In the center of the plot of the series were the stories of four adult friends – Vera, Sophia, Alla and Yulia – with troubled personal lives. Due to this, the series covered another foreign TV hit on the same topic – “Sex and the City”. “Balzac Age” was openly called an analogy of the story of Carrie Bradshaw and her friends. However, this did not affect the popularity of the Russian series – and its viewers watched with pleasure. By the way, in 2013, a sequel was released – “The Age of Balzac, or All Men Are Theirs … 5 Years Later.”
So who did these actresses play and how did their fate develop after the series.
Julia Menshova — Věra Bolšová
Yulia Menshova got the main role in the series. As in “Sex and the City”, the story was told on behalf of the main character. Here, however, Menshova’s heroine Vera didn’t look much like Carrie. She was the most reasonable of the friends, worked as a psychologist and in her youth raised a 16-year-old daughter from a failed marriage. By the way, the parents of the heroine herself in the series were played by Julia’s real parents – Vera Alentova and Vladimir Menshov.
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Unfortunately, only Věra Alentová is alive today, Menshová’s father died in 2021. Julia herself continues to build a career in the media. She runs the YouTube channel “Menshova sama” and acts in theater productions. Even in the personal life of the actress, everything is fine. She is married to actor Igor Gordin and they have two children.
Lada Dance — Alla Prikhodko
The popular pop singer got the role of a criminal lawyer in the series. Her Alla was an independent, self-confident and slightly cynical lady – a type a bit like Samantha from Sex and the City. Viewers liked that Alla never gave up and always knew how to get out of the most difficult situations.
For Lada Dance, filming in the series was the first serious acting experience, and then, in 2000, she starred in several more TV series (although no longer in central roles). It is interesting that the topic “Balzac age …” was also close to Lada herself – in 2002 she had just divorced her husband Pavel Švirský, to whom she gave birth to a son and a daughter.
Today, Lada is reluctant to talk about her personal life, however, she admits that she is ready to marry again. He regularly appears in TV shows, goes out, communicates with fans on social networks. Recently, Dance discovered a new hobby – the singer is engaged in pole dancing.
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Zhanna Epple – Julia Shashkova
Zhanna Epple played Julia Shashkova, the most emotional and in love heroine in the series. She was downright unlucky with men, but she didn’t lose her romantic mood.
Today, Apple continues to operate, albeit not as successfully. For example, she got a cameo role in the new movie In the sun in the cornrows, but at the premiere of the movie she found out that all the scenes with her participation were cut.
Alika Smekhova – Sofia Babitskaya
Alika Smekhova played the heroine in the series, who was twice widowed and now dreams of marrying a rich old man.
The personal life of the actress herself was also quite suitable for the action scenario of the melodrama. She was married three times and the second marriage lasted only two months. The actress has two sons, one of whom was born out of wedlock in a relationship with businessman Igor Makarov.
Today, Smekhova is rarely removed, but she plays in the theater and sometimes appears as a guest at social events.
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