Narine Grigoryan: If foreigners watch an Armenian TV series, they will think that we are an uncivilized nation, with stupid thinking and bad actors
ABC interview’s guest was the artistic director of the Hamazgayin Theater, actress Narine Grigoryan. The actress believes that playing, even on stage, helps one remain a child. According to Narine, actors are, in fact, weapons, as they convey thoughts… After the loss of Artsakh, Narine, an Artsakhi by origin, got back to work with difficulty. Colleagues and friends helped her in that difficult moment; they simply forced her to get up and play…
– Who becomes an actor? Are they people who have character traits needed in the field, or people who have something to say and want to communicate it?
– I have noticed that shy people usually apply for the Institute of Theatre. It seems they should be very open, easy to blend in with the environment, and easy to express themselves. But quite the opposite: There is something hidden in them. Along with this, they feel that they need to tell others what is going on in their inner world. There are many shy people who almost do not speak in their first year in the institute; they are shy; but then many of them become accomplished actors. However, there is a stereotypical belief that usually the people who go into the theater are not shy. But that is not the case at all.
– Do the organizations, people who make low-quality TV series today, realize how all that can affect a country like Armenia? They sometimes reason that a TV series is a mere form of entertainment, and so important a role should not be given to it.
– It is a policy aimed at eliminating small countries, at making them simply useless, and those who impose this bad taste on people play in their hands, because a TV series is not a form of entertainment. I have not watched them, but I know that the neighboring state makes such TV series that people watch and think how great a nation Turks are, that they have conquered their neighbors and raised them to their height. Actors playing in their films look very attractive, and when people watch the films, they think what a great nation this is! They have adopted a deliberate policy. However, in our case, if foreigners watch an Armenian TV series, they will think, “What an uncivilized nation they are, with their lips filled, with stupid Eastern thinking, and bad actors.” They will definitely think that we are an inferior nation. But we are not like that, are we? And why we have decided to become like that, I don’t know, I don’t understand… I regret that I’m actually toothless; I am talking like this, but what can I do? That makes me very angry. I say, I talk, but those who do that, keep to that. They reason that people watch those kinds of things. Yes, people watch them, but have you heard what they say while watching? They complain, saying, “When is this endless TV series going to end?” People simply want to watch Armenian films and TV series; they don’t want to watch Turkish or Russian ones.
Interview by Lena Gevorgyan
