Extended interview: Mikhail Baryshnikov and more
[Music] thank you welcome I'm Lee Cowan and this is Here Comes the Sun a closer look at some of the people places and things we bring you every weekend on Sunday morning a world-renowned virtuoso of dance Mikhail Baryshnikov has recently stepped out of his comfort zone to speak out as a dissonant voice against Russian President Vladimir Putin and the war in Ukraine in 1974 while touring with the Bolshoi ballet in Toronto barishnikov Slipped Away he is in Canada days after his defection he appeared at a dance studio in Toronto he wouldn't discuss his defection with news people today and he wouldn't attend a news conference after his short exhibition you've tried not to be political over the years but you've made a point now with what's happening in Ukraine to say something I I couldn't stay silent this time there's more from Anthony Mason's conversation with Mikhail barishnikov coming up a little later in the show how hard was it for you to leave it was easier than a Ukrainian refugees leaving the Kiev and or kharkif or in America anywhere and that's for me to say how difficult this is just immoral it was the in fact easiest decision because it wasn't a necessary decision necessary in what way because the return back to that country which was the on the bottom of a dictatorship for brezneff it was a very dark times then David Pogue meets up with the creators of Marcel the Shell a tiny character that's hugely adorable comedian actor and author Jenny slate has voiced plenty of animated characters but she considers Marcel the Shell her finest creation guess what I do for adventure I hang quite on a Dorito guess what I use as a pen what I used a pen but it takes the whole family inevitably Hollywood came a calling with big Hollywood ideas that's all coming up right here on Here Comes the Sun he's an icon on stage and a champion of the Arts off stage why does Anthony Mason learn Mikhail barishnikov has oftentimes been reluctant to enter the political Fray that is until now in a new adaptation of the Cherry Orchard at the barishnikov Arts Center in New York the center's namesake is playing an old servant three degrees below zero and the cherry blossoms All In Bloom I'm almost 75 and I'm playing 85 years old you know okay the white hair is for his character named fears it's bleached you know it's not mine yet one of the world's most acclaimed dancers Mikhail barishnikov has worked only occasionally as an actor most notably an oscar-nominated performance in the 1977 film The Turning Point are you gonna be all right don't worry about him he'll be all right I have little secret for you you know I think it's perfectly all right to be an errors and then a quarter of Pounder with cheese and playing Carrie Bradshaw's Russian boyfriend on Sex and the City can you handle it absolutely but he learned from some of the best James Cagney she was good friend of mine and he always thought I said James how you play I said listen what the person is telling you and then they tell him back the truth and if you're not dumb You observe he has a some sort of a light that that or some sort of a presence that is extremely unique so what's that like as a director there's no way to control it [Laughter] ukrainian-born Igor goliuk is directing the soviet-born actor in this Russian classic barishnikov has another role as playwright Anton Chekhov in the virtual production in chekhov's play The Matriarch of a family played by Jessica Hecht faces financial troubles and has to face selling their beloved Orchard if the estate is so it doesn't matter I must look truth straight in the eye the orchard in the bigger sense of the word one of the characters says all of Russia is our Orchard it's very relatable right now there's a complete loss of Russia right now as goliak was planning the production Russia invaded Ukraine his family had left kiev for Boston back in 1990 when he was just 11 but when this war started you know something in the stomach started like twisting and it just hurts how has it been for you to watch what's happening in Ukraine uh horrific and just now we are having issuers you know about it barishnikov made headlines around the world when he defected from the Soviet Union in 1974. does it seem a long time ago no it's and so it's been very fast yeah unfortunately you never wanted to go back to Russia no somehow maybe instinctively I knew that one day something like that would happen in his Soviet years as a principal dancer with the kirov ballet barishnikov was privileged to travel but he was watched you were usually followed by KGB agents when you went yes yes but there were guys who were a couple of guys always you knew them by names you know and sometimes we'll have a coffee with them you know it was like yeah okay we had the nicknames for them you know of course they have a you know many different faces yes but in 1974 while touring with the Bolshoi ballet in Toronto barishnikov Slipped Away where is Mr parachnikov now he is in Canada days after his defection he appeared at a dance studio in Toronto he wouldn't discuss his defection with news people today and he wouldn't attend a news conference after his short exhibition you've tried not to be political over the years but you've made a point now with what's happening in Ukraine to say something I I couldn't stay silent this time I was born in Soviet that time Soviet Lottery in a family of military officer his father a Soviet colonel was a stalinist it was his mother who introduced him to the Arts in Riga the Latvian Capital at age six of seven the first time my mother took me to see ballet and it's an orchestra playing and this beautiful theater and it's got me cut me in 2017 barishnikov was given Latvian citizenship it means something and my mother is buried there and that's why back to your question about why now that idea that um I would say Russian tanks would go again to baltics you're afraid for Latvia I'm afraid for all that part of the world and because I am part of it recently he co-founded the charity true Russia to raise money for Ukrainian refugees when Russia banned its website earlier this month barishnikov addressed an open letter to President Putin your Russian World the world of fear he wrote will not live on as long as there are people like us what did you think when Putin said Russians who support the West are scum and traitors you know this is disgusting do you think of this as Russia's war or Putin's War it is Putin's were he's trying to create new history of Russia he does not care about people at all although how it's possible he as a kids himself you know how it's possible Russians who speak out against him have a way of kind of disappearing listen I I will be 75 years old what I have to lose my old master that would be your grandfather as he performs in the orchard Mikhail barishnikov says the role of the Arts is to inspire and engage it's an oxygen and his most important job is here at the Art Center that bears his name why is it the most important job it's a social service I've been honored to make my home in New York I I love this country with all craziness but there is nothing better than the be a free man and living with your family in free society and in this extraordinary City more from Anthony Mason's conversation with Mikhail barishnikov coming up in just a few minutes but first this is no empty shell my name is Marcel and I'm partially a shell as you can see on my body but I also have shoes and a face so in fact what's inside has captivated audiences worldwide sure hello this is me what yeah Leslie Stahl has many fans and these days that includes Marcel the Shell a delightful animated character our David Pogue Dives in there are plenty of big movies but the highest rated one of all is very very small my name is Marcel and I'm partially the main character is no bigger than a quarter I also have shoes and a face he has this sort of granite dignity but he's so tiny hey well I used to have a sister and I think that there is a lot of humor in watching something be the wrong size comedian actor and author Jenny slate has voiced plenty of animated characters but she considers Marcel the Shell her finest creation guess what I do for adventure I hang glide on a Dorito guess what I use as a pen what I use the pen but it takes the whole family slate had never produced that distinctive voice until one night in 2010 to save money attending a wedding she was sharing one hotel room with five friends it was so crowded in there and I just felt tiny and all of a sudden I just started saying like this is like I like can hardly move around her boyfriend filmmaker Dean Fleischer Camp loved the new little character voice and decided to feature it in a short video do you want to see me talk on the phone I knew I wanted to make an animated short and sort of something I hadn't experimented with before Oh this is me he went to a toy store and the art supply store and got a bunch of googly eyes got the shells the three minute short was a huge hit online one time I nibbled on a piece of cheese and my cholesterol went up to 900. in the next few years the couple made two more Marcel videos racking up 48 million views and Counting published two Marcel books and got married ooh baby baby I've seen people kiss on television inevitably Hollywood came a calling with big Hollywood ideas someone even recommended that we pair him with Ryan Reynolds and they fight crime together which it's not a movie I wouldn't see finally camp and slate found backers who'd give them full control but to fill 90 minutes they'd have to expand Marcel's emotional range fill in his backstory and introduce new characters did anyone ever say you know whoa whoa that's tugging what made the short special too much I think that part of that was in always gut checking ourselves against the original and making sure does it still have that sort of you know electricity that was so great about the shorts one of those new characters is Marcel's grandmother played by Isabella rossolini in the movie they watched 60 minutes together every Sunday night we love it we just call it the show that's how much we love it lastly who's Leslie Leslie show she likes Leslie Stahl I'm Leslie those cases wide open this movie has elevated me in the eyes of my grandchildren yeah make the noise they've seen me on 60 Minutes and I'm nothing but with Marcel this is huge in my family fortunately for the filmmakers the real Leslie Stahl agreed to take the role they wanted me to play it 100 straight so they hired a 60 Minutes crew a 60 Minutes producer came along to produce the segment and I think it does look like a 60-minute story when you see it Marcel a one inch tall shell reminds us of the true value of community does it make you inclined to look fondly upon the next movie proposal that comes your way well let me just say this I'm available here I am a movie star Dean Fleischer Camp is in the movie too as the off-screen voice of the filmmaker well mostly off screen do you have any plans tonight no I am playing a version of myself that doesn't exist anymore and I'm glad I'm not that person anymore the movie wound up taking seven years to make hello because the filmmakers had to make it four times first as a complete audio soundtrack they're making me blush the second version added storyboards they're making me blush for the third pass they filmed the empty backgrounds for the entire movie without Marcel they're making me Plus finally the team animated the tiny Marcel puppet one frame at a time and added him into the backgrounds in the end the marriage of Marcel's creators didn't survive but their collaboration a movie about a bald armless one-eyed shell on a quest to find his family do you think they could be out there if that movie works at all is crazy yeah I mean of course that's a huge risk to take yes and yet I love it when people comment on and they say I can't believe I was bawling my eyes out of this little show with googly eyes it makes people feel like I'm a little guy like feelings you know wanting to be loved for your for your own dear smallness in this gigantic weird Cosmic scheme that we're in the role of fears is kind of a small but one of the most important roles in Cherry Hill Church after the break more from Mikhail barishnikov barometer of Ethics also extremely conservative welcome back as promised here's more from Anthony Mason with Mikhail barishnikov let's talk about this play what made you want to be part of the Cherry Orchard again uh offered me the role of fears the old servant 85 years old yeah and as you know virtually uh in Virtual performance I'll play Anton chechev yes the playwright the role of fierce it's a kind of a small but one of the most important roles in Sherry Orchard you know he's a barometer of Ethics also extremely conservative yeah and loyal and interesting mysterious character kind of and a lot of factors try and and successfully they're less successfully but they played in many different ways you know this character and I just couldn't couldn't pass pass this opportunity in the virtual production did you enjoy playing Chekhov very much so well I am playing in Russian you know check out because it I think it's always pleasure because uh slip of a tongue I can't really find a word immediately in my mother tongue and in English I am you know sometimes when I'm off I'm really off even you struggle with Russian now of course yeah do you speak much Russian anymore yes yes and I read a lot in Russian of course and then I I have few friends in in Europe and of my ex compatriots yeah I know my wife who was is fluent in Russian and was a translator actually for a while she I mean because she doesn't practice as much anymore she gets very angry when she can't find a word yeah people some my friends says well you know you haven't American accent you know are you kidding but the language changes you know I've you know I've lived almost 50 years ago it will be in a couple of years 50 years how hard was it for you to leave it was easier than uh Ukrainian refugees living at the Kiev and or kharkif or in America or anywhere and that's for me to say how difficult this is just immoral it was the in fact easiest decision because it wasn't a necessary decision necessary in what way because the return back to that country which was the on the bottom of a dictatorship of Brezhnev it was a very dark times uh for any creativity yeah any uh did you feel did you feel any thought did you feel artistically suffocated not really I had a leading position now as a principal dancer to one of the most extraordinary theater in the world the marinsky theater kirov used to be yeah and had a carte blanche to do whatever I want to do in fact but there was nothing to do there is no new work and the interesting new work situation of course in the West Was opposite since everything was blooming after the after the 60s was it hard to leave your family when you left you weren't that close to your father I didn't had the family I at that time I was single my father had a different family my mother died when I was 12 years old and I was I lived with my father for three four years and then I left for good and then and I never had a really close relationship to my father yeah so did you even tell him you were going no did they try to make you come back well yes they try to return my Soviet passport and I refused you know the sex like that you know like I said no this decision is irreversible you know you've chosen your acting roles carefully and kind of sporadically yes it's not something you go into regularly you have another job this is my job yeah you know this studio where we sit right now that's my the most important job at the mission I'm Lee Cowan thanks for joining us we'll see you here next time on Here Comes the Sun [Music]
2022-12-31 17:58
