Over tea and homemade jam in her Muscovite apartment, Aliona Doletskaya talks about her new role as Editor in Chief of the recently launched Interview Magazine Russia—the first international edition of the title founded by Andy Warhol 42 years ago. Previously heading up Vogue Russia, which she helped launch in 1998, Doletskaya ushered in a more sophisticated vision of luxury fashion in post-Soviet Russia, offering modern interpretations of the country’s rich cultural history and cosmopolitan horizons. While Hollywood heavyweight Leonardo DiCaprio fronts the debut issue of Russian Interview, Doletskaya also highlights emerging Russian talent such as actress Oksana Akinshina (Lilya 4Eva, Bourne Supremacy), precocious investigative journalist Ekaterina Krongaus, and model sensation Masha Kirsanova. “Aliona is keen on the idea of this new, youthful generation whose minds and identities are free from any memory of communism,” explains photographer and filmmaker Leigh Johnson, who was granted exclusive access to the editrix at home. “There is the feeling that with a clean slate anything is possible." In the spirit of Interview magazine’s raison d’etre, NOWNESS asked Doletskaya—who will also be launching Interview Magazine Germany in February—some meta-interview questions of our own.

Who is the one person (alive or dead) you would most like to interview? 
Leonardo da Vinci. Leo = my weak point. 

What question should you never ask in an interview? 
Who is your favorite designer/artist/poet/musician, etc. 

Who is your favorite Interview magazine cover star of all time?
See my answer to the question above. 

Describe briefly your worst ever interview experience.
I learn fast on failures and then forget them. 

What drink do you like to offer your interviewees?
Find out what they love beforehand and then adjust. 

“Off the record” means… 
Minus a good answer on this interview, plus one good question on the next.

The best icebreaker at an interview is… 
Drinking, fainting or tripping over something and falling into the hands of the talent. Or smiling. 

The best place to conduct an interview is…
Any place without people around.  

You can tell the person you are interviewing is lying when… 
Something appears in their eyes—but lies can also make a nice interview.

The best tactic for teasing out a confession from your interviewee is… 
To confess yourself.