Interview by Brad Balfour
Lots of immigrants from places like Ireland and Russia come here, not as a political refugee, a crime or abuse survivor, or to enjoy basic religious, social or economic freedoms, but to advance a creative career. This country has been a place to expand or explore your art whether it be music, acting or modeling.
If there’s any argument for allowing such immigrants to live and thrive in the United States look no further than to the story of Lena Cher formerly Elena Chernyavskaya.
Reaching the summit of Russian models, getting contracts to be the face of a product or be featured on magazine covers, she concluded that a move to the United States was her next step. Of course, it didn’t hurt that she could join a boyfriend moving to the States as well; after all, it doesn’t hurt to come to a strange place with a support system in place. And what a revelation the States was for her. New horizons were in sit and as expected in the States, opportunities were abound.
Well, the boyfriend didn’t last but she did and her career shifted to the next level. Of course, in coming to the States, particularly New York and Los Angeles, she had to decide where to go. For Cher, Los Angeles seemed the logical choice, and it was much warmer than where she was from.
Born on June 1, 1986 in Moscow, Elena Chernyavskaya started performing from an early age, taking ballroom dancing classes and dreamed of her own dance hall during her youth.
After graduating from secondary school, she got a job at McDonald’s, making fries and collecting orders. Her family was never rich so she had to make her way in the world on her own.
Thanks to a happy accident, she stumbled onto a friend’s modeling portfolio on social media; with her help, Cher made it to a modeling agency casting. In 2013 she graduated from the German Sidakov Drama School, but even earlier, in 2009 she debuted in the film M+Zh/Love Journal (where she played Lena.)
From there on, her appearances were highly rated and soon ad agencies booked her for many major brands, including Aeroflot, Nescafé Gold, Visa, Nivea, Subaru, Chevrolet, McDonald’s, Nokia and others.
Ironically, Elena even did a commercial for McDonald’s, her former employer.
Having done hundreds of commercials (videos and print), music videos, TV series and films in Russia, she became one of the most popular model/actresses in Moscow. She also was in two popular theatrical productions. She was also featured on the cover of Maxim magazine twice.
As the 30-something noted, “Years later, I certainly understood that I was very lucky to become a model and actress. This was a gift of fate. And I really really love what I do.”
She has found that modeling opened doors for her not so much because of looks but also because of her ability to play the characters handed to her whether they were for images in print or on computer. “I never dreamed about it [as a kid]. No one really said that I was beautiful. I was an ordinary girl, who, moreover, didn’t have many friends, because with all my free time I did ballroom dancing and didn’t go out with other children. The first time I went to the cinema, I was 16 years old.
“I often hear that top models in childhood were persecuted and not accepted by other children. It’s amazing how fate has developed, and now I am shooting a lot and am an ardent fan of the cinematic arts. Now, I dream of making my own movie.”
Q: When did you first realize that modeling could be a career not just an opportunity to dress up and play around?
LC: When I started making big money. The first four months I rocked and understood “what’s what” and [built] a portfolio. Then I quickly got involved in active work.
Q: What was the first job and was it in Russia?
LC: The first job was shooting for billboards for Nescafe Gold in 2008.
The first film work was also in 2008, through my modeling agency. There was a request for a cute playful fun girl in the “Love Journal” feature and I was cast. In fact, the filming process is not much different around the world, because as I noticed all professional productions work according to some established schemes or standards. Everything is clear.
Q: When did you feel you really had modeling down, that you were a professional at it and how did you know?
LC: When I started, I didn’t have high expectations or ambitions. I just decided to try modeling. Then, when clients, directors, casting centers began calling me to work repeatedly, several times in a row, and with some I have been working for years, I felt that they were returning, because I was easy and interesting to work with me. I gave my best completely and they began to trust me.
Q: What do you think you did that made them use you repeatedly? This was in Russia — how long did you work there? Did you have to re-prove yourself when you came to the States or were you able to build quickly on your Russian experience?
LC: I’ve got regular customers who were just happy to have found a person with whom they are pleased to work and want to be associated with their brand. And if it was a successful campaign, they are ready to work with you more. I worked in Russia for quite a long time, but I traveled a lot because of filming, which was very exciting. I have seen half of the world through modeling, if not more. It seems to me more. But for the last two years, I have been living in the USA.
Q: How much acting is there to modeling and what lessons did you get from modeling that you’ve been able to apply to acting?
LC: Good question… Through modeling I learned to endure, concentrate, listen and I try to make everyone around me feel comfortable. And sure, I quickly found my working side [hahaha], I think you understand what I’m talking about. Each model or actor thinks that one profile is prettier than the other. Acting gave me the opportunity to improvise more, to be more varied and interesting to myself.
The main thing is to relax and just be free. And you will look beautiful and confident in the frame. That’s all the secret.
Q: Now that you’ve been exposed to acting how has that changed your impressions or interest in modeling?
LC: My attitude towards the work process has changed completely. I feel more involved, interested in details, I try to do more than I can. I can say I became more responsible for my work.
Q: Are you studying regularly? I guess in Los Angeles you’re doing workshops and keeping busy with modeling?
LC: Yes, I am constantly learning, I am an eternal student. During the quarantine, things are not so simple with teaching schools, so I do a lot of things on my own and online. I love acting and dancing courses; even started learning to play the piano. And of course I continue to do modeling, I am shooting for various brands, as well as films.
Q: Was acting always a part of your personal game plan or is it something you transitioned into
naturally?
LC: Honestly, I didn’t plan to be an actress, but everything came naturally. My model agency periodically received requests from television and film projects for beautiful and artistic models. The roles given to me weren’t large at the beginning — they were even without words — and then after one of the auditions, they decided to give me a role with words. So I got into a situation where just standing and smiling was not enough. And I went to study. What I am very happy about, it absorbed me completely, I fell in love with acting.
I had a funny experience in LA a few years ago, in the very beginning when I started to know Hollywood.
It was the first time I was on a film set in Hollywood and started there. At one Hollywood party, I met the film director Shane Black, just at that time he was filming the movie “The Nice Guys” with Ryan Gosling and Russel Crowe. He invited me to come and watch the filming process. I spent half a day there, watching the great actors work, which was very interesting. Everyone was polite and attentive.
In the late afternoon, I had to leave for evening classes at an English school but Shane asked me to stay and watch the most interesting scene of the day. It was a bar fight. I thought, okay, I’ll stay a little longer, and at the same moment the assistant director runs up to us and tells Shane in his ear that they don’t have enough actors for crowd scenes. Immediately Shane looks at me, says, takes off my jacket, looks at my outfit and says, here it goes!!! And puts me in the frame! He was very supportive and did everything to make me feel comfortable.
What do you think about that?
Q: Is it easier to do both or do you hope to put modeling aside for acting?
LC: In no way do I want to give up either one or the other, and I still have a big dream to do a shoot for a major cosmetic brand. I won’t say the brand name but I believe that this can happen and acting can only help me to do my job better.
Q: Now that you’re acting, would like developing your own productions?
LC: This is also one of my cherished dreams. I dream of making my own movie. Actually, I already have experience in this, during my studies at the drama school we constantly shoot something and put on plays, but now I want to do something on my own, independently. I am also madly in love with theater, and I consider this kind of art is one of the most soulful.
A few years ago I already started staging the play A Doll’s House by Heinrich Ibsen in Moscow, but then it was superimposed on another parallel theatrical project, and I had to make a choice in the direction of developing myself as an actress.
So I hope when I have enough courage to stop filming for a short time and do something of my own, I will certainly do it.
Q: What was the most surprising thing you found in moving to the States?
LC: I’m still surprised at how beautiful this country is.
Q: And the hardest thing?
LC: English is not easy for me. I want to immediately speak perfectly and without an accent. But I’m going there, it’s one of my goals and dreams.
Q: What’s the easiest thing?
LC: I have been lucky with friends, I easily found them. That’s my major support.
Q: Have you traveled back to Europe/Russia and how does it feel now? When was the last time you were in Moscow ?
LC: The last time I was in Moscow was a year ago. And I feel this time very strongly, I feel that I have not been there for a long time.
Q: Has it been hard to find relationships in the states or easier?
LC: It’s hard for me everywhere, hahaha… It may sound harsh but I‘ve already lost hope to find mutually sincere love. I meet a lot of great people in their element but still… Don’t get me wrong, I’m not a pessimist at all.