"I am an actor. My elder brother played a great role in my life. Happily, it was he who became my first mentor, literature tutor, educator and friend. A composer and well-read person, he opened in front of me the Book of Life. Love. Sadness. A rejected feeling, belief in oneself and loneliness are the first things which a small man comes across. For all that I’m obliged only to him. My father taught me everything a man should do. And all the warmth of my life is my mother and daughter. My mom is still with me. She’s 86 years old. And this is my “small circle”.

I consider a brilliant Sverdlovsk ballet dancer Margarita Akatova and Arkady Raykin to be my godparents.

Two theatres played a key role in my artistic life. It’s “Formal Theatre” of Andrey Moguchy and "TEATR NOVOGO FRONTA" in Prague of Alesh Yanak and Irina Andreeva. These are two special organisms, where an actor’s personality gets tempering of the purest tint courage and absolute artistic commitment. If you want, it’s knightly service to THEATRE in its avatar.

I never built a career, though made some awkward attempts to do it in my tender years. Then fate surprised me “here and now”.  It was when I entered Mikhailovsky Theatre and Nikolay Boyarchikov, a most talented Petersburg choreographer, presented me parts in two ballets, “Little Prince” and “Marriage”. Then came Slava Polunin and " SNOW SHOW". That’s how Dance and Plastic Art gradually shaped my life.

In 2008 fate brought together me and Alexey Balabanov and presented me a role in “Morphine” motion picture. An artist of big talent, he taught me how to work really hard and opened GREAT CINEMA to me.

Autumn of 2010. The State Pushkin’s Theatre Centre in St Petersburg. “Hamlet” staged by an outstanding St Petersburg actor and stage manager, famous Pushkin scholar, poet and novelist Vladimir Retsepter. Plastic art director is a talented young choreographer and theatre teacher Alexandra Tikhomirova. – A gift of fate! I saw the birth of the most important play in the world repertoire. In front of my very eyes real life was born out of separate scenes. Words gained logics and sense and immediately took a finished and harmonious plastic form in an exact sign and symbol. Two really beautiful persons, a stage manager and a choreographer, created THEATRE there and then!

And the last thing. For the whole of my life the mother of my daughter Faina Kostina was my guardian angel. An actress of a rare talent, she always supported me in everything during all my life!"