Do you remember the little girl that amazed the world with her pure beauty? Undoubtedly, we named Kristina Pimenova as the most beautiful girl in the world, and now she surprises once again with having her first role in the new thriller The Russian Bride, written and directed by Michael S. Ojeda.
From a young model for great fashion brands such as Armani, Benetton, Burberry and Roberto Cavalli, now the 13-year old Kristina has fulfilled her life dream to become an actress.
The thriller movie, The Russian Bride is going to be released in the U.S. on March 19th by Vertical Entertainment. The movie is about a young Russian woman and her daughter Dasha (Pimenova) who come to America to marry a reclusive billionaire, but they soon discover he is a madman with sinister plans and find themselves fighting for their lives.
THE RUSSIAN BRIDE also stars Corbin Bernsen who has also played in “Psych,” “The Dentist”, “Major League”, “Kiss Kiss Bang Bang” and Oksana Orlan who played in the 2002 crime movie “Lana’s Rain”.
Women Daily Magazine had the honor to make an interview with Kristina Pimenova, as well as the director of the movie, Michael S. Ojeda.
WDM: Who/What inspired you to become an actress?
Kristina: To be honest, there wasn’t something in particular that sparked the idea of me being an actress. Of course, I was inspired by great performance and etc, but what really made me want to act is the ability of living someone else’s life and sharing their stories with the world. It was something that I felt I would really succeed in, but also enjoy every second of it. Acting is the constant progress of learning, and that’s something that I value a lot. So it’s a perfect match.
WDM: What’s the biggest challenge about taking on this role?
Kristina: There was no challenges since Dasha is pretty similar to myself. However getting in her situation was hard. The pain and trauma that she goes through is so great that I felt it too. Also, doing a Russian accent was a bit weird. It’s so ironic, really, but I got in the end.
WDM: Can you explain more about your role as Dasha in the movie.
Kristina: My role as Dasha is one of a happy girl that goes through unimaginable horrors. Blood, violence, and death all these things come crashing on her, and she has been strong and fight through it. Which is the exact thing that she does. Dasha manages to survive in these dire conditions. It’s hard to believe such a sweet, shy girl can fight pure evil.
WDM: Did you mind that you were called as “The most beautiful girl in the world”?
Kristina: Being called ‘the most beautiful girl in the world’ felt exciting, but also doltish. I mean, everyone has different opinions and everyone on this planet is so beautiful you can’t even imagine. It’s the inside that shapes you. You’re appearance is just a bunch of tissue and bones, but what makes you is the goodness inside. That’s why eyes are my favorite, they’re like the windows to your soul. To conclude, I mostly think of it as a reward of doing well in the modeling business.
WDM: How comes the idea to include Kristina Pimenova in your movie?
Michael: The Russian Bride is about a mother “Nina” and daughter “Dasha” being lured to America in search of an escape from their hardship in Russian, but they fall into a millionaire mad man’s devious trap. It is a mother and daughter survival story, so I knew whoever played Dasha had to capture audience’s hearts if the film was going to work. We did a casting in Los Angeles and saw a lot of girls, but could not find a young actress who spoke Russian and had that very special magic. Our lead actress, Oksana Orlan, had stumbled upon a young girl on the internet and she reached out to me and said…”This is Dasha.” I had to agree she was incredibly adorable, she captivated me right away, and looked a lot like Oksana. But could she act? So, we reached out to Kristina’s mother and asked if she was interested in getting into movies, and if she’d like to audition. She said Kristina loved movies and that she dreamed of being a director one day, so acting was certainly something she wanted to try. Still, I was not sure she could pull it off, but I gave her a shot. I was amazed with how professional Kristina carried herself and how her inner beauty shined through her audition. Also Oksana Orlan and Kristina had an amazing chemistry. Kristina made my heart melt and I knew right away she had the potential to be a big star one day, and so I casted Kristina in the role.
WDM: How was it like to work with Kristina, what is she like?
Michael: Kristina was incredible to work with and better than many seasoned actors. Think about it, this little girl has worked in front of the camera since she started walking, so she was very comfortable with it. Kristina was able to lose herself in the moment, like a butterfly becoming this incredible and powerful dramatic force that captivates the viewer by bringing her emotions to the surface in subtle and poignant ways. She totally forgets the camera was there and became the character Dasha. I believe Kristina can be as big as Dakota Fanning if given the right opportunities. I would work with her again in a heartbeat. She is truly an inspiration as a person and an artist and I believe we can expect big things from her in the future.