The last role of Andrei Krasko, which we did not see: behind the scenes of the TV series "Liquidation"

The multi-part feature film "Liquidation", which many consider to be one of the best creations of Russian cinema, was released in 2007. For creating the image of David Gotsman, the head of the anti—banditry department of the Odessa Criminal Investigation Department, Vladimir Mashkov was awarded the TEFI, the Golden Eagle Award and even the badge "Honorary Employee of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine". In general, critics are sure that the huge success of the series is based on the successful selection of actors.

It is curious that the role of David Gotsman was originally written for a performer of a completely different type than Mashkov.

Mashkov prepared for the role with maximum thoroughness. About a year he lived in Odessa, where he talked for a long time with veterans of the local militia, met with representatives of the thieves' world, asked them about gang customs that existed in the post-war years. The artist lost 20 kilograms, got a haircut under the "half-box" and, they say, even after filming, he communicated for a long time in the language of his hero.

Svetlana Kryuchkova, who played Aunt Pesya, said:

Kryuchkova herself, like Mashkov, could not appear in the series. The fact is that the year before the shooting turned out to be extremely difficult for her. Svetlana Nikolaevna underwent two serious operations and clinical death. However, I managed to get in shape and felt very organic in the image of Odessa. More than once on the street she was mistaken for a local and asked for directions.

One day an exceptional case occurred. Kryuchkova went to the famous Privoz market, and while trying on shoes, her phone was stolen from her bag. In the voice of Aunt Pesya, the actress shouted to the whole market: "That's right, the People's Artist has arrived, and her right on Brought shamelessly robbed!" On the same day, the phone was planted in the bag of a woman from the film crew. The old-timers of Privoz have never seen anything like this before.

However, despite the Odessa atmosphere, which disposes to a fervent mood, the filming process was emphatically restrained. After all, on the third day of filming, the heart of Andrei Krasko, who was invited to play the role of a pickpocket of Fima, a half-human, stopped.

They say that Krasko arrived at the shooting "half-dead". Having been in Odessa is already three days old, he still could not adapt to the heat and stuffiness. The episode with Fima's death — an amazing coincidence — they decided to shoot in the evening, but the actor was unwell all day, and filming was postponed for a day. Common-law wife Elena took Krasko out of town.

There he lost consciousness. The ambulance drove for a long time, but still Krasko was brought to the nearest hospital still alive. On July 4, around midnight, the famous actor died of a stroke. It turned out that Andrey Ivanovich's heart was in such a bad condition that he could not fly to Odessa. All the scenes with Krasko's participation had to be filmed again. Except for one in which the murdered Fima is lying on his stomach.

The director faced the question of who would replace the deceased actor. "There was no casting," Ursulyak recalled. — I called Seryozha Makovetsky and asked him to come. He dropped everything and rushed to Odessa. I am grateful to him that he did not listen to any superstitious nonsense."

A year after the release of the film in In Odessa, a bronze sculpture in honor of post-war policemen was installed near the building of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Locals immediately nicknamed it the monument to David Gotsman. However, in the first few months someone stole one of the bronze pigeons.