The plot of the film seemed too dark.
It is difficult for viewers who have ever watched the drama “The Cold Summer of 53rd …” to imagine anyone other than Anatoly Papanov in the role of Kopalych. The actor did an excellent job, so thanks to his game, people began to empathize with the engineer convicted of espionage. However, a talented artist was invited to the film out of desperation.
Initially, the creators of the picture wanted to invite Vaclav Dvorzhetsky. But he did not want to return to the prison theme, since he himself served time twice.
Then the attention of casting directors was attracted by Gennady Garbuk. He performed well in the auditions and was almost approved for the role. But soon the artist himself refused to work. He decided that the plot of the film was too dark. Desperate after a difficult search for an actor for the lead role, the film crew decided to invite Anatoly Papanov. He was already a Soviet movie star, but agreed, and as a result, a strong social drama came out on the screens.
