Efremov should have played a thief, De Pretore Vincenzo, and Tolmacheva should have played the girl that he loved. But we couldn’t come to an agreement on this for a long time.
We rehearsed with no less than three actresses, and we sent for Tolmacheva only after they had each been knocked off in order in a series of unlucky rehearsals. I don’t how what she’s like now, but ten years ago, she brought to every rehearsal such a beautiful nerve, which always transferred itself to me and forced me to be at the top of my game.