Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Anatolii Panchenko. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Alright, so we’re so thrilled to have Anatolii with us today – welcome and maybe we can jump right into it with a question about one of your qualities that we most admire. How did you develop your work ethic? Where do you think you get it from?
During my early years, I began working at the age of 14 in a factory. The value of diligence was instilled in me during my upbringing in Donbas, Ukraine, where I was surrounded by hard working people. This environment shaped my perspective and taught me to respect both effort and money.
Years later, I found myself on a set, creating stories with a dedicated cast and crew. When surrounded by a hundred crew members grinding away to ensure the show is great, I believe giving your absolute best is non-negotiable.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
In 2014, when the Russian invasion of Ukraine started in my hometown, my family and I relocated to Kyiv. After a year there and dropping out of University, I spent the following four years working on ships worldwide. Even though it was demanding, being away from home for up to 6-7 months at a time, I absolutely loved the experience. But I’ve always been obsessed with film, so I headed to Los Angeles and in 2019, submitted my very first audition in the industry.
It was for a new character in the fifth season of the spy drama series ‘The Bureau’ (Le Bureau Des Légendes) on Canal+. By some crazy stroke of luck, after two months of auditioning, I got the part of ‘Alexis Bakatine’ for the final season of the show. One of the best memories I have.
After wrapping up the series, I returned to Kyiv to continue my acting journey. There, I worked on the international sci-fi thriller series ‘Infiniti,’ portraying the character ‘Mikhail.’ The show premiered at the Cannes International Series Festival in April 2022 and earlier this year received a nomination for an International Emmy Award in the Mini-Series category.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
It’s really hard to say. The first things that come to my mind are incredibly hard work and resilience. But also, there’s a lot of luck involved. I think I just programmed myself that if I persist, I will succeed. The ups and downs can be so extreme; you have to be very strong to stay consistent and keep moving forward.
Alright so to wrap up, who deserves credit for helping you overcome challenges or build some of the essential skills you’ve needed?
In terms of skills, I guess I try to learn from everyone I meet on my journey: be it scene partners on set, authors and their literature, films, or simply by observing people around me.
My loved ones are the ones who help me overcome challenges. Without their support it could lead to really dark places while dealing with the challenges and lows of the industry.
Contact Info:
- Website: imdb.me/anatoliipanchenko
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anatolii.p_/
Image Credits
Anna Vialova Denys Lisovets Igor Tsarenko Steven Gargadennec Mio Moment
