The Culture Ministry of Ukraine needs to go through big changes, according to Yevhen Nyshchuk, the newly-appointed minister of culture.
The actor most known as the host of the EuroMaidan Revolution and 2004 Orange Revolution, Nyshchuk continues his acting career even after his appointment as minister on Feb. 27. It was at his recent mono-performance at “Suziriya” theater where famous TV host and celebrity interviewer Katya Osadcha took a hold of Nyshchuk and questioned him about his new job.
A theatrical actor, Nyshchuk made his first step into politics during the 2004 Orange Revolution. After that, he got the Honorary Artist of Ukraine award. Three months of being the voice of EuroMaidan stage events brought Nyshchuk the position of minister.
“I wasn’t doing any kind of election campaign at the Maidan and I wasn’t standing there because of politicians. Neither did Ukrainians. And certainly I wasn’t preparing for this position and I’ve been there not because of it,” the actor said.
When the host noted that it would be better to have an experienced manager at this position, Nyshchuk argued, saying that he was able to listen and perform well in extreme situations. He also considers the comparison of him with another actor turned politician, Bohdan Stupka, was an overestimation but said he will not fail at the minister’s position like Stupka did.
“I’m now creating a new team now to change the system of the ministry. It used to be kind of an event-agency for servicing different events of pesident and prime minister. It mustn’t be like that,” Nyshchuk said.
The actor turned minister also noted that he can deal with constructive criticism and hoped that this skill will prove useful at his new position.
“For example, Vyacheslav Vakarchuk (frontman of Okean Elzy) called me to say that he wasn’t supporting me being a candidate for this position. But we talked and he has changed his opinion to the opposite,” Nyshchuk said.
Apart from his career in theater, Nyshchuk is known for dubbing Hollywood movies. In Ukrainian versions Leonardo DiCaprio, Russell Crowe as well as characters from “Harry Potter” and “The Lord of the Rings” are speaking with his voice in the Ukrainian-dubbed movies.
