---
title: "\"My First Superhero\": Ivan Blindar on playing St. Nicholas’s assistant, childhood miracles, and filming the Christmas movie"
description: "In an interview with Wave RBC.UA, Ukrainian actor Ivan Blindar discussed his role as Saint Nicholas's assistant in the film «S Mykolay ta Zahublenyy Lyst», the challenges of shooting with a CGI character, childhood memories of miracles, and working in a friendly team."
date: 2026-11-03T07:36:23.278Z
lang: en
url: https://xab.info/en/posts/ivan-blindar-christmas-film-s-mykolay-interview
tags: [ivan-blindar, christmas-film, ukrainian-cinema, saint-nicholas, interview, wave-rbc]
author: "Inna Kinsheva"
publisher: "XAB.info"
---

# "My First Superhero": Ivan Blindar on playing St. Nicholas’s assistant, childhood miracles, and filming the Christmas movie

![Ukrainian actor Ivan Blindar in a green coat with a fur collar during the filming of a Christmas movie](https://xab.info/media/2026/11/03/ivan-blindar-rozhdestvenskaya-lenta-s-mikolay-ta-zagublyi-lyst-intervyu/ivan-blindar-rozhdestvenskaya-lenta-s-mikolay-ta-zagublyi-lyst-intervyu-1.webp)

## Key Points

- Ivan Blindar played Lyubomyr, Saint Nicholas's assistant, in the Christmas film «S Mykolay ta Zahublenyy Lyst»
- The actor called working with the CGI character Casper the hardest part of filming because he had to act «with air»
- Blindar confessed that Saint Nicholas was his «first superhero» in childhood, which is why he couldn't turn down the role
- The actor spoke about his childhood discovery that parents leave the gifts, describing his «severe stress» and tears at the time
- The interview also touched upon volunteering, helping the military, working with a psychologist, and his relationship with actress Maria Stopnyk

Ukrainian actor Ivan Blindar shared details about his participation in the Christmas film «S Mykolay ta Zahublenyy Lyst», in which he played Lyubomyr, the assistant to Saint Nicholas, in a new interview with Wave RBC.UA. The actor joked about the change in his role: in the previous film «Vartovy Rizdva», he played Saint Nicholas himself, but now, as he puts it, «I must have done something wrong and got demoted in the hierarchy» to an assistant. Blindar emphasized that the story of Saint Nicholas is deeply personal to him: this very image became his «first superhero» in childhood, which is why he could not turn down the offer.

### Love for Fantasy and a Tolkien Dream

Speaking about what caught his attention in the script, Blindar confessed that he «loves fairy tales and fantasy very much», leaning more towards «adult stories» in the spirit of J.R.R. Tolkien’s works. The actor does not hide his dream of starring in an adaptation of the British writer's books, calling it one of his unfulfilled dreams. «If this were an adaptation of any of Tolkien’s stories, it would be another direct dream come true», he says. According to him, when «fairy tales happen» in cinema, he gladly participates in such projects, especially if they involve computer graphics and animation.

### Filming with "Air": The Difficulty of Working with CGI

Blindar called the scenes with Casper — a character that exists solely in computer graphics and is absent in reality — the most difficult part of the shooting process. «You are looking into a void. For me, this is the hardest moment because there is no full-fledged feedback», the actor describes. He explains that he was always taught to work «with a partner, for a partner, and at a partner's side», which is why interacting with «air» creates «a slightly strange feeling». Nevertheless, the actor emphasizes that it is precisely these scenes that make the work interesting and unconventional.

### Cast Ensemble and Friendly Atmosphere

The film «S Mykolay ta Zahublenyy Lyst» features a notable cast, including Tetiana Malkova, Artemii Yehorov, Viktor Zhdanov, Iryna Kudashova, Mykhailo Kukuiuk, and others. Blindar had the most shared scenes with Iryna Kudashova, as they play two assistants. The actor notes that there were no funny incidents on set and arguments «definitely» did not happen. «The team is very cool, there was a collective synergy, and everyone got along well, supported, and helped each other», he recalls. According to him, the project was «quite friendly», and that is something he «really appreciates».

### Childhood Miracles: A Remote-Control Car and Dad as St. Nicholas

The conversation shifted to the topic of childhood dreams, which is central to the film. Blindar shared that as a child, he desperately wanted a remote-control car and wrote about it in a letter to Saint Nicholas. Eventually, the gift arrived, but the car turned out to be wired rather than remote-controlled. «And I was upset at first. But still, it had a controller, it drove, it was cool», the actor smiles. A more touching memory is connected with his father, who often traveled abroad for work. Blindar wished for his dad to come home specifically on Saint Nicholas Day — and he actually returned. «There was no limit to my happiness. I truly believed in the power of Saint Nicholas then. It was impossible not to believe after that», he shares.

### The Moment the Fairy Tale Shattered

A separate section of the interview is dedicated to how Blindar found out that the gifts from Saint Nicholas were actually placed by his parents. This happened at school when he was around ten or eleven years old: classmates started saying that «parents put them under the pillow». The actor insisted that «such a thing could not be», and only after they «gave him many arguments» did he recall hearing and seeing his mom and dad put gifts under the pillow. In the morning, he had brushed it off as a dream, but school arguments brought the memory back. «And I had severe stress. I burst into tears. I remember coming home, and my mom came back from work. I said: „Mom, how could you? You lied to me...“» the actor recounts his childhood reaction. In the same interview, Blindar also shared personal stories about miracles in his life, spoke about volunteering and helping the military, working with a psychologist, and touched upon his relationship with actress Maria Stopnyk.

## Fact-Check & Sources

- ["Мой первый супергерой". Иван Блиндарь о работе в рождественском кино и личной жизни](https://wave.rbc.ua/ukr/insider/miy-pershiy-supergeroy-ivan-blindar-robotu-1793690729.html) - Primary source: a direct interview with actor Ivan Blindar published on Wave RBC.UA. All quotes and facts in the article are taken from this text. The source is singular and contains no contradictions.

## FAQ

### What role did Ivan Blindar play in the film «S Mykolay ta Zahublenyy Lyst»?

Blindar played Lyubomyr, Saint Nicholas's assistant. In the previous film «Vartovy Rizdva», he played Saint Nicholas himself.

### What was the hardest part for the actor during filming?

Blindar called the scenes with Casper—a character existing only in computer graphics—the most difficult moment. The actor explains that it is hard for him to play «with air» since he was trained to work with a real partner.

### Who else starred in the film alongside Blindar?

The movie also features Tetiana Malkova, Artemii Yehorov, Viktor Zhdanov, Iryna Kudashova, Mykhailo Kukuiuk, and others. Blindar had the most shared scenes with Iryna Kudashova.

### Why did Blindar agree to the role in the Christmas film?

The actor explains that Saint Nicholas was his «first superhero» in childhood, and the story is «very dear» to him. Additionally, he loves fairy tales and fantasy and dreams of working in such projects.