‘Sos Sargsyan’s presence strengthened us’ - Guzh Manukyan

The Armenian cinema and theater have been bereaved of their patriarch, the actor Guzh Manukyan said as he spoke of the decease of the renowned Armenian actor Sos Sargsyan.

“The most difficult thing is to speak of a man in the past tense. And it is doubly difficult in this case. Unfortunately, the ranks of our great actors are thinning out. And Sos Sargsyan was an actor whose talent can hardly be described in a few words. True, he has not been creatively active in recent years, but his life and presence have been strengthening us,” Manukyan said.

He regrets that he did not play with Sos Sargsyan on the same stage or in cinema, but an episode in the film Nahapet is the most favorite for the actor.

“All his roles were excellent. He was always sincere and devoted to his roles,” Manukyan said.

The actor and scriptwriter David Hakobyan, who is working at the Hamazgain Theater, which was headed by Sos Sargsyan, perceives Sos Sargsyan as a strong worker of theater.

“In 1990s, when no one had either strength or willingness to set theater back to its feet, he was able to unite people and accomplish that task with their help,” Hakobyan said.

Asked if the Hamazgain Theater will struggle for Sos Sargsyan’s dream to come true – getting a piece of land allocated for a new building of the theater – Hakobyan said: “Unfortunately, even the foundations were not laid during Sos Sargsyan’s lifetime. I hope the authorities will take a sober view of the problem, and we, for our part, must do our best for the theater to be built. The task is not to build Sos Sargsyan’s theater, but the first theater in independent Armenia. It will be evidence that the country has gained a secure foothold and can afford to construct a theater rather than cafes or entertainment centers. It is a problem of the state because it is only a country confident in its future and wishing to see it that can build a theater.”

Sos Sargsyan’s first role on the stage was in the play Medzabadiv Muratsganner (Honorable Beggars) staged by Yervand Manaryan.

The great actor himself told about it some two months ago.

“His story was so beautiful. I am happy that he played his first role in my play. His favorite role was Varpet Mkrtich in Egnar Aghbyur. He wished to play that role once more,” Manaryan said.

He highly appreciates Sos Sargsyan great contribution to Armenian art and his services to the Armenian nation.