Irina Alferova: how beauty became a curse and who saved the actress

Do you know what it's like to be seen only as a flawless porcelain statuette? To be sincerely admired for the form, completely forgetting to look inside. Irina Alferova lived with this feeling for decades. Her incredible, piercing beauty became her main curse.

A Siberian Beauty's Captivity

The inner cry: "Recognize my talent, not my appearance!" - accompanied the actress with a dull echo almost all her life. And it started long before the capital. Novosibirsk Akademgorodok. A local beauty contest, onto the stage of which young Ira was literally pushed by force. She resisted. She, a thoughtful and deep girl, absolutely did not want to become a living doll in a shop window. But the world had already made its choice then. It just wanted to look at her.

And this judging, superficial gaze haunted her everywhere. Becoming famous, she often caught herself thinking bitterly. People are so blinded by her appearance that they cannot see a living soul or talent behind this shining screen. And, perhaps, the most terrible thing is that these fears were not a figment of her imagination. Colleagues in the industry proved to her time and time again: you are here only to please the eye.

The Poison of Theatrical Backstage

Theater is a cruel place. But even by theatrical standards, what happened to Alferova resembled sophisticated bullying. The most painful blow was inflicted by Valentin Gaft. A recognized master, an indisputable authority. He wrote an epigram on her. Ruthless, evil, using frankly rude language. The essence came down to one scathing accusation. Your success on stage is not talent. It's just a pretty face and figure.

Imagine. You give yourself entirely to the stage, and the master publicly reduces you to physiology. It was a humiliation that she had to swallow in silence. To smile and pretend that it doesn't hurt.

And then there was "Lenkom" and Mark Zakharov. The relationship didn't work out from the very beginning. Just think: an actress who was adored by the whole country after "The Road to Calvary" and the incredible role of Constance Bonacieux, for years, day after day, appeared in the crowd. But even this seemed not enough for the director. The final chord was the offer to play ... a dog. A role without a single word. You just had to go on stage and bark.

For a proud woman who knows her worth, this became a point of no return. Alferova put a letter of resignation on the table. Zakharov did not miss the opportunity to strike one last blow. He threw at her back that he had never seen a drop of talent in her. And that she was on the troupe list solely for the sake of one person - Alexander Abdulov.

Three Attempts to Find a Home

Love in Alferova's life is a separate, complex scenario. The first marriage happened suddenly. The first year of GITIS, a random invitation to a reception at the Bulgarian Embassy. There she met Boyko Gyurov - the son of a prominent diplomat, a student at the elite MGIMO, a race car driver. He saw the Siberian woman and disappeared. The wedding was played right there, at the embassy. In 1974, Ksenia was born, named after Irina's mother. It would seem - a fairy tale. But Boyko needed a wife-function. A beautiful housewife, a keeper of the hearth. And Irina needed air, a stage, a movie. They did not give in to each other. The marriage predictably fell apart.

Then there was Alexander Abdulov. Seventeen years together. The most beautiful couple in Soviet cinema, at the sight of whom the audience's hearts skipped a beat. But behind the glossy cover was a daily, exhausting pain. Alferova admitted that in the last years of this marriage she cried every day. Abdulov's infidelities were not just rumors - they were a thick fog in which she suffocated.

Singer Viza later openly told how in 1989 she had an affair with the actor. And their meetings took place on "Sasha's territory", right in the apartment, while Irina was playing on stage or traveling on tour. In 1993, everything finally collapsed. Abdulov simply packed his things, went out and slammed the door behind him. And that's it. End of scene.

Mirror and Long-Awaited Salvation

The light at the end of this long tunnel lit up only two years later. On the set of the film "Sheriff's Star" she met Sergei Martynov. And this, finally, was not a flash that burns out oxygen, but a steady, warm light of a lighthouse. The third husband became her haven.

They have been together for 30 years. This is a union of incredible depth and acceptance. Martynov did not come alone - he brought two children from a previous marriage who had lost their mother. Alferova accepted them as her own. As she accepted her nephew, the son of her prematurely deceased sister. A huge house was filled with voices, bustle and real meaning.

What about beauty? The very one that has been a curse for so many years? Time, unfortunately, takes its toll. The mirror is a cruel interlocutor. It states facts. Internally, Alferova frankly says that the same young Constance still lives in her. But the reflection shows a completely different face. "Where did that woman go, who everyone considered a beauty?" - this question, frankly, worries her more and more.

Back in her 40s, she realized with bitterness: she doesn't like old age at all. She was about to have plastic surgery. She tried to hold on to the fleeting time, because her whole career was built on this foundation. But Martynov stood his ground. He sharply opposed any interventions and said directly: if you start cutting your face and changing yourself - divorce.

And today, looking into his eyes, she understands the main truth. Sergey loves her any. His gaze has not faded over the years. He sees that very Irina, her essence, and not the wrinkles around her eyes. Perhaps, this is the only real salvation from any fears. To be loved not for a perfect facade. But for who you really are.