Just being on a Jon Favreau set made quite an impression on Monzikova, who's not just interested in spending time in front of the camera. She's currently writing and producing a short film, and someday wants to direct. And in our exclusive interview, Monzikova talked about her time working on Iron Man 2 and what she learned from Jon Favreau.
Anya Monzikova Interview
How does it feel to be a part of one of 2010's most anticipated films?Anya Monzikova: "I know, it's pretty awesome I got to say. But my part is small, it's not one of the leads, but I’m happy either way."
You don’t have to have a lead in Iron Man 2 because everybody in Jon Favreau's films gets a moment to shine. That’s just the way Jon Favreau works, isn’t it?
Anya Monzikova: "Yes, he does. He is an amazing director and very giving, so it’s cool."
And I understand that you were asked to actually help him a little bit behind the camera.
Anya Monzikova: "Yes, I got to do a little bit of translating for Scarlett Johansson’s character because I’m fluent in Russian. Jon was like, 'Hey, could you translate this for us?' And I helped her with the dialect and her pronunciation. That was pretty much it. Actually then after that he asked me to pick which clip sounded good with the set up and the pronunciation, which was a pretty amazing moment for Jon Favreau to ask me my opinion. Asking me which clip is the best I’m thinking, 'Are you serious? Are you really asking me this now?' For me, it was a rewarding moment."
Wasn’t that kind of stressful though thinking, "Oh I can’t mess this up because he’s depending on me”?
Anya Monzikova: "Kind of, a little bit. [Laughing] It’s kind of hard to screw up Scarlett Johansson."
How was Scarlett Johansson's accent?
Anya Monzikova: "I have to say she’s not that great in Russian. [Laughing] The Russian language is really tough. For someone that doesn’t speak it, the pronunciations can be hard. She did pretty good considering."
You grew up in Florida so is it easy for you to fall back into that Russian dialect?
Anya Monzikova: "Yes, I left when I was seven and a half or eight years old, and my mom has a really heavy accent. So I just call her and ask her speak some lines that I have to do a Russian accent saying, 'Mom, can you do this.' I still read and write and am fluent and get to go back often. I keep up with my language."
And you can do other accents?
Anya Monzikova: "I can do British, Southern, and a little bit of French. My French is a little bit worse than my British."
Do you pick up accents easily?
Anya Monzikova: "I think so. I have gotten some help. I bought those CDs that help teach you to speak with an accent. So I’m the crazy person talking to myself in the car going from audition to audition. I try to do the accents and keep it fresh. People stuck in traffic are probably thinking, 'What is wrong with that girl?' I try to do the accents and keep it fresh."
So tell me about life on the set of an Iron Man movie.
Anya Monzikova: "It’s a pretty big production, with the budget they had. I know they rented out the entire Raleigh studio just for this one film. It was pretty cool to be a part of such a big blockbuster or a huge film like this, it is quite the production."
Are you allowed to say anything about the scene that you have or do you have to keep it hush hush?
Anya Monzikova: "I have to keep everything hush hush. They made me sign my life away. It is a really cool climatic scene, and I can tell you my experience working with the actors was amazing. It will be a really fun scene. I am excited to see what comes out of this. Hopefully, it's good! I bet it will be."
Were you a fan of the original Iron Man movie?
Anya Monzikova: "Oh yeah, I’m such a geek. I love all Marvel comics and anything that has to due with action films. I’m totally into that genre."
You’re a geek? Did you read the comics?
Anya Monzikova: "I didn’t, but I love all the films. Then I read up on the characters or I’ll get a script for a certain film and I’ll do all my studying for it, and I really get into it."
It says in your biography that you're really into martial arts.
Anya Monzikova: "Yes, it’s fun and it’s a good way to keep me interested in working out. I’ve been out of it for a little while now, but I’m planning to get back in. I’ve had a bit of a hip and knee injury and it’s really grueling on your joints. Especially with the long hours and the movements and they way they are. I had a little bit of an injury that needed to heal so I took some time off. Then I started working so much that I didn’t even have time to go back to the studio to train. Since talking more about it I’ve missed it more and more, so I am going to get back in and start training again soon. I’m really excited about it."
When your looking at scripts at this point, are you looking for projects that allow you to take advantage of that kind of skill? Are you looking for more action roles?
Anya Monzikova: "If something comes my way, yes, definitely, if it is a good role and a good script. I love it because it allows me to use it, and my agent definitely likes that I have it on my resume to pitch me for it. It’s not the only thing I’m interested in though. I definitely wouldn’t limit myself to just that."
