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I'm not a comedian, I'm an actor! Arseny Popov - about choice, theater and “Improvisation. Deigns to joke: Arseny Popov from the show “Improvisation” about working in a nightclub, love for theater and meeting Pavel Volya

Arseny is one of four participants in the “Improvisation” show. If you have never seen him, be sure to watch how funny guys joke on the go under the professional supervision of Pavel Volya. For example, at their concert at Vegas City Hall on September 16th. And in preparation for watching, find out something about this show from an interview with Arseny Popov.

Arseny, first of all, tell us when you began to feel this in yourself? Do you mean the craving for improvisation?

A very unexpected question. I remember the moment when I liked improvisation. About 6-7 years ago, I came to my friend’s performance, saw how he and several other people created a performance right in front of the audience and thought: “Oh, cool, I want the same.” However, his colleagues in the shop were not inspired by the idea of ​​​​taking me in, so for a year I went to them, waited for them after performances, and whined. Well, just in case, I watched the rehearsals, if they still give me a chance to try. They say that if you hit one point for a long time, something will happen. So I hit her in different ways. Of course, I didn’t have to threaten the guys, but I tried everything else. But as for the craving for improvisation... Answering this question is as difficult as saying when I felt the craving for walking on the street. I just started walking, learned and realized that I couldn’t live without it.

By profession you are a drama actor. Don’t you sometimes want to stop putting on a comedy and go play Hamlet, for example?

The desire to play Hamlet stems from the repertoire. Any actor sooner or later understands what his role is, develops in it, reaches certain heights, and then thinks about trying on another image that is unusual for him. And most often the limit of his dreams is Hamlet - a serious, deep and truly vital role. And although after university I managed to work in the theater, I did not go through the path of “searching, improving and changing roles,” so so far I have not had the desire to play Hamlet.

But I think that someday I will find myself in a movie, and most likely a bad one. Surely, after this bad movie there will be a hundred more equally bad films in which I will act disgustingly. Eventually, I will be called into something worthwhile, and after that I will say: “Yes, now I’m ready for Hamlet!” But by that time, only his father’s shadow would suit me in age.

You took part in plays, played episodic roles in TV series, and acted in a comedy show. Which of these genres do you dream of overwhelming success in?

I’m not sure that I will act in plays, but I want to get into films. I think a lot of people in television understand that starring in a comedy series is not that difficult. As for serious cinema, we still need to grow up to it, but we have to start somewhere. In general, to be honest, I am interested in all genres. However, it is unlikely that directors see me as a characteristic or social character. Although I once participated in a casting for the role of a drug addict. And after me, a friend passed by - my complete external opposite. So in a movie it’s not important if there was a person.


Would you like to star in a superhero film? We're not talking about The Defenders, of course.

Of course! Let's be honest: even if they called me to The Defenders after the film had already been released and said: “We want to remake it. We’ll film it the same way, maybe a little worse” - I would go. All actors at the beginning of their career think: we want to act only in serious and authorial films! But, you know, there is this joke: “Now I’m 40 years old, and I stupidly want money.” Now I understand that I just need to do something.

But isn’t it more pleasant to do what you like?

Of course, that’s why I became an actor and became a participant in the “Improvisation” show on TNT. After school, I first entered the economics institute to please my parents. And when I entered the acting school, I began to do what I liked.

Answer honestly: Is the entire Improv show really improvised during filming? There are no rehearsals, no script, no “airbag” in the end?

Answering this question for the hundredth time, I’m afraid to joke about it. I feel as soon as I do this, my phrase will be snatched out of context, and some angry 12-year-old boy will shout: “I knew it!” What if later he can write about it with talent, and all the viewers will say that we ruined their lives? But seriously, we shoot about 30 games a day. And for defects, for example, an unexpected blackout or the appearance of a worker in the frame, there are only one or two games. There are simply no such brilliant actors among us who could learn so much text!

Even if we theoretically assume that the show has a script... It seems to me that then all the Oscars in the world should be taken away from all the actors and given to us! What do we know? What games will be (but not their order), which stars will come to visit. For example, before Yegor Creed appeared, the film crew shouted all day: “Creed, Creed, Creed!” But we didn't know when exactly to expect it.

We always adapt to our guests. In our free time, we film games without their participation, and as soon as they arrive, we immediately switch and start playing with them. And finally, the last thing: Russian television is full of successful projects, where everything is thought out and spelled out in advance. So there is no point in competing with such monsters of humor as Martirosyan, Kharlamov, Volya or Batrutdinov.

To work in this genre you need to be confident in yourself - not to worry about what people will think of you. Is it innate to you or did you have to work on yourself?

This is a double-edged sword. Excessive confidence always flows into overconfidence, and only spoils everything - this is an extreme, and we will not consider it. As for me, I think this: of course, you need to be confident in what you are doing. We do not have the opportunity to re-shoot or re-invent the release. And even if we screw up, we try to do it with confidence. Maybe, by the way, that’s why the audience gets the feeling that all our lines are written in advance. But for us this is the best compliment: it means we really did a great job!

Confidence is always needed. And not just us. I can hardly imagine an actor or comedian who learned the text, went on stage and began to feel embarrassed. Why does the viewer need this if he can go outside and observe similar behavior there? Acting arrogance should always be there. But also acting insecurity. Before every appearance on stage, I experience jitters and excitement. I think if this ever stops, it will be time for me to end my career


Of course, you are brave - improvisation is much more difficult than reading prepared jokes by heart?

Yes, we have 8 steel eggs and guests in the program. In general, once on the set I said the phrase “I stopped worrying,” which quickly became popular among the people. Now the guys jokingly call me a young designer because after that I launched a series of T-shirts with hashtags in the form of quotes from the show. After all, there are a lot of reasons for excitement in life: a job interview, admission to university, exams. And then you put on this T-shirt, and everything becomes easy. This, of course, is not an invisibility cloak, but it’s very much like a talisman for confidence.

In life, probably, being able to improvise is one of the important qualities. Does it often help you out? For example, does it save you from fines?

Every person improvises in one way or another when faced with situations for which he was not prepared. The only thing is that we are still trying to joke. Well, due to the fact that we often improvise on stage, we try not to do this in ordinary life. Surely, we do not always tell the truth and often try to look better than we really are. But these qualities in us, as in any other person, arose long before the appearance of the program. So no one forgives us for violating road rules or treats us to sandwiches in a cafe...

What topics would you not joke about even for prime time?

In this case, nothing depends on me. They give us themes - we act them out. I try not to touch politics in any way, because I don’t understand it, or various nasty topics. Ideally, you don’t want to offend anyone with your words. After all, we are not making fun of the stars, we just want to play with them. So we get a kind and humorous “Saw”.


Are you thinking of taking a beautiful girl to your team, for example, Yulia Mikhailova? Look, your rating will beat even the talk show on “First”.

Let's not fantasize about this topic. A counter question arises - why do we need this? Celebrities come to visit us, among whom there are often girls. And they all have such beauty and energy that we can’t even hold a candle to them! As for humor, in my opinion, it would look stupid if one of the two female roles was played by a girl and the other by a guy. In the show, a lot is built on fantasy and our imagination. We pick up invisible objects, put on invisible clothes, and even turn into women. And there is an element of comedy in this. If a girl appears on the show, the result will be half-truths and absurdity. Plus, we understand that every girl wants to look good and doesn’t like to get into awkward situations. And if you remember about shockers and mousetraps... It will be necessary to sue those who force girls to take part in these improvisations!

And if we talk about purely female improvisation? For example, the Comedy Club show appeared first, and a few later - Comedy Woman. Is this a threat to “improvisation”?

We follow the development of the genre, the emergence of new teams, and it seems to me that a similar format already exists. But if you start fantasizing... Let's give the project another 6 years without girls. And then we'll see whether it's necessary or not. Maybe only representatives of the fair sex will start coming to visit us, or a girl will become the host. Let's see!

Do you also make jokes off stage? Or does what's on the show stay on the show?

I am the most serious person in the world! Although if you ask who can make me laugh, I will say that first of all it is myself. I just take the things that surround me seriously: I take responsibility, I “get involved” in the lives of other people. If someone has lost a sock, I immediately rush to look for it. And when I go on stage, I try to disconnect from everything and act out. After all, nothing depends on our decisions on stage: no one will lose their job, no one will lose a lot of blood. We are filming a program in which there is always a happy ending - and that’s great.


As an expert in this matter, tell us what jokes are on hype now? About what or who?

In general, I have a good attitude towards hype. If a person felt the situation and caught the wave, that’s cool. Alas, I don’t understand trends well, otherwise I would have created something a long time ago, and you would be asking me how it came to my mind. But I have a different message: you need to hype consciously. There are those who think: I’ll start insulting celebrities, treating other people’s feelings incorrectly, or mocking animals. They do not realize that all their actions go to the masses, and they must be held responsible for any action. Mindlessly hype is stupid. And stupidity should be fined or even punished (laughs).

And who is your example of good, conscious hype?

Good hype is the work of a professional. For example, Yuri Dud is a cool journalist whose hype is that he is great at interviewing people who were previously unattainable. Or Marina Fedunkiv, who decided to fuck Buzova (with all due respect to Olya). She caught the trend and decided to have fun with it. And Olga herself knows how to catch hype.

You don’t like to talk about your personal life, but we hope you can answer this question: does a sense of humor help you when communicating with the opposite sex?

At the beginning of communication, I am always cautious, but if I see that a person is on my wavelength, I open up. I can’t even remember a time when someone was sad with me (laughs). I still love the “game” when 2 people communicate behind glass, and I try to guess what they are talking about based on their emotions.

Almost like the game "Loud Talk"!

Yes, in which they never take me. At “technical” performances we don’t have a breakdown of roles: we all play everything. But during filming, we have a fifth improviser - Pavel Volya, who, for fun, can always take one actor into a specific game or say: “Anton, today you are playing the female role again!” After all, over time it becomes clear that, for example, Shastun is great at answering questions for the stars, and he also gets ridiculously angry when Seryozha is stupid and does not understand what he said in “Loud Conversation.” So if the pair works, why change anything?

For example, you always manage to quickly guess the guests of the “Party!”

Of course, I’m the smartest person (laughs). If I don’t do this, the whole program will turn into a solid party, where Dimka will say: “Maybe you’re an iron Pinocchio? Or the Frog Princess? Is it really not there again? There is a video circulating on the Internet where I guessed in a couple of seconds that Pavel Volya was portraying me. And this is the most striking example proving that we are all in the right place.

Photo/post Valentin Blokh vblokh.ru @flea_view

Style Dima Igorevich @dima_igrvch

Assist Anton Rozhin @rozhinanton

Grooming Olya Vasileva @olj_vasileva

Produced by Lyubov Russkikh @lubkus

Not everyone in our city knows that Arseny Popov, the actor of the popular show “Improvisation” on TNT, is a native Omsk, although he now lives in St. Petersburg. Correspondent website he spoke about difficult decisions, provincial opportunities, roles and his own brand.

Marina Knutareva, website: You first went to study economics, and then changed your mind and entered the state university to study acting. Why?

Arseny Popov: I became an economist because my parents wanted it, and I became an artist because I wanted it. And one day there comes a period in a person’s life when he understands that he does not depend on his parents, and he can do what he wants. In my case, I didn’t go to discos and football, but I went to do what I like.

- How did your career develop in Omsk, including the Lyceum Theater?

About my own work, I think I'm wonderful! I am one of those people who will not scold themselves. I really liked what I did, I liked the roles I got. Only positive reviews.

Before filming, producers encourage the stars to be real, but when the camera turns on, something happens to them.

You can't fry an egg without breaking the eggs.

- When did you decide to leave the city? What influenced this decision?

The story is as follows. There was such a theater “ChelovVEK”. His artists once moved to Omsk from Buryatia, and then decided to move to St. Petersburg and invited me with them. I was flattered, agreed and have no regrets. The decision to leave the Lyceum Theater was difficult. At this moment I was one of the leading actors, and, of course, I was letting down the director and my teacher Vadim Stanislavovich Reshetnikov. And I really set my colleagues up because I was involved in the repertoire - and it’s clear that they had to urgently cast someone in my roles. This was the hardest story for me. But I definitely understood: I need it! As they say, you can't fry an egg without breaking the eggs. This still weighs heavily on my heart, but it couldn’t have been any other way.

Improvisation is always a risk. Photo: TNT

- Are there not enough conditions in Omsk for the growth of a person in a creative profession?

There are conditions for the development of creativity everywhere, we traveled a lot around cities, and I see that in many, not only in St. Petersburg or Moscow, there are cool projects. Both television and Internet. It's a question of determination and opportunity. More human. If like-minded people had gathered together in Omsk, everything would have worked out for us. If people of the old school let us do what we want, what will be interesting to Omsk residents, and first of all to young people. Take Novosibirsk for comparison. This is the most progressive city of all our provinces. But one cannot even dare to call it provincial. You need a little support and luck. Everything is possible! I understand this now, after all this time. Now I am sure that the impossible is possible. Quote from Bilan. Don't you want to?!

- What should you prepare for when leaving your hometown?

You need to be prepared to lose friends. Moreover, you will rarely communicate with relatives and financially returning to Omsk will become problematic. You need to be prepared that no one is waiting for you anywhere and no one needs you anywhere. When you leave your hometown, you will receive minimal support, but you will need to work much more. If you are mentally prepared for this, then go for it! And of course, you need to understand why you need this.

I sat in practice at the bank and imagined my future life. It became so sad and boring that I left for St. Petersburg.

- How did you get on television? How did you start working at TNT?

We were engaged in improvisation long before producers from Comedy Club Production became interested in this project. Seryozha Matvienko and I studied improvisation for four years. The rest of the guys take longer. Everything new, everything developing on TNT is interesting. We watched it live and said it was very cool, let’s try it. And only after the start we realized that the project was interesting, because improvisation is always a risk. When the material is ready, rehearsed, you already go to filming with some element of guarantee, but we have a risk - something won’t work out, it won’t go well. And for producers there is always a risk, but it turned out to be justified. And after that our story began.

From a hero-lover to an intellectual and a St. Petersburger

- Are you easy to make laugh?

Yes, I am a very grateful viewer. I like a lot of things that are on television, I giggle at all sorts of jokes, sometimes even my own. By the way, I don’t call myself a comedian, this is about some other people. I'm an actor!

-What is your role?

It somehow stuck on its own. If in the theater I was given the roles of heroic lovers, given my appearance, which was suitable for the role of a lover, then in “Improvisation” I am considered a resident of St. Petersburg, an intellectual. If it’s about poetry, romance, the 19th century, this is for me. Of course, my upbringing plays a role, for which I am grateful to my parents, because I never thought that it would come back to haunt me like this. Although nothing about this bothers me, I am happy to play along with the guys in this. TNT suggests sharp, piquant jokes. Both the guys and Volya noticed this. I feel comfortable in this look.

- How do the stars that come to you manifest themselves? Is it difficult to work with them?

I wouldn’t use the word “work” to describe anything that happens to me. This is a pleasant pastime. If you can play with the stars, great. We never evaluate them, although someone may be “stupid”, and Pavel Volya will joke about it. We want them to have fun and leave with a smile. Before filming, producers encourage the stars to be real, but when the camera turns on, something happens to them. We are trying to get them out of this state. All 100% of participants leave us with a smile and say that they liked it.

I am one of those people who will not scold myself.

There are almost no haters left

- Are you doing anything else? Do you have any hobbies?

I'm a passionate person. Today I’m trying to get into a lot of things, but now they call me a young designer, I really like the fashion and beauty industry, I have my own brand, we make T-shirts with quotes, mostly quotes from the show “Improvisation”. I really like the way they look. We are trying very hard. And even if we work for zero and get nothing, it’s better than the person not liking it.

I often hand over T-shirts personally, I love it, the emotions are incredible! I meet completely different people. And I like to travel around St. Petersburg, visit somewhere on business, and once again admire the beauty of the city.

Arseny began to engage in improvisation long before TNT. Photo: TNT

- Do you read reviews about yourself on the Internet? Are you generally active on social networks?

Certainly. I have accounts on VKontakte and Instagram. Mostly I get positive feedback because people like what we do. It seems to me that now there is a general trend towards positivity, there are almost no haters left, it is clear that they come across them, but I forget about them very quickly. And what? Answer them, explain what and why, or let them know that they are right or that their opinion matters. Neither they nor I need this. You know what my mother used to say when I was a child: “Don’t pay attention to them, and they’ll get tired of it.”

There are conditions for the development of creativity everywhere. It's a question of determination and opportunity. More human.

- Are you interested in what is happening in Omsk? Are you in the city?

I am very interested, and when I left Omsk, we often returned there on tour - about once every six months. At first I understood that nothing was changing, and I was a little sad because of this. Then I saw that many new buildings had been built and new cinemas had been opened. I left ten years ago. I tried to visit those who remember me. Now I’m upset that we travel a lot around cities, but they don’t invite us to Omsk. Even cities where 300-400 thousand people live call us; they recently returned from Tambov, but have not yet been to Omsk.

I really want to come to Omsk, I would be very pleased to perform there - but so far there is silence. Although I am sure that the hall will be full. We are open and there will be a tour of Siberia in April. It would be great to include Omsk in the tour!

Trust yourself

- And what would you show to your colleagues in Omsk?

- I would show the metro bridge, it’s really funny. As a resident of Omsk (I still consider myself an Omsk resident), I was waiting for the metro in 1995, then by 2000. He didn’t wait and left. In general, I even saw diagrams, projects, even managed to work in the construction business, participated in some kind of tender. And it’s surprising that there is a metro bridge, but no metro. This characterizes Omsk from the point of view of inefficient use of our resources. There is such a program as “Explorer”! I would take part there.

I would show our theaters, the Lyceum, with which I have a lot of connections. And in general the center, where the Mayakovsky cinema, the library named after. Pushkin, the cathedral, plus we have a beautiful embankment. I studied not far from her, at school 64. There are many places, but these are the ones that come to mind first.

I wouldn’t use the word “work” to describe anything that happens to me.

- If you had the opportunity to write a letter to yourself in the past? What would you warn yourself about?

Nothing, otherwise it won’t be interesting. Trust yourself. My story is connected with acting. I once sat in practice at a bank (economic education implies such practice). And I immediately imagined my life: I’m getting a job at this bank, reaching the maximum rank of department head, I have a wife, children, fitness. And somehow everything became so sad and boring that I left for St. Petersburg.

I immediately made a decision for myself, agreeing to the proposal that I had already voiced. Although there were many risks and unknowns, everything was not so smooth in the early years. But if I had known that this would happen, I probably wouldn’t have gone, something might have scared me away, everyone loves comfort and coziness. Maybe he chickened out. Therefore there is no message. Although, having some sad stories in life, I would spend more time with some people. I’m saying this because of some life experience. Maybe I didn’t ask something, I didn’t visit again.

Improvisation is a TV show that is gaining momentum at supersonic speed. Its light and fairly unobtrusive format attracts more and more fans every day.

Today we want to talk not only about the improvisation show itself, but also about its participants and their biographies, and also talk about the thorny path to this project. We will reveal famous names, show photos, everything as it should be to get an idea about a person.

Improvisation TV show on TNT. Anton Shastun, married or not

Biography of Shastun Anton - all the participants in the show are special and interesting, but I would like to start with Anton, because his popularity knows no bounds and he is simply an interesting person.

  • Year of birth: April 19, 1991
  • Place of birth: Voronezh
  • Education: State Agrarian University named after Peter I, manager
  • Height: 197 cm
  • Marital status: single
  • Instagram: @anton.shastoon

Start

Anton is not as simple as he seems. This little guy, although not quite small given his height, has been in love with the work of the magnificent and incomparable Jim Carrey since childhood. Known as The Mask or AceWintura. And even in their appearance there is some similarity.

Anton Shastun. Improvisation - TV show on TNT: participants, names, biography, photos

After entering the university, Anton began to actively participate in the activities of the Cheerful and Resourceful Club in the “BV” team. Subsequently, the young man became the leader of the team and it was under his leadership that “BV” won the Russian Center League “Start”.

First steps towards project I

After graduating from university, Anton chose a path in which he felt confident - humor and local TV. But Shastun was not limited only to Voronezh. He actively auditioned for various TNT projects: Comedy, Comedy Battle.

Anton Shastun. Improvisation - TV show on TNT: participants, names, biography, photos

The first attempt at writing on TNT was a complete fiasco; the episode with his participation was not even aired.

In addition, the boy has excellent stand-up skills. Among his friends, Shastun organized the “Controversial Issue” project, which became very popular in his hometown and formed the basis of a new improvisation project on TNT.

Improvisation TV show on TNT. Sergey Matvienko

The next person to come under our microscope for studying improvisation shows was Sergei Matvienko.

  • Year of birth: November 13, 1983
  • Place of birth: Armavir, Krasnodar region
  • Education: hidden, engineer
  • Height: 169 cm
  • Marital status: single
  • Instagram: @sergeymatvienko

Start

Sergei was active and artistic from childhood; he wrote scripts for productions at school and took part in them himself. It was immediately clear that the stage was waiting for such an enterprising guy.

Sergey Matvienko. Improvisation - TV show on TNT: participants, names, biography, photos

First steps towards project I

After school, Sergei began to actively participate in television projects: “Laughter without Rules”, “Slaughter League” with Vladimir Turchinsky, and was a resident of the St. Petersburg comedy club.

In addition to participating in TNT projects, Sergei appeared in such programs as “Battle for the Air” and “Tochka Yu”.

Together with Anton Zakharyin, he became the creator of the improvisation theater "СRa3у" ​​in St. Petersburg and the "Theater of Improvisation" in Moscow.

Then Sergei was invited to the “I” project. His favorite section in the improvisation show on TNT is “shockers.” Sergei claims that humor goes through pain.

Sergey Matvienko. Improvisation - TV show on TNT: participants, names, biography, photos

But besides the “I” project, Sergei and his friend Yulia Topolnitskaya (the one who starred in the Leningrad video wearing Louboutins) have a YouTube channel where the guys want to exchange an ordinary paper clip for an apartment.

Sergey leads an active lifestyle: snowboarding, skateboarding, mastering other extreme sports and traveling a lot.

Sergey Matvienko and Yulia Topolnitskaya

Improvisation TV show on TNT. Arseny Popov, height

The next victim of the study of improvisers is Arseny Popov.

  • Year of birth: March 20, 1983
  • Place of birth: Omsk
  • Education: Omsk State University, actor
  • Height: 190 cm
  • Marital status: hidden
  • Instagram: @arseniyspopov

Start

Our hero was born in Omsk. After graduating from school, he entered the economics department of a local university, while attending acting classes. Later he was invited to the Drama Theater troupe.

Arseny Popov. Improvisation - TV show on TNT: participants, names, biography, photos

Arseny worked a lot in the local theater and became the leading actor of the troupe, but decided to move to St. Petersburg.

First steps towards project I

Ars actively worked in the St. Petersburg CheloVek theater; he had a lot of tours. By chance he ended up at the Improvisation Theater and immediately fell in love with the event. At that moment, Arseny met Sergei Matvienko and Anton Zakharyin (the founders of the theater). Together they created the project “СRa3у” - the trio was super popular throughout St. Petersburg. At this time, Arseny tried himself as a TV program host.

Arseny Popov. Improvisation - TV show on TNT: participants, names, biography, photos

Afterwards, Arseny and Sergei were invited to improvise, but this time on a TV show from Comedy. Arseny often complains that it is difficult for him to fight with colleagues who have KVN behind them, but improvisation comes easily to Arseny.

The duet of Antena and Arsen, as Volya once called them, in the “Improvisation” project is considered one of the brightest, according to fans.

In general, all the guys from this project communicate a lot outside of the project, judging by their social networks.

Improvisation TV show on TNT. Dmitry Pozov

The closing participant is Dmitry Pozov.

  • Year of birth: June 11, 1985
  • Place of birth: Stary Oskol
  • Education: Medical Academy, dentist
  • Height: 170 cm
  • Marital status: Married
  • Instagram: @pozov

Dmitry Pozov is not an ordinary actor. He came to this field from medicine, more specifically, from dentistry. But let's start all over again.

Dmitry Pozov. Improvisation - TV show on TNT: participants, names, biography, photos

Start

Dmitry was born in the city of Stary Oskol, and since childhood he had the talent of a mass entertainer. After school, the guy entered medical school in Voronezh, and then to graduate school.

But, as usual, there was a parallel in mastering and polishing the artist’s talent. Pozov actively worked as a presenter at various events, and also actively participated in KVN for 7 years.

Dmitry Pozov. Improvisation - TV show on TNT: participants, names, biography, photos

Path to project I

During Dmitry’s studies in Voronezh, the “Controversial Issue” project began. There the dentist met Anton. After that, the guys went to Improvisation on TNT.

Dmitry Pozov does not hide his personal life, he is married and has a daughter, Savina.

Dmitry Pozov with his wife.

But Pozov’s hobbies don’t end there; he can play the piano, and is also actively writing film reviews and books.

Format of the show Improvisation - TV show on TNT

Separately, it should be noted that the Improv show does not have a specific script. In other comedy shows, jokes are created, routines are rehearsed and edited, and only then filming begins.

Apart from the rule that the participants do not know the topic of the release and who they will have to play on stage, there are no boundaries. And this, you see, indicates the enormous talent of all participants in the show!

The first episode was aired on February 5, 2016 and has been a leader in the ratings since then.

We can only wish the actors to improve their talents and continue to successfully do what they love!

Arseny Popov, actor of the popular show “Improvisation” on TNT, is originally from Omsk, although he has been living in St. Petersburg for ten years. On the eve of his 34th birthday, Arseny talked to Klass.

Since you are an Omsk resident, you cannot avoid questions about the beginning of your creative journey. How did the sudden change in your future profession happen - from economist to artist?

— Firstly, I must say that I became an economist because my parents wanted it. And to become an artist - because that’s what I wanted. And one day there comes a period in a person’s life when he understands that he does not depend on his parents, and he can do what he wants. In my case, I didn’t go to discos and football, but I started doing what I like.

In general, how do you evaluate the Omsk theater school and your work at the Lyceum Theater?

— I never thought about the Omsk theater school. What I was taught there seemed to me the only true and correct thing, but then, after leaving Omsk, I learned that in St. Petersburg and Moscow the Omsk school is highly valued. I found out that we are very cool and in demand, and professionally we have very good reviews. But about my own work, I think I'm wonderful! I am one of those people who will not scold myself. I really liked what I did, I liked the roles I got. Only positive reviews.

Why did you go to St. Petersburg when choosing your next place of work? Did you leave Omsk with a light heart?

- The story is as follows. There was such a theater “CheloVEK”. They once moved to Omsk from Buryatia, and then decided to move to St. Petersburg and invited me with them. I was flattered by this offer, agreed and have no regrets.

About a light heart. The decision to leave the theater was difficult. We can say that at that time I was one of the leading actors and, of course, I let down the director and my teacher Vadim Stanislavovich Reshetnikov. And I really set my colleagues up, because I was involved in the repertoire, and it is clear that they had to urgently introduce someone to my roles, this was the most difficult story for me. But I definitely understood that I needed it. And as people say, you can't fry an egg without breaking the eggs. This still weighs heavily on my heart, but it couldn’t have been any other way. You wouldn't interview me now.

You said that it took three years to get to the first broadcast on television.

— Seryozha Matvienko and I have been doing improvisation for four years. The rest of the guys have been doing this longer. Everything new, everything developing on TNT is interesting. We watched it live and said it was very cool, let’s try it. And only after the start we realized that the project was interesting, because improvisation is always a risk, when the material is ready, rehearsed, you already go to the shooting with some element of guarantee, but we have a risk that something will not work out, it won't work out that way. And for producers there is always a risk, but it turned out to be justified. And after that our story began.

You came up with the “shockers” yourself. One of the most painful games for participants. It would seem that this is the moment I would like to avoid, but no... First of all, does it really hurt? Secondly, how do you manage to joke in stressful situations?

- We came up with it ourselves. The thing is, these are tough games. It is clear that shockers themselves as an element of the game existed far before us. They trained dogs. But we wanted to diversify our games as much as possible, so that there would be improvisation in a different picture, a different setting. To my great regret, the audience really liked the shockers and mousetraps. Unfortunately, that’s why it’s all very painful! And sometimes it’s not fun for me to play them, although it stimulates the brain process, you quickly try to understand what’s what, because you try to avoid pain.

In order to come up with ideas on the go, you need to be in the context of the mass market. What books, films, TV series do you watch if you have time?

— TV series take up too much time. Although I did see some iconic ones. I love films. I hate horror, I cry at melodramas, I love to giggle. I'm currently reading How People Think. It’s not artistic, it’s a set of thoughts, and it’s very interesting. I completed it in almost two days. Suitable for everyone who can read and write messages without errors!

Do you correspond with fans/fans on social networks?

— Sometimes there are messages that I want to answer, then I answer. Communication with fans is a pleasure. However, even if desired, it is not always possible. I don’t have time to read everything, I don’t see everything. And the fans, the people who watch this program, I hope everyone understands. Mostly girls write. This is understandable - there are five guys in the program. One is generally a sex symbol who has been on stage for ten years. Volya cannot write directly, and they are trying to find out something through us. This is expected. Sometimes guys write too, and it’s nice. Apparently, there is not only some external story about popularity, but also sympathy for what we do.

In general, what do they write, besides rave reviews? Are there soft toys? Are they circling under the windows?

- It seems to me that now there is a general trend towards positivity, now there are almost no such haters left, it is clear that they come across them, but I forget about them very quickly. And what? Answer them, explain what and why, or let them know that they are right or that their opinion matters. Neither they nor I need this. You know what my mother said when I was a child: "Ignore them and they'll get tired of it".

Don't you miss your small homeland?

“I left ten years ago, but I tried to visit those who remember me. At first, we often returned there on tour. About once every six months. At first I saw that nothing was changing in the city and I was a little sad about it. Then many new buildings were built and new cinemas were opened. In general, we travel a lot, we are even invited to cities with a population of 300-400 thousand; we recently returned from Tambov. But we haven’t been to Omsk yet.

When can we expect a visit?

— I really want to come to Omsk, I would be very pleased to perform there, but so far there is silence. Although I am sure that the hall will be full. We are open. And in April there will be a tour of Siberia, it would be great to include Omsk in the tour. I hope to see you in Omsk. Big hello to the city, I really miss you!

Arseny Popov is a famous Russian actor, comedian and showman, who gained great popularity as a participant in a creative and entertaining television show called “Improvisation”. Previously, he hosted many different entertainment television programs on little-known channels (with the exception of MUZ-TV). Arseny’s signature genre in the show “Improvisation” is the “prompter”.

Arseny Popov: biography

Born on March 20, 1983 in Omsk. Here he first went to first grade, and after graduating from school he became a student at a local university. The guy had no reasoned ideas about his future profession, so he chose from what was available - he went to the Faculty of Economics. However, in his first year, Arseny realized that he had made a fatal mistake, because the exact sciences had never attracted his interest, and that the profession of an economist was quite complex, and not just popular.

Arseny has always been drawn to art; since his school days, he regularly took part in performances and poetry evenings, but did not have high hopes for his hobby. But when the guy took the documents and put an end to his accounting and financial future, he realized that it was worth taking a risk and trying to realize his cherished goal - to become an actor.

The following year, Arseny Popov submitted documents to the Omsk State Institute at the Faculty of Culture and Arts, where he studied with a degree in Drama Theater and Film Actor. Here he felt like a fish in water. As a result, Arseny studied for all five years without unnecessary worry and received his coveted diploma.

Career

After graduating from high school, the newly minted actor tries his luck at the Omsk Lyceum Theater, which is quite famous and prestigious within the city. Fortunately, Arseny was hired, where he was the ward of V.S. Reshetnikov, who taught the guy the correct acting manners and professionalism in general. After working here for several years, Popov decides to conquer new heights. The young actor moves to St. Petersburg, where he gets a job in a plastic drama theater called “Chelovek”. Here he quickly finds a common language with the team, with whom he later traveled all over Russia on tour. It was in the CheloVEK theater that Arseny Popov established himself as a talented actor, because he was very efficient.

Improvisation theater

Once Arseny visited an improvisation show theater. Being a spectator, the talented drama theater artist was very surprised and delighted by the show. The participants in the performance really improvised! They invented various situations on the fly, from which they developed entire stories with a humorous twist. Here Arseny caught himself thinking that he also wanted to become an improvisational actor.

The following year, Popov attended rehearsals of the troupe of the Improvisation Theater, which at that time was called Crazy. During this time, the actor proved his worth and became a direct participant in this creative association. Later, Arseny, together with his colleagues and Anton Zakharyin, created their own competitive improvisation show in St. Petersburg. In parallel with this, Popov also worked as a presenter at such show competitions as “Avtozvuk” and “On Kolomenskaya”.

Television career

Arseny made his debut on TV in 2011. Then Popov was a participant in a show program called “Our Piggy Bank”, and later worked as the host of the music program “Battle for Broadcast” on the MUZ-TV channel.

At the peak of the fame of the improvised theater Crazy, Arseny and his partners came up with the idea of ​​​​transferring their creativity to television. Soon they met Dmitry Pozov and Anton Shastun, who succeeded in a similar format, only in Voronezh. Having united, the guys created their own show “Improvisation” and received permission to air time on the TNT channel. In parallel with this, they met the residents of the Comedy Club, they partially helped implement the project, the host of which was the well-known Pavel “Snowball” Volya.

Arseny Popov: personal life

The actor is in no hurry to tell the general public about his personal relationships. When asked about his wife and children in an interview, he skillfully laughs it off, skillfully moving the dialogue in a different direction.

Then everything became clear. Apparently, Arseny Popov and his wife simply do not like to show off their personal life.