. Anna Legchilova built her personal life with her colleague Igor Bochkine. The artists met in 2000 on the stage of the Pushkin Theater as partners in the play "Night Travelers."
According to the script, the actor pushed his future lover onto a bed but miscalculated his strength. Anna fell and was severely bruised. Doctors diagnosed her with a concussion, tendon rupture, and a broken arm. The celebrity joked that Igor had no choice but to marry her.
Two years later, the colleagues officially became husband and wife. For the actor, it was his fourth marriage and, as the years have shown, the happiest one. He has a daughter, Alexandra, from his second marriage.
In her Instagram (a social network banned in Russia, owned by Meta corporation, which is recognized as extremist in Russia), Legchilova regularly shares news from the world of cinema and theater, posts various selfies, favorite landscapes, and boasts her fit figure in the yoga studio (her weight is 65 kg with a height of 167 cm).
A photo posted in 2019 attracted followers with a sensational comment: creative people became parents. Moreover, this happy event happened three years earlier. There were speculations as to why the actress kept the birth of her son Ivan a secret. One theory was that at the age of 46, she did not give birth to a child herself but used a surrogate mother, while another theory suggested that they adopted the boy. The couple chose not to explain anything.
On November 23, 2022, the actress posted on social media to congratulate her partner on their porcelain wedding anniversary—twenty years of married life.
Lifestyle
The celebrity admitted that she belongs to the category of women who constantly monitor their weight. Once, for a role, she had to gain 5 kg. She managed to achieve this goal without much effort. She was more concerned about how to lose weight.
The actress prefers fish and tries to avoid eating meat. Her diet also includes cheese, green tea, fresh juices, and salads. She never eats what is served on the set and has cut out sweets from her diet.
In the director's chair, the diva does not pay attention to her appearance, but as an actress, Anna is willing to go on a diet when necessary. She is not ready for plastic surgery because she believes that "it is more pleasant to see a beautiful person who looks their age than an artificial face."
Legchilova spends her weekends and free time at home reading or watching television. She also tells her son Ivan a fairy tale while glancing at her phone. Alternatively, she relaxes by the sea, sailing far away from the shore, where she feels a sense of freedom.
The couple does not like to attend festivals and social events, only going when their films are part of the program. Anna said that she feels very comfortable next to Igor Bochkine. But when work arises, she immerses herself in it completely, forgetting about food and rest.
Current Activities
The actress is currently continuing to expand her filmography with new film projects. In 2022, the filming of the second season of the TV show "Diplomat" began, in which the actress returned to her character. According to preliminary information, the release of the new episodes is planned for mid to late 2023.
