Vlad Prokhorov: Age Gap, Filming, Childhood

You probably know 28-year-old actor Vlad Prokhorov for his role as Sergei Zhukov in the film «Hands Up!» (18+) or have seen him in the series «Univer. Young» (18+), where he played Fedya Sychev. Vlad«s childhood was spent in Perm; he was raised by his grandparents because his parents died. After school, Vlad moved to Moscow, but he still happily returns to his native Perm. This year, the actor became a star hero of the People»s Award 59.RU. Journalists from 59.RU met with him and asked him about filming, an unusual tattoo on his chest, and what brings him together with his beloved, who is 21 years older than him.

Grew Up in Motovilikha

Vlad«s childhood was spent in working-class Motovilikha (a district of Perm. — Editor»s note). He lost his parents early, and he was raised by his grandparents, who worked in the Ministry of Emergency Situations (EMERCOM). The boy was passionate about music and attended music school, but never went to theater. That did not stop him from enrolling in several capital universities, winning over the admissions committee at each one.

Vlad started working early and took on any side job: as a camp counselor, and as an assembler of car seat covers at a factory. And when he was finishing university in Moscow, he got a job at a funeral home.

«I worked there not even for the money, but to observe and uncover some stories,» the actor said. «Funerals — that«s a separate world, rituals.»

«The First Thing I Did After the Airport Was Go Home to My Grandparents»

This time we asked Vlad about filming in the new series «Red Shambhala» (18+), where he plays the lead role, his childhood without parents, his life values, and the chemistry in his relationship with his beloved, who is 21 years older than him.

— Vlad, you are originally from Motovilikha, where your grandparents live. Will you have time to visit them?

— The first thing I did after the airport was go home to my grandparents, dropped off my suitcase, and came to the People«s Award. For that reason, I»m not taking anything from the buffet: my grandmother made my favorite crab salad, fed me okroshka (cold soup) with meat and mashed potatoes with chicken. With such juicy chicken... After the event, I«ll go home, and tomorrow — to Moscow for a shoot.

— And what are you currently filming?

— We«re filming a teaser. It»s not clear yet whether this story will continue or not, so I won«t name it. I»m also filming in the series «Red Shambhala» (18+). This is a big serious project — not a typical detective story, but something post-futuristic, fantastical, connected to the theory of an underworld.

My character does boxing, he«s athletic, I perform all the stunts myself. There are a lot of dramatic scenes that I haven»t been given to play before. There are also serious moments that I discovered in myself. I thought, how will I do this, how will I act? But it turns out my psyche can generate that. It was a revelation for me.

In the series «Red Shambhala» (18+) directed by Kirill Belevich, Vlad Prokhorov plays the lead role — young investigator Klim Shumny, who gets an unusual case. Strange clues, coincidences, and people that defy the laws of science draw Klim into a story connected to a large-scale Soviet-era experiment. The deeper he delves into what is happening, the more obvious it becomes: this is a secret capable of changing the understanding of man and his potential.

On the Second Part of «Hands Up!» and a Mishap During Filming a Fairy Tale

— And in what films will we see you in the near future?

— I recently finished filming the second part of the film «Hands Up!» (18+). The movie will be richer and much more interesting than the first. The second part also has many dramatic heavy moments that I haven«t fully recovered from yet; it was hard to get into that.

— When will it be released?

— In the fall, as well as the series «Gudovy» (16+), filmed by the studio Russian Code, formerly known as Good Story Media, where Permians are involved. The series is very cool and could become a people«s hit.

Russian Code is a Russian production company founded in 2024. It was founded by former producers of Good Story Media: Artyom Loginov, Anton Zaitsev, and Anton Shchukin. They create popular series for TV channels and streaming services. The company produces comedies, dramas, and science fiction. The producers are known for hits like «Real Boys» (16+), «Fizruk (Phys Ed Teacher)» (18+), and «Peace! Friendship! Gum!» (18+).

And also a fairy tale «Enchanted» (6+) for the platform Kinopoisk will be released. There is a trend for fairy tales now.

— In the fairy tale, do you play Ivan?

— Yes, the characters are familiar from old fairy tales, but the script and story are new. We filmed in St. Petersburg, Peterhof, Vyborg, forests, and mountains. There was no signal for days, so to call home to my grandparents, I ran up a mountain. In one scene, I drove a vintage retro car — they said it was Nicholas II«s favorite car. They had probably replaced the engine or something, but it was impossible for it to start. You had to handle it gently. And so, while acting out the scene, I almost crashed into a tree — another couple of centimeters and I would have smashed that imperial car to bits. But I learned how to drive stick well. After that, I filmed another project with a manual transmission, it was «Patriot», and it was so easy. I just got in, drove — that»s it.

On the Tattoo and the Inner Child

— You became a famous actor. What do your childhood friends say when they meet you, and have they asked for autographs?

— I don«t have time to see them! So honestly, I don»t know. Mostly people just write kind words, messages.

— I noticed that you always respond to comments on social media. You communicate.

— I think that in our time, social media is a very necessary topic. I want to approach it more professionally.

— You recently turned 28. On social media, you said that you still feel like a child. Does this quality help you in acting or hinder you? And in life?

— I think that an actor must not lose spontaneity, emotionality, some childishness... When I was studying acting, I could curse, and they told me, «When you grow up, you«ll calm down.» I argued, «Then why did you become actors if you»ll end up like all the calm people?» How can you play anything if you have a strong, healthy emotional psyche and you can«t be brought to tears or anger? How will you express emotions? Being a child doesn»t mean being an idiot. It«s when you have an open perspective.

They say that men don«t cry and suppress their emotions. In fact, a man is a person who is not afraid to be himself. Of course, you shouldn»t whine, but showing any emotions, especially for an artist, is a must. But at the same time, you don«t have to be an idiot. I have acquaintances who behave like fools and say, «I»m preserving the child in me.» Going out, breaking glasses in a bar, and saying you«re such a cool kid — that»s something very strange.

On How Vlad Changed After the Death of His Parents

— In that same video, you admitted that your mother died at 28. Can you share with guys who also don«t have parents where to find the strength to live? Did psychologists help you?

— In Nizhny Novgorod, where we presented the film «Hands Up!», I met with orphaned children and told them the truth. I started with the words, «No one will help you in your life.» Immediately, there was dead silence. I regretted it and thought that dialogue wouldn«t work that way. But I wanted to continue sincerely telling the truth. So I said, «This pain will be with you your whole life, and you will never get rid of it. But that»s what makes you stronger. You have a quality that most people don«t have — they don»t know what it means to lose a loved one. You have a gift, and you need to use it to the fullest — whether in creativity, in ambitions. Provided, of course, you don«t make a bad choice. Because sometimes a person faces difficulty at sixteen and thinks, »I was unlucky in childhood, so why bother with this life at all. I«ll go party.» He loses himself completely as a person.

I believe that when people face the loss of parents, they instantly change their attitude toward life. They become aware of every moment; they have a concept of the value of life. Already at 10 years old, when my parents were gone, I thought that I wouldn«t be able to hand my children over to mom and dad, like many acquaintances do. Because my children won»t have grandparents to whom you can simply give the children and say, «Raise them, and I»ll live my own life.«

I more often meet people who love to smile not because they are idiots, but because they have gone through a certain experience in their lives, they are not afraid to show their emotions when meeting people who put on airs.

— Actress Valentina Mazunina once said that actors, immersing themselves in the lives of other people, become so emotionally drained that they exhaust themselves and risk going crazy. A psychologist helps her preserve herself; how do you deal with this? How do you recover?

— Probably for me it«s not a psychologist, but something else — sports, the gym, where I can release energy. Also, I force myself to take breaks and just think about nothing, or just stare at a point.

On the Chemistry with a Friend Who Is 21 Years Older Than Vlad

— If the next question seems inappropriate to you, you can skip it. In your interviews, you don«t hide that your beloved is your agent. She is 20 years older than you, but for both of you, it doesn»t matter. Are there any generational disputes?

— We actually have a 21-year age difference. It turns out that Natasha is one year older than my mother. The only thing that bothers us is that we are both very temperamental and don«t give in to each other during arguments. And, like probably any loving couple, we experience some moments of jealousy.

Natalya Gneusheva is a producer, director of acting agencies, author and host of the podcast «Take Me to the Movies» (16+). She graduated from the acting department of the Yekaterinburg Theater Institute, performed in theaters in Severodvinsk and Omsk. She also acted in film as an episodic actress — in the series «Glukhar» (18+), «The Bloodhound» (18+), «The Nurse» (18+), and others. She is raising two sons.

— How did your relationship start? Was she your agent first or your beloved?

— First an agent, we started working, and then we fell in love.

— How is your relationship with Natasha«s children? Is there understanding?

— We have a great relationship. Kolya is 21, Andrey is 17, and we get along. They wait for me from set, and we can sit for hours talking about life.