AN INTERVIEW WITH STEFAN CHAPOVSKIY
Stefan with Sylvester Stallone on the movie set for Rambo 5: Last Blood
ARTIST’S HOUSE: Who is Stefan Chapovskiy? How would you describe yourself?
STEFAN CHAPOVSKIY: Very interesting and complex question...I'd call myself a lot of correct words like an actor/writer/producer or father/husband/etc., but it would probably be better to turn to the roots of my personality. So, here are only three main components I'm based on: dreamer, creator, and fighter. It means I'm initially starting with a dream, then I take certain steps to create it, and in that way I fight for my goals against the circumstances. Over and over again, since I was a kid until now.
ARTIST’S HOUSE: You are a great actor, writer, director, and producer. Can you tell us how you got into acting and producing, what your story is, how it all started??
STEFAN CHAPOVSKIY: Oh, thank you for your compliment. Long story short: I grew up in an artistic family, so my coming into the acting industry was just a matter of time. Anyway, I started to play in movies pretty late, in 2001, when I was twenty-four. Having experience in martial arts and bodybuilding, I played a lot of typical characters (gangsters, bodyguards, etc.) in episodic roles but finally realized that's the wrong way for me as an actor. And I decided to change it. At the same time, I transformed my look—got rid of extra pounds and grew my hair. I literally became a new person physically and mentally. In 2010, I produced and directed my first independent short fan film Rambo: The Beginning. I posted it on YouTube and over the years this video was watched by 8,000,000 people. So, I understood that I could make something real in the future.
ARTIST’S HOUSE: What things have you done in your life that you are the most proud of?
STEFAN CHAPOVSKIY: Hmm...honestly there are quite a lot of things like that because I accomplished all the dreams of my early years; when I was a skinny and shy teenager from a small town. But as we are talking about the movie industry, I'd say it's the fact that I was invited to the set of Rambo 5, and was even considered for the First Blood prequel. Anyway, I know that in the next few years I'll get more significant reasons for my pride because this new project is already in development.
ARTIST’S HOUSE: Could you share any funny memories from the set?
STEFAN CHAPOVSKIY: Oh, sure! One such funny thing occurred on the set of War Gene, a sci-fi action that I produced and directed in 2019 in Florida. We were filming the night scene in a jungle— in a natural, almost wild location. It was a really interesting experience: A deep, tropical night; several actors in military uniforms with guns, knives, grenades, etc., just like in the iconic Predator (1987) movie. A lot of lighting equipment on the set, camera, rails, generator, all that stuff… So, we finished at about 4:00 a.m. When the last of us were about to leave this place, I shot a final glance at the trees and suddenly saw two round, glowing eyes that were watching me from behind a tree trunk, high enough off the ground. It was really stunning after all those jokes on the set about the Predator movie vibes! As it turns out, it was a big raccoon that dared to get out from his hiding place right after we ended up without our noise and light. We had a good laugh that time.
ARTIST’S HOUSE: Which actor has been your favorite to work with? What was it like working with them?
STEFAN CHAPOVSKIY: I know the usual practice is that I should call some big names, but I'd like to mention my friend whom I’ve worked with several times. His name is Paul Plesca; he is a little-known actor from the USA, but we are definitely on the same wavelength because we're both huge fans of the 80s action and sci-fi movies. Moreover, Paul is a very humble, talented, and responsive person who helped me a lot with my independent projects.
ARTIST’S HOUSE: What is your favorite food? Favorite snack?
STEFAN CHAPOVSKIY: Another good question. Most of the time I keep a low-carb diet with lots of high-protein foods like eggs, turkey and chicken breast, fish, and cottage cheese (zero fat). It helps me to be in good shape all the time, as well as my four workouts a week. So, as you might guess, it means some food restrictions. That's why one of my favorite meals I'm not often eating is just fried potatoes with a beef steak. As for my favorite snack: it's a protein shake, sometimes with banana, and I'm quite happy with this.
ARTIST’S HOUSE: What places would you want to travel to someday?
STEFAN CHAPOVSKIY: Actually, I am a big fan of travel. But the world is so big... I'd like to visit New Zealand someday with my family (we like The Lord Of The Rings so much). Also, I adore all sorts of jungles, especially if they hide the ancient temples, ruins… And I love the oceans and tropical islands, no matter what country.
ARTIST’S HOUSE: What do your days look like as an actor? What do you do, how do you prepare for a role?
STEFAN CHAPOVSKIY: It always depends on the role. Improvisation is not my style, so I prefer to be prepared in advance. First of all, it means to explore the source materials. Then, I analyze my strengths and weaknesses as an actor for that particular character I should portray, and start to work on those weaknesses mentally and physically, again and again, until I see that character in the mirror.
ARTIST’S HOUSE: Do you prefer to play the role of a villain or a good guy, and why?
STEFAN CHAPOVSKIY: Definitely a good guy. I know it sounds quite unprofessional for an actor, but at the beginning of my career I played a lot of bad guys, like gangsters, and hope I'm done with it. But another thing is how a “villain” becomes a “bad guy” under some circumstances; when the audience starts thinking: “What would I do if I were him?” Or the reverse: his transformation back to the “good guy” from the villain during the film. In both cases, playing a villain is really interesting. But a “pure villain” is not for my type, I guess.
ARTIST’S HOUSE: What is your biggest dream?
STEFAN CHAPOVSKIY: My biggest dream...hmmm… It's not easy to answer clearly. In a global sense, I'd like to see our world more happy. When all the people of our planet are united as one nation...no wars, no pollution, no terminal illness, no starving. Everyone does things that he does best, helping to develop our civilization. As a result, the emergence of new technologies allowing us to explore the distant stars and colonize other planets habitable for human beings… I grew up reading old-school sci-fi, you know. And I will always believe in the golden age of humanity.
ARTIST’S HOUSE: What are the best and the most challenging parts of being an actor?
STEFAN CHAPOVSKIY: The best one is probably to create characters and stories that could change the world. Or, at least, to change just one human—to make them stronger or kinder, make them laugh or even cry, to entertain or get this person to think… And probably, the most challenging is the same. If you don't care about that, being an actor, you're not an actor at all...maybe a talent, maybe even a “star”...but not an actor.
ARTIST’S HOUSE: What inspires you to write? Do ideas come easily to you?
STEFAN CHAPOVSKIY: A lot of things. Books, movies, arts, music, views of nature—all of that inspires me to write. Every time I go on vacation, I choose beforehand what book I'll take with me, what movie I'm gonna watch (or rewatch), what place I should visit. And I always take my copybook for scripts. Yes, ideas come easily to me, because I'm open to it all the time and even specially create suitable conditions for it.
ARTIST’S HOUSE: What advice would you give to people who want to get into acting or producing?
STEFAN CHAPOVSKIY: My number one advice: go into acting or producing if you just can't live without it. It's not a business or some guaranteed way to become rich and famous. And advice number two: always have a plan B. I mean any backup which will give you livelihood. Yes, we all know these successful stories that celebrities tell us in their interviews and talk shows, but for hundreds of these stories accounted for, there are hundreds of thousands of other stories much less successful. However, nobody tells about it in the “big show business” without becoming famous. Of course, you have to be motivated by the best in this industry. Just remember about the “other side”. And in case you're just really happy with this process of acting/producing/filmmaking, it's definitely for you. Go ahead, I salute you!
ARTIST’S HOUSE: What will you be up to next? Any plans?
STEFAN CHAPOVSKIY: Right now I'm working on further development of my sci-fi action project inspired by 80's movies: “War Gene”. The first movie (short), I released in 2020; it won three awards at various film festivals in the USA and UK last year. And I got the attention of a big film distribution company. Hope I'll be lucky to find partners for the War Gene feature film.
At the end of this interview, I'd like to wish all readers of this great resource to keep the balance between pursuing big dreams, and timeless values of human life.
FEBRUARY 2022