"I got so scared that I started crying right on stage": 'Mavka' and 'Coffee with Cardamom' star Ivan Dovzhenko on the challenges during the great war

"I refused the series" — Ivan, we’re talking on the eve of the premiere of the series DVRZ vs. the Spy. Do you like to watch your own work? — To be honest, so much is happening in my life right now that I’ll probably only watch the first episode. The series was shot quite a while ago, in January 2026. What I remember from then is a huge amount of snow and terrible cold. Because of that, it even felt surprising, since no one was used to such a winter in Kyiv. Ivan Dovzhenko — You filmed together with your father, the well-known actor Vyacheslav Dovzhenko. People say the roles were written for such a "duet"? — Honestly, at first I refused the series. I simply wasn’t sure I needed a role like that right then. I thought I could work with my dad later. But the producers were persistent, they called back and said they had slightly changed the script. At first my character was supposed to be the son of a precinct officer, but then they made me a young intern who comes to the department. I agreed, and now I don’t regret it. — Was this your first time filming with your father? — When I was little I acted in one of his student films, but in the current times, this is the first, yes. I felt quite comfortable. Dad didn’t say much about my acting. He usually expects that I will make mistakes on my own and learn from them. We mostly talked about life and spent time together, because we see each other rarely. And that was very valuable. The shoot helped us finally see each other. In the detective series DVRZ vs. the Spy, Vyacheslav and I played partners — Have you been living apart for a long time? — I moved into a dorm back in 2023. — A bit of a strange move for a Kyivan… — Maybe, but I really wanted to break away from my parents. To feel completely different, to be close to my classmates. Of course, we still see my parents, visit each other, and it hasn’t harmed our relationship. "We heard aircraft in the sky, explosions — it was a shock" — You met the full-scale invasion during your first year at the theater university. — Yes, the university then closed, and many of my classmates scattered across the world. Classes resumed in August, and I returned to the university. — Didn’t you want to study abroad then? — Those thoughts existed even before the invasion. I went to Poland, studied the language, and considered it. But I felt very strange there; I felt calmer at home. So I returned to Kyiv with a firm desire to study at Karpenko (Kyiv National I. K. Karpenko-Kary Theatre, Cinema and Television University — Editor’s note). And when the full-scale war began, I only saw myself here, and that became my position. I think that then, at the start of the invasion, people were more united and kinder compared to what’s happening now. And in that energy I literally felt I had to be home. And I never regretted it. Also read: "I still haven’t gotten over it": TV host Kostyantyn Hrubych on ordeals during the great war — Where were you when the invasion began? — I was living with my mother and stepfather. A phone call woke me up with the words: the war has begun. I woke everyone up, but honestly, we didn’t really understand what was happening. No one believed such a thing could happen. Then we heard aircraft in the sky, explosions — it was a shock. We immediately went to my grandfather who lived nearby and called my dad. Then we moved to my grandmother’s in Lviv, and in March we returned home. — What do you feel now, in the fifth year of the great war? — The war is exhausting, and the enemy is putting a lot of pressure. Recently there was the premiere of Ivan Uryvsky’s play Odyssey, in which I’m involved. We couldn’t perform because there were constant alerts due to kamikaze drones. It got to the point where the theater’s general director, Yevhen Nyshchuk, came out before the audience and asked if they agreed for the performance to continue under the drone threat. The audience agreed. And so we, with two casts, were able to perform two premieres. We went on stage under alerts; one of them happened right when I was supposed to go on. That’s the new reality… Production crew of the detective series DVRZ vs. the Spy — Do you think about where you’ll be in two years 25? — Of course. We’ll see… Right now I’m thinking about what I have today. So it’s hard to imagine myself in two years. I live for today, like many Ukrainians. Am I afraid of what might happen in the future? Every day is scary here… — Over these years you quickly became a new Ukrainian star. — I don’t consider myself a star at all. You have to earn that, have a lot of quality work. I’m very pleased that I’ve been invited to projects. But I feel I still need a lot more experience. Of course my mom and dad are glad that I started my career this way; they’re even in shock. It all began in my third year, when I was invited to the casting for Coffee with Cardamom. Ivan says he still has a lot to learn. In particular, from his popular father, actor Vyacheslav Dovzhenko — Getting into the Ivan Franko Theater right after graduation is also really cool! — That’s when I felt what hate is. I realized I wouldn’t be able to prove to anyone that I took part in the theater competition along with other students. Four future actors from our course were taken in, myself included. I prepared diligently for the competition; I really wanted to get into the theater. I know I showed myself well. Then roles in the theater began, invitations to the films Mavka and On Drive. And then DVRZ… I’m happy that everything in my life is spinning. — They say acting helps you get through difficult times. — Yes, because you can focus on something other than the war. Rehearsals and run-throughs leave no time for depression. Also read: "We entered positions that were wiped out": 'You Are Space' star Volodymyr Kravchuk on years at the front — When did you first go on stage? — The first thing I consciously remember is when I was seven. I went onstage at the Franko Theater in the play Kaidash Family. I got so scared that I started crying right on stage. There was a fragment where the children argue. A boy asked me: “Why are you eating our pears?!” I was silent. I looked and saw nine hundred people in the audience who slowly started laughing. They took me off stage, and I started bawling because I was very embarrassed. But I had to go back out to the audience. After the performance, Natalia Sumskaya, who played Kaidash’s wife, started arguing with Motrya. Thunder roared; Sumskaya cried. And there I run out with everyone, run across the stage and sob. Natalia Vyacheslavivna was shocked and said, “God, the child is really crying!” That’s how my premiere happened, after which I told my mother I would never go on stage again because it was humiliating. But in the end I wanted to go back, I prepared, and then everything worked out. — What are you dreaming of on the eve of your birthday? — Everyone talks about peace and victory, but I sincerely dream of unity among Ukrainians. That’s how our victory will happen. My dream is for love and respect to return to society. And for myself… That my relatives be alive and healthy. Then I will be happy. Previously in FAKTY, the well-known actress Viktoriya Bilan spoke about betrayal and trials during the great war.