The director had to give in.
Today, the cult film “The meeting place cannot be changed” is impossible to imagine without perfectly matched actors. But few people know that the performer of one of the main roles was imposed by officials.
We are talking about Vladimir Konkin, who played Volodya Sharapov. The authorities put the director Stanislav Govorukhin before the fact: Vysotsky will not be in the project if he does not approve Konkin. Vladimir Semenovich himself wanted his faithful comrade Ivan Bortnik to play the screen partner. As a result, he played the role of Blotter, a member of the Black Cat gang.
Officials looked after Konkin in the film adaptation of How the Steel Was Tempered. The image of Pavka Korchagin, created by him, greatly appealed to the bosses from the cinema. Therefore, they so persistently advocated his candidacy in the serial film “The meeting place cannot be changed.”
However, the patronage of officials did not protect Konkin from problems during filming. The actor often quarreled with Vysotsky, who was paid less per shift than the screen Sharapov.