Ilya Artemov about Wolverine, dance school and Hugh Jackman
In Moscow, started exhibition of interactive entertainment "Igromir". Within its framework this year, for the first time, "Russian Comic Con" is held - a congress of fans of pop culture from comics to gadgets and, not least, cosplayers - masters of reincarnation in their favorite characters. Many do it professionally, and someone just comes in the original image for the sake of entertainment and meeting with like-minded people. Cosplay has long been a mass phenomenon all over the world, and in Russia its popularity is only growing every year. We talked with six characters, for whom cosplay has become an important part of life, about their characters, about how they regularly dress in costume, why they do it and how it changed them.
About four years ago I worked with guys from the anime party, although I myself was far from this movement. It was a completely different project, not related to X-Men. Then I did not wear a beard, nothing. People began to approach me and say: "You look like Jackman." And I answered: "Stop making fun." I was persuaded to grow a beard for a long time, in the end I gave up and grew - so it all began. When in 2011 I came to the Animatrix festival in the guise of Wolverine, a crowd of people was rushing after me - everyone was trying to take a picture, it became clear that this topic should be further promoted.
In general, I am a dancer, even more so - a stage director. I have my own dance studio. Cosplay, dancing and acting are interrelated things for me - through all this you can show your creative abilities. Aside from Wolverine, I’m Van Helsing cosplay, because this is another incarnation of Jackman. Now we are preparing a project for the film "Silent Hill" - there I play the main villain, remember, there was such a person with a triangle on his head and a big knife. We have dance performances of various lengths, from 8 to 40 minutes. We show their mini-versions with great success at festivals. With Wolverine, I always go to festivals like "Igromir", so this year I will go. I will be there in free movement: walk in my suit, please the visitors, communicate and take a picture.
The cosplay party in general is very friendly - everyone supports, respects and values each other. There are, of course, individuals who are either capricious, or because of envy, they are beginning to find fault with trifles: it’s not like that, it’s not like that. Not necessarily to me - I see how this happens with other cosplayers. I have never seen any bloody clashes. Nobody quarrels with Wolverine - everyone understands that just that, I pull out my claws and understand in my own way, ha ha.
Everyone wants to see me in a tight fitting suit, but so far my solid image is closer to me
Initially, I had plastic claws - from America, nikakuschie. Did not hold a static position, bent in any movement. At one of the festivals, I accidentally met our masters, the guys not only blacksmiths, but also make incredible plastic structures: large robots, armor, weapons. They also work for the cinema. The guys turned out to be fans of "X-Men" and Wolverine in particular. Made me a custom very strong metal claws. We tried to beat them into the foam concrete wall - they really pierce them. They are quite heavy - one and a half kilograms, but it is easy for me to walk all day with three kilograms.
I'm not so close to Wolverine, but Hugh Jackman himself. Like Jackman, in life I am absolutely the opposite of the Wolverine hero — a kind and peace-loving person. The only thing I have in common with Wolverine is irascibility. If you bring, then I can, so to speak, slash strong words. Hugh Jackman also does this sometimes. I felt the image of Wolverine well: I understand how it should look, how to behave. Many, mostly female, are asked to play around the “old” version of Wolverine in yellow tights. I understand that everyone wants to see me in a tight-fitting combination, but for the time being, the current image is closer to me - more solid.
I would like to play Jackman from Australia. Only then still need to pump up. I have always strived for a good physical form, and the image of Wolverine well fed and stimulated me. Hugh Jackman ate eight chicken breasts a day - it's very hard. This is a huge burden on the body. But I think he gives himself a break: once a week, perhaps, he drinks beer, eats some chips or pizza. The famous Hollywood coach is involved with him, plus Hugh himself is very hardworking in this regard. Even if he arrives at 4 am at the airport, there must have been moments that he immediately runs from there with a bag to the gym. Plowing in the hall for two hours six times a week, plus diet and acting work - this requires tremendous will power. I train a lot with dancing, and also a gym with exercise equipment 3-4 times a week, and it is very difficult for me to gain such muscle mass. But I want to pump up like Jackman - and I will definitely achieve it.
We have the show "X-Men", and it is also quite popular. The troupe is selected from my students, and very competently - all the participants are similar to the characters of the film. One girl is incredibly similar to Halle Berry, who plays Storm; Mystic and Gene Gray are also very similar. Everyone is dancing, he has raised everyone, he has been walking and practicing for about six years. The idea and complexity was not just to go out, dance and leave, but to convey a certain atmosphere. For example, in the production of "Silent Hill" can not be ordinary dance, but must be a special atmospheric movement. Similarly, in "X". Here, of course, the plot is built around Wolverine, the most pro-hero, although there are a lot of interesting characters - all based on the movie. The audience asked me to do a show based on the comics. As it turned out, there are a lot of fans of comics. I myself have never read comics about Wolverine regularly, but I was interested in understanding the hero better. I think Wolverine would have made a great pair, not with Gene Gray, but with Storm. Because it is calm, and Wolverine is quite temperamental and explosive. Accordingly, they complement each other, like yin and yang.
I am 35, and I don’t cosplay for so long. At first, relatives did not quite understand it. Thought fooling around. Then came a small army of fans. I thought to leave this business: well, I have been for so many years now, I don’t have to deal with such nonsense. And people began to say: "Go on! We like it." And I turned cosplay into my main job. I am invited to appear in commercials: sometimes in the image of Wolverine, but more often not. I learned to play well on camera - so they tell me, I will not judge myself. For some commercials, it was necessary to undergo serious castings, 500-600 people per role. For example, in the advertising of "Sberbank" I play their important client. I like it so much that I seriously thought about my acting career: if you really follow in the footsteps of Hugh Jackman, then to the end.
Photographer: Alexander Karnyukhin