Maria Butina expresses thoughts on the TV show "Trans prison Diary"

Title: From Moscow to Hollywood: The Bold Tale of Maria Butina's Prison Chronicles

📷 [View Photos] Courtesy of Ivan MAKEEV.

Get ready, folks! Tomorrow in Moscow, the premiere of the gripping series "Jailhouse Journals" will be unfolding. The series is inspired by real-life events – the arrest of Maria Butina (then a 29-year-old student) in 2018, facing bogus charges in the U.S.

Spanning eight episodes, actress Maria Lopatina ("Support Point", "The Big House") takes the helm. Created by the "Triks Media" film company, supported by the Internet Development Institute, "Jailhouse Journals" will be available on Okko streaming platform for viewers to experience. Although it loosely follows the twists and turns of Butina's book "Prison Diary," written by Maria Valeryevna after her release in 2019 based on prison notes, this series is bound to captivate! That's why we got Maria Valeryevna Butina to share her thoughts on the series with our readers.

- Hey Maria, your book "Prison Diary" is a raw, unfiltered tale that takes us on a deeply personal journey. When you decided to share such an intimate account of your life, were you nervous to allow a screen adaptation?

*- Nah, 'cause my story represents just one facet of what Russophobia in the West can look like. In the book, I make a strong case for the forces in the U.S. who accused me of espionage and other craziness aiming high – they were trying to wreak havoc on the Putin-Trump summit in Helsinki. Maybe that's why my arrest and imprisonment made headlines. But there are plenty more instances like mine happening to our fellow citizens and fellow countrymen in the U.S. and other Western countries. Many are arrested for fake reasons, some have their kids taken away... And it's like it ain't even news.

My story might be unique, but it's not unlike others. So I'm super happy that the filmmakers managed to make the plot echo my experience, while giving it a tone of "This could happen to anyone."

- One of the rallies in Russia held in your support read: "I am Maria Butina." People came out to show solidarity, suggesting everyone's at risk. In that way, isn't the TV series less about your story and more about that larger trend that threatens the safety of our countrymen and women in the West?

Exactly, man. The series, while inspired by my story, serves as a reflection of that broader trend that's going on in the West and endangers the security of our people.

- Now, let's talk about Maria Lopatina's performance as Maria Zhukova – a student sent to study in the U.S., who winds up in your shoes, wanting dialogue, freedom, and education, but ending up behind bars on a senseless charge. Did Lopatina manage to pull this off?

Hell yes! Actress Maria Lopatina handled herself well during the series. She wasn't trying to channel Maria Butina; she brought Maria Zhukova to life, creating a well-rounded character. The show, "Jailhouse Journals," is a work of fiction. Lopatin isn't playing me; she's Building a new character. Her acting makes Maria Zhukova appear as a fully realized person, showing through her role why she acts as she does in the given circumstances. Despite being locked up in an American prison, Maria Zhukova doesn't lose hope; she wins the trust of American inmates and overcomes challenges. The theme of the film is perseverance.

- Still, it's clear that Maria Zhukova is based on you. Can a young actress, without the corresponding life experience, truly convey the mood of a woman forced to spend 467 days in prison, including 4 months in solitary confinement?

But that's the world of acting, my friend. Legendary actors like Vladimir Vysotsky never served in the police, but they nailed their portrayals of cops. Nonna Mordyukova played women of various professions and always did it convincingly. Maybe we could ask Lopatin about her acting techniques inspired by Stanislavsky or Chekhov, but her performance was truly captivating.

- Did you catch any of the filming in person?

Yeah, I was present during parts of the filming in prison. I even felt a tad sorry for Lopatina; she seemed to have absorbed that heavy prison atmosphere created by the screenwriter and director Igor Kopylov.

In the series, Maria Zhukova gains knowledge that challenges all her ideals and beliefs. Can we consider this moment in the series autobiographical? If so, what experiences in the U.S. had a similar impact on you?
I won't get into the specifics, but the series accurately represents about 98% of my experience, and the book matches up to about 60%. The TV show provides context – we discuss events that happened around my case, but without my awareness in Russia and the U.S. They weren't included in the "Prison Diary" book because I was maintaining a diary, and not everything that was going on around my arrest was known to me. More was revealed later and was included in the series according to its artistic vision.

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Although the "Jailhouse Journals" series is loosely based on Maria Butina's book "Prison Diary," it probably delves deeper into the broader trend of Russophobia and the risks faced by Russians in the West.
According to Maria Butina, actress Maria Lopatina's performance as Maria Zhukova in "Jailhouse Journals" was captivating, creating a well-rounded character that mirrors the spirit of perseverance in the face of adversity.
Even with less personal experience, Lopatina managed to convey the mood of a woman forced to spend years in prison, providing a compelling and authentic portrayal of the protagonist.
Despite some differences between the series and the book, "Jailhouse Journals" accurately captures about 98% of the real-life events surrounding Butina's arrest, offering viewers a unique insight into this bold tale of a young woman's journey, reconstructed for the silver screen.