British actor Daniel Radcliffe admitted that he has not watched a single Russian adaptation of Bulgakov, including such cult projects as Vladimir Bortko's The Master and Margarita or Alexei Balabanov's Morphine. However, this did not stop him from playing the lead role in the multi-part adaptation of A Young Doctor's Notebook, a unique British version of Bulgakov's prose, filmed with a signature English humor.
According to the actor, he consciously avoided watching other versions so as not to copy other people's interpretations:
"It is important to find your own voice and path."
How does Radcliffe feel about Bulgakov
It is interesting that he perceived Bulgakov's stories more as a black comedy than as a drama. And it is this feeling of internal absurdity and confusion, according to the actor, that gives the story its charm:
"I actually found the book quite funny. The doctor loses control when he finds himself in a strange environment - this is both tragic and funny. Bulgakov was so witty that even despair looks ironic in his eyes," he noted.
How the filming of A Young Doctor's Notebook went
Filming the project became a kind of initiation into the world of Russian literature for Daniel. And a visit to Bulgakov's "bad apartment" in Moscow after work left a strong impression on him. Although, as the actor himself admitted, he does not believe in God and the devil and is not particularly inclined to mysticism, he was scared to death.
"I felt his spirit in the apartment. I experienced some shock when I went into one of the rooms, and there was a big black cat sitting on the sofa," Radcliffe added with a smile.
So yes, Daniel Radcliffe played a Russian doctor from the 1910s, perceiving him as a comedy hero, not knowing that in the writer's homeland these texts have long since turned into a cult. And still, it turned out quite decent, at least because it is sincere.
