Elena Filonova: "When I first walked into the studio, I burst into tears and was scared"

Elena Filonova recently became the host of the social talk show “Reality of Life,” which is broadcast every Monday at 9:30 p.m. on the LIVE channel. But on the way to success, popularity in social networks and the long-awaited large-scale project, Elena had to prove to many people what she is capable of, and try her hand at different spheres of activity. How the anchorwoman managed not to break down, what emotions she felt upon entering the set of the project, and what she does when she feels tired and pressured of absolutely everything, the anchorwoman told in an interview for Woman Magazine.

Being the host of a large-scale show is both a success and a huge responsibility. How do you feel about hosting your own show?

It was rightly said, it is a great responsibility. When you host a talk show like this, you’re responsible for the whole process and everything that happens on the set. It’s very important what questions you ask, how you develop the theme, how the characters react, and how to calm them down at some point if the situation gets out of hand. You worry about everything, but when you already have a lot of experience, it’s much easier for you to cope with this task than those who are just starting out on the path of television. To cope with such a task, you either have to be a mega-talented person, get in the frame immediately and work it off, or gain skills over the years. After all, we can’t say we know everything in this life. Every time we take some experience, we learn something, we can never predict how the situation will go at this or that moment, when the project is recorded.

Did you make any special preparations for the shoot? Have you been working on your diction or your appearance?

I’ve had several castings on a TV channel. I prepared for the first one very carefully, even asking for help from Alexei Zalevsky (ed. Ukrainian designer, artist, film director, Elena Filonova’s uncle). In his studio, he taught me how to present information. It’s so cool to have people who want to support you, share their experiences and give advice to make it work 100 percent. But after spending the whole day waiting for auditions, at some point I caught myself feeling like I had exhausted my inner resources, and when I got to the casting, everything didn’t go according to plan. But later I was asked to come and try out for another project. I really enjoyed being able to share my own stories. I have that experience that I can give to my viewer, because we are not all-powerful so that we can do everything at once.

What emotions did you feel when you first stepped into the frame?

When I first walked into the studio, I burst into tears and was scared. I’ve never had one where I’m standing in the middle of people, cameras, spectators – but you need that emotion. You’re not indifferent to your work, you worry, and I showed it through emotionality, tears, worries. I’m very happy to have this experience, and when I shot my first program, I said: “I did it, I didn’t break down, I didn’t cry!” The second before the shooting you are still standing there with wet eyes, but as soon as the process starts: “Good evening, this is Olena Filonova and the show “Real Life” – you immediately get to work, as if you’ve been hosting this show for years. I really want my project to exist for a long time, to develop, and for our viewers not to look at any shortcomings. And paying attention to the stories and topics we bring up. After all, they affect every Ukrainian, because we all have some kind of history.

For a long time you had a desire to host your own show, but you were not considered for that role. Have you ever thought of quitting TV and just doing blogging/social media?

At one point I wanted to, but it was a momentary weakness. I am the kind of person who never gives up, and I rather wanted to prove a lot after a while to those people who did not see more in me, did not want, did not notice or perhaps on purpose in some situations did not give me the opportunity to develop myself and go forward. And now I can proudly say that I know how they, gritting their teeth, watch and understand that I can, can, have desire, strength and the audience is drawn to me. I have a huge audience all over the world. I was once told, “Lena, learn to wait. And we, Aries, are always running ahead, we want everything to happen quickly and instantly, we are afraid of losing time, we save it and know how to properly distribute. There was a period when I could have broken down inside and been out of work for two years. At some point you stop believing in yourself, but your intuition somewhere inside tells you that you should not give up, everything is just ahead.

You became successful and famous by your own efforts. Tell us about your journey.

Again, when you don’t go along with popular opinion, you’re trying to overcome some challenges yourself. When we were little, we might have fallen, hit our head on some object, but it all shaped our experience, our bumps, our bloopers, we all went through it. The main thing is not to be afraid, go and try. I’ve been working since I was 10 years old, and I’ve tried my hand at everything – peeling potatoes in a restaurant, selling fizzy drinks and onions at the market, working for my uncle, who was just starting out as a successful fashion designer, as a model, makeup artist, hair stylist, head accessories designer and even an art editor for a French magazine. The experience only grew with time, the main thing was that I was not afraid to try new things for myself. Because there are people who get hung up on one thing, doing what their parents want them to do. But man has a very great resource. I tried it and got to the top, I think. Last year I was even a candidate for mayor.

What do you do outside of work? Do you have hobbies that few people know about?

Turns out a lot of people don’t know that since 2016, when I released my first clothing collection, I’ve been a designer. I also recently got my own line of beachwear, so far there are only capes, but I want to continue working in this direction. I love traveling, just recently flew to Barcelona. Not everyone knows this, but when I get tired and feel pressured by absolutely everything, I buy a ticket and fly away wherever I can. For me, travel is an opportunity to discover the world, to get to know it in my own way, from the inside. After all, every day we live in a rhythm of home-work-family, where everything goes on a rut. Life passes unnoticed, we are in a capsule state in which we do not see anything around us. And travel teaches you more than anything else. Sometimes one day spent elsewhere yields more than 10 years of life at home. I love the fact that life takes place in more than one place, and if possible, I try to diversify it with my travels.

What does your day consist of? Is there any room in it for routine?

My day is not a chore, because I really love life. Every day I have something scheduled, for example, tomorrow – shooting two programs, today – a photo shoot to have content for work. I also shoot in projects where I am invited as a star expert. I recently starred in a music video with Arthur Bosso and tick-tocker Oleg Mashukovsky. There’s plenty of work to do, and I’m glad I’m keeping things interesting. People only see this kind of thing from a picture screen, but for me it’s real life. And in general, wrong words like “don’t want to,” “won’t,” “can’t,” “routine” I don’t use, because it drags us down, even when you just say it. I want to experience lightness, mood, romance, love. It may not necessarily be in your personal life, it may also be a love of work, to communicate with people. If something happens that leads to upset feelings, it is a temporary condition that, most importantly, is not accustomed to permanence. You can cry for five minutes, but from what? I want to cry tears of happiness, to miss the person I love when he goes away, for example. We want to experience pleasant emotions that bring positivity, not those that can destroy us.

Text: Maria Holotiy

Photo: personal archive of Elena Filonova