When renowned Russian bodybuilder Alexander Nevsky came to UCLA in 1998, he was 6 feet 7 inches tall and weighed over 300 pounds. And he had big dreams to match his 21-inch biceps.
“The guys (at the UCLA gym) invited me to be on the football team. … I was the biggest guy that you ever met on campus,” he said, chuckling. “I went to a workout once, and I just saw it and said, “˜No, guys, I’m 26. I’m too old for that.’ I already had different goals; I wanted to become an actor and I wanted to become a movie producer.”
Nine years later, Nevsky ““ his positive attitude and contagious ambition intact ““ has established his name in the entertainment industry and more. After producing and acting in “Moscow Heat” (2004), he is now promoting his newest action film, “Treasure Raiders,” which he produced and stars in alongside David Carradine (“Kill Bill”). Nevsky compares “Treasure Raiders” to “The Fast and the Furious” with its multiple-car collision stunts.
In Russia, after starring in the first Russian bodybuilding documentary, he became an overnight celebrity. He earned his doctorate at the prestigious Moscow State Academy of Management, authored five successful fitness books, and hosted a fitness television show called “Self-Made Man.” He wrote his first book, “How to Become a Schwarzenegger in Russia,” when he was 25 years old.
When theaters closed in Russia after the collapse of the Soviet Union, Nevsky decided to move to America to learn to act in 1998. He learned English at UCLA Extension and acting at the Lee Strasberg Theater and Film Institute.
“I understood from the beginning that there are a lot of people in Los Angeles … and all over the world who want to go to Hollywood and make it,” he said. “So I kind of had a different plan. In my life I’m trying not to depend on anyone but myself. I’m trying to make my own decisions.”
His independence certainly paid off. “Moscow Heat” went straight to DVD in America in 2004 and was a big theatrical hit in Russia. It sold in 62 countries.
Still a Russian citizen and contributor to Russian magazines, Nevsky has never lost touch with his home country, his loyalty to his fans never wavering. Nevsky makes it a point to portray Russia and Russian people in a positive light in his films by playing a Russian action hero ““ versus the stereotypical Russian “bad guy” in films such as “The Italian Job” and “National Treasure.”
“I know the truth about my country, and I know the truth about your country, and my opinion is people are very similar. If we talk about regular people, not about politics, we’re the same,” he said. “I became a bridge, a big muscle bridge between Russia and America. … In all my movies, Russians and Americans together fight against evil.”
Although he produces his films in English for the international market, they are a collective effort with Russian and American crew and actors and are shot in Russia.
This fall, after a recent festival run in the United States, “Treasure Raiders” will be released in theaters in Russia and Europe, and Nevsky aims for the same big-screen debut in America by the end of this year. Nevsky also hopes to organize a special screening and seminar of the film on the UCLA campus.
“A very important thing for me now is (to) inspire young filmmakers” Nevsky said. “If you want to make it, the big secret is just don’t wait for anyone to give you the chance because it is up to you. You have to give it to yourself. You have to believe in yourself. If you do, you can make it big.”
Nevsky effectively uses his celebrity in Russia and Europe to emphasize more serious anti-steroids messages (a campaign supported by Mikhail Gorbachev). When steroids were legal in Russia and Nevsky was an all-natural bodybuilder, he developed a Web site (AntiSteroids.com), dedicated chapters in his fitness books, and devoted segments of his television show to the dangers of steroids.
It’s no surprise that this bodybuilder, actor, producer and activist has often been referred to as “the next Schwarzenegger.” Nevsky loves the compliment.
“What I like about (Schwarzenegger): He is always hungry, in a good way. He never stops. I am trying to do the same thing,” he said. “I am trying to teach my audience to do the same thing ““ not to be afraid. … Just go and get it.”
Nevsky is in the process of opening his production company, Hollywood Storm, in Los Angeles. He is also currently working on two projects: an action film called “The Black Rose” and a thriller called “The Magic Man.” Wesley Snipes and Alec Baldwin are potential stars.
“When I moved to America, I didn’t have it at all. It was just in my dreams,” he said. “And I found a way to make it happen.”