Interview

Derek Blasberg: I have to say, you’re not at all what I thought you would be like.

Dasha Zhukova: That sounds offensive.

Blasberg: No! I don’t mean it in a bad way. But when you hear of a rich, powerful Russian woman, you don’t necessarily think sweet and approachable . . .

Zhukova: Who do you think of?

Blasberg: A James Bond villain. I thought you’d have an accent and that you would be really cold and definitely be wearing hooker heels. I thought you’d be mean to people and wouldn’t smile and that you’d wear really tight pencil skirts. You know, the stereotype.

Zhukova: Yes, but that is so outdated. I think it has a lot to do with Russia’s history, the reality of being a woman there, and the way that past generations of women had to fend for themselves. Women in my grandmother’s generation really had to rise to the occasion during the war. They were tough because they had to be.

Blasberg: Is the new Russian woman more chilled out?

Zhukova: Well, let’s steer clear of generalizing—it’s a whole nation of people. I do think that the new generation isn’t as hard as previous ones. But they will have their own problems. There’s this surge of new money, so those kids will be faced with something different.

Blasberg: How do you feel when people classify you as a symbol of this newly minted Russia?

Zhukova: The thing is, I grew up in L.A., so I had this unique opportunity to live in both communist Russia and see that life, and then move to
America as a young girl and experience a completely different life. I don’t really feel like I’m part of that category of new Russians.

Blasberg: What were some of the big differences when you came to California?

Zhukova: Before I was in California, I was in Houston, Texas. That was crazy. The very first meal I had in the U.S. was Froot Loops, and I was like, “What is this? We do not eat colorful circles for breakfast.” I was used to pancakes with meat stuffed in them. Everything was different.

Blasberg: Wait, why were you in Houston?

Zhukova: My mom, who is divorced from my father, is a molecular biologist. She really didn’t like what was happening in the medical community in Russia and the attitude toward the scientists. Once communism fell, to really make a living you would have to deal, essentially, with hustlers. Everything was up for grabs, and the hierarchy shifted so dramatically that my mother couldn’t find a place for herself where she was comfortable. Before, it was an educated group—the intelligentsia—and then suddenly you needed a whole different set of skills to survive. She just didn’t feel like she wanted to be a part of that, so she got a job in Houston because we had family there. I had no choice in the matter.

Blasberg: You went for the Fruit Loops.

Zhukova: Exactly. I did feel like I was going to Disneyland the whole time.

Blasberg: Why?

Zhukova: I guess that was the limited information about America I had growing up. You think of Mickey Mouse waiting for you when you get off the plane. And then, after being in Houston for two years, we moved to L.A.

Blasberg: How did you like California?

Zhukova: I actually fought my mom about moving. When she told me, I was so angry because I thought Houston was the best place on earth. I even threatened to divorce her, to be an emancipated minor, if she tried to move me. I think I was 12. But, obviously, I liked California once I got there.