Season 3 of “ATP Carriers” series: a love polygon for Dovzhenko and Gladky

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Oh, what a handsome fellow our Semen Zozylya is! The sun hasn’t even reached its peak, and he’s already in the frame with a bruised face. He certainly knows how to get himself into trouble! Just like in the first season, dangerous and comical situations await the driver-partners Semen Zozylya and Artem Horbach, played by Volodymyr Gladky and Vyacheslav Dovzhenko.

– But it’s not his fault this time, explains Gladky. – Semen and Artem always try to help someone along the way, and their kindness gets them into trouble with bandits. They are like superheroes who help, but also suffer because of it.

The third season of the series “ATP Carriers” is currently being filmed. But you haven’t even seen the second season yet! And it will be released this autumn on the ICTV2 channel. So, let’s go behind the scenes of this road movie.

Semen got into a fight with bandits. Photo: ICTV2

A Season of Love

In the new season, Artem Horbach and Semen Zozylya will have to save both ATP “Rapid” and their personal lives. There will be many love stories – the scriptwriters have worked hard.

– My character, as a truck driver, is destined to live at a crossroads, always searching, says Vyacheslav Dovzhenko. – In his reality, there are no fixed points; his inner state constantly pushes him towards discoveries – so let him search, find, and lose… Yes, he will have love, of course!

The creative producer of the series, Felix Abroskin, explains that they have paid a lot of attention to the relationships of the main characters: Artem, the director of ATP “Rapid” Halyna (Vera Kobzar), Semen, and the logistician Katya (Anna Gulyaeva). So, the season will be exciting and positive.

– In addition, a girl named Violetta (Olena Oleynikova) will appear, who will stand between Semen and Katya, – says Felix Abroskin. – Violetta is the opposite of Katya, and she’s also rich, and Semen likes money. Halyna will start a relationship with a mysterious Spaniard. It will all begin with online communication, which, I won’t spoil it, might even grow into something more. And all these love lines will unfold against the backdrop of the adventures that happen to Artem and Semen on the road.

Semen (Volodymyr Gladky) and Violetta (Olena Oleynikova). Photo: ICTV2

Sushko and Horbach will fight for Halyna’s heart

But there will be intrigue. The guys will have a new colleague – a truck driver Yulia, a role played by Olga Atanasova. And since she will work for Mr. Sushko’s ATP (Dmytro Surzhykov), she will have to compete with Artem and Semen. And not just on the road.

– This story is quite intricate, continues Abroskin. – We have the main antagonist – Mr. Sushko. Just like in the first season, he wants to win over Halyna and get her company, so all his attention is focused on these goals. Artem Horbach, let’s say, will also set his sights on Halyna, and he and Sushko will have a fierce struggle for her heart. But Halyna has her own plans. There will be serious ups and downs for both Horbach, Halyna, and Sushko. That’s why Sushko will involve Yulia in this struggle.

– To seduce Horbach?

– On one hand, to seduce him. But Horbach is a handsome man. And I think Yulia will have genuine feelings for him.

– But even in the first season, it was felt that Horbach had feelings for Halyna.

– We also felt that there was chemistry between them, laughs the creative producer. – Both Vera Kobzar and Vyacheslav Dovzhenko are fantastic actors. In my opinion, they honestly portray the relationships of adults who have internal obstacles related to their past experiences. It’s one thing to fall in love when you’re 18-20, and another when you’re 45. Especially with someone with whom you have a long history and a past. Moreover, Halyna knows how many marriages Horbach has had, how many children he already has. She doesn’t want to be just another woman left behind by Horbach’s truck.

Horbach (Vyacheslav Dovzhenko) and Sushko (Dmytro Surzhykov) will compete for Halyna’s heart (Vera Kobzar). Photo: ICTV2

Volodymyr Gladky – a hundred percent Semen

As we discussed at the beginning, Semen Zozylya will also be drawn into new romantic feelings.

– Yes, he will have a passionate infatuation. He’s actually a fickle guy. He seems to love Katya, but at the same time, he wavers sometimes. A little bell, wherever it rings, that’s where he is, laughs Volodymyr Gladky. – He always gets into paradoxical situations because he talks about love, but at the same time, he does foolish things. In principle, my whole character is built on this: he creates problems himself, solves them himself, and sometimes gets even more entangled. But T’oma is there, and somehow together they get out of these situations. It’s the same with love. We won’t spoil it now, but let’s just say, it will all end well for Semen.

The actor is so natural in this role that it seems he’s not acting but simply living. He jokes both in life and on screen.

– Sometimes we even change scenes upside down because we add something. I’ve simply realized: no matter the story, the most important thing for me is to infuse any scene with humor as much as possible, says Gladky. – Of course, I didn’t graduate from the institute of humor with honors. Sometimes the jokes are terrible, stupid. But sometimes, you say something! Our director Anya Hres even said: “Vova, you’ll end up in hell and will have to edit all the scenes yourself” (laughs). I can change everything around, and even add a whole monologue at the end.

– This is a hundred percent Vova’s role, adds Abroskin. – Vova and I are friends, and I know what he’s like off-camera. Vova doesn’t drink alcohol, doesn’t smoke; in this, he’s the complete opposite of Semen. And in life, he’s an absolutely positive person. And Vova’s positive attitude has transferred to Semen. His positive energy fits the character perfectly. I’m absolutely sure: if it were another actor, his character could easily have been drawn into negativity. And in general, this story wouldn’t have looked so kind and positive. So Vova is a hundred percent fit and a hundred percent Semen. Without diminishing the scriptwriting skills of the authors, of course, but Vova is a real find. I love him very much.

Vyacheslav Dovzhenko and Volodymyr Gladky. Partners in the series and friends in real life. Photo: ICTV2

ATP “Rapid” – a real enterprise in DVRSZ

The fictional ATP “Rapid” is located at the base of the real enterprise “Rapid” in the DVRSZ district of Kyiv. Unfortunately, in July, the company suffered damage due to Russian shelling.

– There was a hit, trucks burned, and our working truck was partially damaged when our insane neighbors started shelling the warehouses. The filming location was also affected, says Felix Abroskin. – This also significantly complicated the filming, as we had night shifts at the warehouses. And every air raid alert means an automatic pause in filming, because you don’t know where they will strike next.

So, sometimes, the filming process has to be reorganized so that filming doesn’t stop.

– That’s why part of the night filming days at the warehouses were canceled due to risks, explains the creative producer. – After all, money is invested in this, the crew is called, equipment is brought in, actors who need to be paid arrive, and then an 8-hour air raid alert begins – and this means significant downtime. Mamas Film Production company is coping with all this and managing in such extremely difficult conditions – sincere thanks to them, as well as great respect to the Armed Forces of Ukraine, who protect us and thanks to whom we have the opportunity to film at all!

As for our drivers, neither Dovzhenko nor Gladky drive their famous truck.

– A truck is a specific vehicle, explains Abroskin. – The guys focus exclusively on their acting tasks. Actors need to play the scene, not think about the dimensions, how to shift gears, and so on. This is a very difficult task for those who don’t do it every day. Neither Slava nor Vova drives a truck every day.

The new truck driver Yulia is played by Olga Atanasova. Photo: ICTV2

Songs performed by Dovzhenko

As we heard in the first season, the series’ special feature is the songs performed by Vyacheslav Dovzhenko.

– Slava will sing in both the second and third seasons, adds Felix Abroskin. – It would be a crime not to use his vocal talents. I even joked that with such success, we would have to book filming time for Vyacheslav, because people would demand concerts. I’m sure if he wants to sing, he will succeed. And he will become a pop star yet.