Yura Borisov, photographed by Myles Pettengill.
When Anora premiered at Cannes last spring, the attention rightfully went to Mikey Madison, who delivered a knockout performance as a New York stripper who gets tangled up with a Russian oligarch’s son. But now that the Palme d’Or winner is hitting theaters, people are catching on to one of director Sean Baker’s other great discoveries, the Russian actor Yura Borisov. Already a star back home (some of you might recognize him from his role in the Finnish movie Compartment No. 6), the 31-year-old actor brings surprising depth to Igor, a quiet Russian henchman tasked with keeping Madison’s fiery protagonist in check. With the movie looking like a major Oscar contender, Borisov—who’s getting his own share of Best Supporting Actor buzz—will be everywhere for the foreseeable future. Lucky us.
———
BEN BARNA: Hi. Is it late there?
YURA BORISOV: It’s Moscow. Yeah, it’s already night here and autumn.
BARNA: I’m sorry for keeping you up then.
BORISOV: It’s okay. If you want to, I can show you autumn leaves.
BARNA: Please.
BORISOV: Yeah, it’s lot of leaves already everywhere.
BARNA: Thanks for taking the time to talk to me. Do you enjoy giving interviews? You’ve been working in the Russian film industry for a while, but does this feel new to you?
BORISOV: It’s maybe not so much interviews in Russia. We do more long interviews sometimes, like one hour for example, and it’s more talking deeply. But in Toronto, every 10 minutes, we did a new interview, and that was new for me because after two hours, there’s already been like 12 people. It’s crazy.
BARNA: And everyone’s asking the same question.
BORISOV: Absolutely. The same questions and the same answers.
BARNA: You’re receiving a lot of acclaim for your performance in Anora. People really love Igor. What do you think of your performance?
BORISOV: I don’t know. I’m not separating my performance from the film in general because it’s like you can see the, I don’t know, tree and see only to one leaf for example. Because it’s a tree, and it’s all the same. I’m happy that I’m part of this great film.
BARNA: Did the finished product surprise you in any way, or was it what you had imagined it would be?
BORISOV: I don’t know. It’s not easy to understand because of course, I know this story, I know the script and the characters. But at the same time, I see an absolutely different universe. It’s like magic, because film, for me—it’s a director’s art form, firstly because of editing. It’s like a director’s speech. And when I saw the movie, talking with Sean, it was a surprise because when you read the script, it’s like a map of your journey. And when I saw the movie, it was already the journey.
BARNA: Are people talking about the movie in Russia? Was there an awareness that it won the Palme d’Or at Cannes?
BORISOV: Yeah. A lot of people in Russia were very happy about this, and congratulated me in the shops, some at gas stations, on the streets.
BARNA: Really?
BORISOV: Yeah, because it is like a win at the Olympic Games, for example.
BARNA: Wow.
BORISOV: Yeah. I was so happy that people were so happy about this. Really, really, absolutely. It’s very cool. I feel proud of this. When someone talks to me, and I feel proud. And tomorrow will be premiere in Moscow, and after one week it will come to all screens in the country. I hope so.
BARNA: What do you mean by you hope so?
BORISOV: [Laughs] No way. Next time. I’ll answer next time.
BARNA: [Laughs] Okay. Sean [Baker] is well known for casting non-actors, and actors that U.S. audiences are discovering for the first time. How did he find you?
BORISOV: So Sean was at the Cannes Festival with his film Red Rocket in 2021. And I was there with Compartment Number 6. We won the Grand Prix that year. And one year after this festival, he called me and suggested we work together on this film. That’s it.
BARNA: That’s it?
BORISOV: After that, we started to discuss the script, and he sent me the script. We start to discuss all characters, their history, my character, and start our interesting journey.
BARNA: So you didn’t have to audition at all?
BORISOV: Yeah, he said “I am preparing my next script and I have a role for you. Do you want to do it?” Yeah.
BARNA: Does he give you a lot of backstory for Igor? Because in the film, you don’t know that much about him.
BORISOV: Sean just says that that guy lives in Brighton Beach, and shows me some house where he lives. It’s a big house, like more than 20 floors. And he’s from Russia. He lived with his grandmother. And we started to discuss his story, why he moved from his place, how long ago did he move, what is his goals are, and what did he try to find there in America and in New York, and what is his dream, and what is his problem, and what is his pain. And his dress. I like his shoes.
BARNA: Is Igor a familiar type of person to you? Did you recognize anything in him? .
BORISOV: Of course, I know the type, but it’s specific. It’s a person. It’s unique, and that’s why you have to find this soul. You know?
BARNA: I do.
BORISOV: Which there is only one in the universe. It’s the most interesting part of my job, finding the soul.
BARNA: Interesting. How did you find working on an American set? Were there any cultural differences that you had to get used to or is making a movie the same no matter where you are?
BORISOV: Of course, it was not so simple because of language, first of all. But at the same time, it’s all process. I know this process because I’m an actor already for 16 years, and I’m like a fish underwater, and I like it. That’s why for me it’s okay. Only new language, and the rest is the same.
BARNA: Okay.
BORISOV: And Sean was very open to us, and people from our crew could feel that Sean open to us, and that’s why everybody was open to us, too. For me and Mark [Eydelshteyn], because first days, we were like aliens.
BARNA: It felt like that the first day?
BORISOV: Yes. Because you are in a new place with new rules. It’s kind of the same, but not the same. And it’s very interesting between our cultures, because we look the same, but it’s not. And it’s very, very interesting to try to understand. So finally, after a couple days, it was absolutely okay. And Sammy, it’s Sean’s wife, she was very open to us too, helped in any points which we need. And Alex Coco, our producer, helped us. So everybody wanted to do this film, and everybody loved this process, and that’s why we didn’t feel troubles or uncomfort.
BARNA: Speaking of the cultural differences, are you getting used to promoting the movie in America? You’re doing red carpets, interviews, special screenings, parties, meeting Hollywood actors, and this is all before awards season has really kicked off. How have you been processing it?
BORISOV: Yeah, I am not fully okay with this. [Laughs] It’s just part of life, and I can’t separate. All people are interesting for me. People from the street or people from the film industry, or very famous people or people from somewhere else. It’s all very interesting. I wish the film all the awards which are possible, for Sean and for Mikey and for Mark. And that’s why I want to do that I can for all of us because I understand that in America, it’s a very important part of film, all these premieres and talkings, and interviews, and meetings. Yeah. I’ll do the best what I can.
BARNA: We had Mikey in the magazine recently, and she said about you, “He lives his character fully in his bones. It would kind of scare me. I’d look over and I’d see his eyes and it would really shock me. He’s one of the most soulful actors I’ve ever worked with.” Does that resonate with you?
BORISOV: Yeah, really I can say that we were different schools of acting with Mikey, and I absolutely can’t understand how she works because she could turn on in one second when Sean says “Action.” She’s just waiting and looks very relaxed, and in one second, she just turns on. I couldn’t because I don’t know how. I need some time for thinking, walking and understanding how I will do it like that. I need some time. And sometimes, it’s a long time.
BARNA: She also mentioned the scene where your characters meet. She said, “Yura really wanted me to slap him and hit him as hard as I could, which I’ve never done to anybody before.”
BORISOV: It’s funny because you could see on screen that it’s real, and you could feel that moment. Why we like video from internet, and some reels or shorts, is because it’s a reality. You see it, you feel it, and in one second, you are inside the screen, inside the situation. And I liked when she punched me. I can stand the pain.
