The Soviet cinema star failed the entrance test.
The famous actor Vladimir Etush trained more than one generation of future artists. He worked at the Shchukin Theater School, where he rose from the position of an ordinary acting teacher to rector, and then to artistic director. But, like any other person, Vladimir Abramovich sometimes made mistakes in his work.
In 1948, Etush was a member of the selection committee. When twenty-year-old Yuri Yakovlev appeared in front of him, the teacher categorically rejected his candidacy.
“To factory!” — that’s all the artist said.
Before Shchuka, Yakovlev had already been rejected from VGIK because of his “non-cinema” appearance.
Fortunately, Etush’s opinion did not kill the young actor’s career. He was nevertheless accepted into the school, on a “conditional” basis: Yakovlev promised to study without a single mistake. The artist later admitted that he worked on his acting skills throughout his career.
