Meet Oryna Petrova

— I am an actress by education, but 11 years ago, I realized that I was more interested in working behind the scenes, in casting. It all started with formatted TV projects (Ukraine’s Got Talent, X-Factor, Everybody Dance, etc.), and later, I headed the casting department at the Inter TV channel. It was there that I was first offered the opportunity to work on casting actors for the 60-episode project Ask Autumn in tandem with my colleague Ira Sultanova. That turned out to be an amazing and exciting experience, which ultimately led me to where I am today.

— Every project I’ve worked on is memorable and dear to me in some way, but there are two that left a special mark: the six-episode war drama Not a Step Back and the 20-episode sitcom Prepods. In the first case, we had to cast all the actors in just five days. But I was thrilled by the challenge of finding unconventional types since we needed actors with historical, wartime-era looks. In the second case, the task was not just to find good actors but true masters of comedy—actors who could deliver crazy lines with a deadpan face, just like in Friends. That’s not something every brilliant dramatic actor can do, and vice versa. There aren’t many Jim Carreys in Ukraine—actors who can shine both in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and Liar Liar. We are still waiting for Prepods to be released since, unfortunately, the premiere was postponed due to the pandemic.

— Ukraine has an incredible number of amazing, bright, and talented actors! Yet, some of them barely get cast in films or TV shows. And I still can’t understand why! For the project Not a Pretty Lady, which I’m working on now, I was looking for a male actor for a small role. And I stumbled upon a casting tape of Kostiantyn Mikhno, where he was performing a monologue from The Catcher in the Rye. I was captivated by how natural he was. It felt like he wasn’t acting at all but truly living in the moment. So impressive! The director agreed with me, and we cast him.

— Losing the work I love, and more specifically—losing interesting projects. I can’t say that every script I receive makes me go, “Wow, this is amazing!” Often, screenwriters in Ukraine are not artists but craftsmen who take a ready-made formula and simply fill it with repetitive content. Nowadays, the standard is creating content that people listen to with their back turned, while chopping salad in the kitchen. But I would love to see projects at the level of Netflix and HBO.

— I love traveling! It’s my greatest passion. So far, I’ve visited 21 countries, but I want to see as much of the world as possible. If I’m physically and mentally exhausted, the best way to recharge is to change the view outside my window. And it doesn’t necessarily have to be another country—just a new place is enough. The pandemic, however, ruined all my plans. We were supposed to fly to Lyon for a Rammstein concert, but it was postponed to the summer of 2021. But if it weren’t for the pandemic, I probably wouldn’t have visited Turkey anytime soon and discovered how stunning it is.

— It’s embarrassing to admit, but I rarely read books. I mostly read scripts! The last novel that left a strong impression on me was Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts. Before that, my favorite was Perfume by Patrick Süskind. I am about 70% a visual thinker, and words in my mind instantly turn into movies. While reading these books, the “movie” in my head was absolutely stunning!

As for plays, the first one that comes to mind is Dad, Did You Love Me? (Golden Gate Theater). I saw it twice—and cried like crazy both times because it touched me so deeply. I go to the theater for emotions. A play must be either visually stunning—like Vinõ, brilliantly performed—like Bad Roads, or deeply atmospheric —like Limerivna.

I also adore musicals and dream of working on a project at the level of Chicago or The Greatest Showman.