‘Anora’ Breakout Yura Borisov Becomes First Russian Actor to Earn Oscar Nom in Almost 5 Decades
Congratulations are in order for Yura Borisov and the Anora cast, who have landed multiple Oscar nominations Thursday.
But perhaps no one will be more delighted than the previously relatively unknown star, Borisov, who has become the first Russian actor to earn an Oscar nomination in a performance category since 1977.
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The full list of nominations was presented by actors Bowen Yang and Rachel Sennott from the Film Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater with Kieran Culkin (A Real Pain), Jeremy Strong (The Apprentice), Edward Norton (A Complete Unknown) and Guy Pearce (The Brutalist) rounding out the competition in the supporting actor category.
The last Russian nominated for an Academy Award in an acting category was Mikhail Baryshnikov in 1977 for The Turning Point. The last to win was Lila Kedrova in 1964 for Zorba the Greek.
Zooming with The Hollywood Reporter from his home in Moscow on Thursday, Borisov called the nomination an “unreal and surreal moment” as he took a break from a virtual celebration with co-star Mikey Madison and other actors from the film. “This is a very special project — it’s my first time working in America,” he said.
Borisov stars in Sean Baker’s twisted Cinderella story about a sex worker and stripper Anora (Madison, also nominated for an Oscar in the best actress category) who elopes with the son of Russian billionaires. Borisov has wowed Hollywood and audiences all over the world with his poignant, somewhat gentle and often humorous portrayal of a bodyguard sent by the boy’s oligarch parents to annul the marriage.
Borisov spoke to THR in December to talk about his awards buzz, explaining that the part of Igor was created specifically for him Anora writer-director Baker, who first took notice of him at Cannes in 2021. Borisov starred that year in the Grand Prix-winning Compartment No. 6 by Juho Kuosmanen, playing a Russian miner who shares a train compartment with a Finnish student. Baker was there that year with his own Red Rocket, also in competition.
“One year later, he called me and said that he wants to do his next film with me — that he would write a role for me — and is that interesting for me or not,” Borisov recalled. About six months later, a script arrived, and Borisov had notes — or, more specifically, questions. “It’s not about changing it,” he explained. “It’s just trying to understand the universe of this film because a script is just a map. It’s not a book… We are just a network of souls… And I hope that anyone watching Anora will feel that.”
Steven Zeitchik contributed to this report.
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