Agatha Muzenietse on the Desire to Shave Her Head and Much More

The plot of the comedy with elements of fantasy resembles the popular 2000s series "Charmed." The con artists Marina, Sveta, and Olya initially pose as mediums, but then accidentally receive a real gift from a street fortune-teller. Now one hears thoughts, the second sees the future, and the third sees the dead. The new abilities turn the lives of the beauties into hell, so the friends decide to find someone who will take these "gifts of fate" away from them.

Muzenietse filmed the project while already far along in her pregnancy but endured all the challenges steadfastly. "When choosing a costume, we immediately decided to go for oversized, and during the shooting, we changed angles so that my belly wouldn’t be visible. Agatha warned that she had filmed while pregnant before, so there would be no problems, and she kept her word, being one of the most composed and prepared. She fell, ran, and did everything during the shoots. In general, she held up well," praised the star by director Maxim Zykov.

"The Witches" will hit the screens in November. In anticipation of the premiere, Agatha shared memorable moments from the shooting process, feelings about her third pregnancy, surprises from her daughter, and nostalgia for the past.

— Agatha, what stood out most about the work?

This is a very unusual project that stood out for the number of different animals. We had everything: spiders, frogs, bunnies, kittens, horses, goats, snakes. And the coolest thing is that the animals acted very well. Professionalism and the magic of Hogwarts, as they say.

— Who will you not soon forget meeting?

There was a huge tarantula; I had never held such a big spider before. I touched snakes and was surrounded by frogs. The feeling was not exactly pleasant, but there was no fear, rather it was exciting and unusual.

— How did your pregnancy affect the shooting?

I really wanted to act in this series, understanding that everything was falling into place perfectly: I would have time to film, go on maternity leave, enjoy the premiere, and not disappear for a long time. After all, you always worry about not wanting to fall out of the loop. In the end, everything went well. We filmed a lot in a shopping center, where it was cozy, warm, fun, and any cosmetics and clothes were accessible. My daughter came to visit me and bought me gifts there.

— And you couldn’t resist either?

I don’t like it; on the contrary, I suffer when we go shopping. Recently, we bought clothes for school and went to the shopping center. We had to go through all the floors and stores; Mia tried something on in every store. In the end, we returned to the first one. In general, she usually doesn’t like everything, and we start arguing; it’s hard with her in this regard. Unlike my daughter, I go into a store, see an item, and immediately think, "Oh, a cool tracksuit!" I don’t even try it on, I just buy it.

— Do you also part with things easily?

Yes, when I planned the move, I decided to take 20% of all my things with me and give the rest to charity and relatives, friends. My closet is packed; I have a lot of clothes with tags that I haven’t even worn once.

— Returning to the filming of "The Witches," it seems you were lucky with your partners?

That’s true. In such projects, chemistry between the main characters is very important. We connected with different energies, but there was some kind of chemical reaction; the formula turned out to be effective, and we really became friends. In our company, Lera (Valeria Astapova) is a firecracker. I had been subscribed to her even before the filming and am very glad to have worked with her because I consider Lera super talented. I have known Anya (Anna Banshikova) for a long time, and we became even closer.

— In the series, one of your most unusual looks is bald. What was it like to look in the mirror and see yourself like that?

I always wanted to see how I would look bald, so when I was told there would be such an image, I was happy. It even seemed to me that it suited me; there’s something in it. I thought it would be cool to shave my head for some role.

— Seriously? Are you ready for that?

Yes, but if I shave my head just like that, I will look like Britney Spears. But if it’s for a role, then there’s justification. I would do it for an unusual, cool, preferably dramatic role.

— Did you have to adhere to any restrictions during the filming?

I decided that I would lose weight later. You don’t often get pregnant in life, so I allowed myself everything except alcohol and cigarettes, of course. I remember how I used to try to stick to proper nutrition and then regretted it. After all, when else can you justify yourself and eat whatever you want?

— Do you feel different this third time preparing to become a mom?

Every experience is new. Each time is a new person, a new soul. But I think that women become better mothers with age. I look at my mother: she loves her grandchildren more than her children. With age comes some other love, so of course, it’s different.

— At the same time, your older children are in school; they also need attention.

Yes, I am involved in the process. I know the schedule; I was added to the parent chats, which I didn’t do before. I like it, and the school is interesting.

— Do you help with homework?

I believe that it’s the child’s responsibility, definitely not mine. I did it myself back in my day, so I don’t check. If they ask for help with English, I will help, but with math — definitely not.

— Besides school, what are the kids currently involved in?

Mia is into horseback riding, rhythmic gymnastics, and vocals. Timofey is into basketball and mixed martial arts. I want Timofey to have balance, not just sports but also something intellectual and creative. A year ago, he drew well, and I want to spark that interest in him again. You won’t be an athlete your whole life, but you can draw in retirement. Look, Johnny Depp sold a painting for five million dollars!

— By the way, who has always been your creative role model?

Johnny Depp, Leonardo DiCaprio. They are still gods of acting for me. When you watch DiCaprio act in the film "What’s Eating Gilbert Grape," you don’t understand how he does it. Those are exactly the kinds of roles I want: to shave my head and play "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo." My soul craves rock and roll!

— What is your all-time favorite series or movie?

"Friends!" I know it by heart and constantly rewatch it. I also really liked "The Visitor from Space" — funny, dynamic, and of course, "Trash." But I’m not interested in fantasy. I’m not a fan of "Harry Potter."

— You have children of different ages, and in general, you work with both novice actors and very young ones. Do you feel this gap between generations?

I think young people envy us millennials. They like everything that we liked once. After all, everything that was in our youth is now fashionable: VHS tapes, records, film photography, and pink Motorola phones. Look, Bulanova is back on top, Kadyshova. Or maybe we are just such cool influencers that we made the youth realize that our youth is cool.

— Do you feel nostalgic for the past?

Not for university or school, but rather for childhood in the village. I didn’t get to go this year, but I love that place very much. I always enjoyed mushroom picking, drawing water from the well, and heating the stove. I love that kind of pastime.

— And if we talk about young actors. How are they different from your generation?

I think the way of acting in films has changed. If my generation has a more vibrant way of existing, theirs is closer to life. They speak more quietly, with fewer reactions. That doesn’t mean they are less talented; it’s just a different style of acting. It’s like, you know, sometimes you turn on an old movie and can’t watch it because everything develops very slowly. Everything has accelerated so much that such movies are now a challenge.