On September 7 at 8:00 PM, the ICTV2 channel will air the premiere of the detective mini-series “ДВРЗ проти шпигуна” (DVRZ vs. the Spy), continuing the adventures of two beat-cop partners — Serhiy Bondar and Petro Dzyuba. In the new episodes, the star cast featuring Vyacheslav Dovzhenko and Vitaliy Ivanchenko is joined by the former's son, Ivan Dovzhenko. In an exclusive interview with Wave RBC.UA, the young actor explained how it feels to work on set next to a father “known and loved by the whole country,” and where his character's boldest line came from.
A Character Who Copies His Boss and Calls Colleagues “Pensioners”
Ivan Dovzhenko plays Anton Dolyh, a young officer whom the station chief Yushkov brings to work and introduces to the main characters. The character copies his superior and, from the very first scenes, positions himself as a temporary guest: he declares that he has his own ambitions and plans, and treats his senior colleagues with a hint of disdain, ironically calling them “pensioners.” At the same time, Dolyh has objective advantages over the “old-school” beat cops who work with lockpicks: he is fluent in the latest technologies — cracking locks, phones, and laptops, and tracking geolocation with minimal data. According to the actor, the conflict of generations became one of the key dramatic threads of the series.
“He Falls Apart and It Becomes Funny”: The Hero's Non-Linearity
Despite his initial self-assurance, Anton Dolyh quickly gets into trouble. He comes to work thinking he will save both the whole world and the DVRZ at the same time, but begins to “fall apart” and turn into a comic figure, realizing that he has “done something and ended up somewhere.” Ivan Dovzhenko emphasized that it is precisely this non-linearity in the character's development that appeals to him. The actor thanked director Taras Dudar for the chance to make the hero “unconventional”: “Yes, he is self-assured, but not only that!” Throughout the series, the trainee stays in his own clothes, which, by the screenwriters' design, underscores the idea that the beat cops still have to “catch up” with the new generation. Whether Dolyh will become a beat cop in the end — the actor left open, adding with a smile: “Well, whether he will become one is another question.”
A Special Agreement with a “Star Dad”
Working on set next to a father who is himself one of the project's main stars is an experience Ivan Dovzhenko describes as both pleasant and demanding of maximum concentration. In his words, every shooting shift is “the hardest,” but that is normal: “You must not relax; you are constantly working and gaining experience.” The key moment was an agreement the father and son reached before filming began: Ivan was to try everything himself and “bump into his own bruises.” Vyacheslav Dovzhenko promised to offer hints, but only after his son had exhausted his own options. “It's great when it works out, but sometimes you have to keep searching. Sometimes Vyacheslav gives a hint,” the actor explained. He noted that on this project there was not a single case where his father looked at him with disapproval: “Here I feel confident.” On the contrary, during his university years, at screenings, Vyacheslav would notice nuances and immediately explain how things should be done.
The Line “Pension!”, Born on Set
Anton Dolyh's boldest phrase — the exclamation “Well, pension…,” which he throws as he walks past the beat cops — was not written in the script. Ivan Dovzhenko admitted that he came up with it himself. “It fits, and I'm pleased with it,” the actor commented. In his words, the line organically fit the character, who adds weight to himself through irony toward his “senior colleagues.” The actor stressed that on set he was not merely playing a role but actively participating in creating the image, and it was precisely this freedom, granted by the director and his father, that allowed the character to feel alive and recognizable.
Vitaliy Ivanchenko as a “Second Mentor” and Other Projects
Besides his father, Vitaliy Ivanchenko became an important colleague and informal mentor for Ivan Dovzhenko on set. The actor had many shared scenes with Ivanchenko, who, in his words, helped and explained: “That was a cool take, but let's try it differently.” Ivan Dovzhenko emphasizes that for him it is “both work and training,” and although he realizes he is “green compared to them,” the chance to gain experience from such professionals is priceless. In the interview, the actor also mentioned his other projects: the film “На драйві” (On the Drive) about wartime Kharkiv and young people who find something new for themselves in cars, as well as the series “Мавка. Справжній міф” (Mavka. The True Myth), in which he had already filmed alongside his father. “It's good that there are projects, but I feel I still have a lot to learn. I'm grateful that people trust me and treat me with responsibility. I really want to live up to those expectations,” Ivan Dovzhenko summed up.
