Interview: ‘Anora’ Co-Star Yura Borisov Discusses His Breakout Performance

When you watch Anora, it’s impossible not to notice and be impressed by Yura Borisov. He’s not the star, but as the story unfolds, you’re paying attention to his character of Igor, especially as he interacts with Mikey Madison‘s title character. Borisov, much like Madison, blew me away at the Telluride Film Festival. The movie is my favorite of 2024, so seeing the man be embraced, both in reviews and now during the precursor season, is quite nice. I previously spoke to filmmaker Sean Baker (here) and star Madison (here) about the flick. Today, it’s Borisov’s turn.

In my rave review out of Telluride (found here), I had the following to say about the cast, including Borisov:

Mikey Madison gives the performance of the year here, full of vim and vigor. You immediately fall in love with Ani and want her to be happy. You worry for her safety when things get intense, cheer when she has the upper hand, and are heartbroken when you realize how the odds are stacked against her. Madison plays all this perfectly, leaning in to not just her sexuality, but also her toughness. So much is unsaid, but you have no trouble understanding Ani’s life, which is a credit to Baker and Madison. I haven’t seen a performance like this so far in 2024. If she’s not nominated for an Academy Award in Best Actress, something is wrong. Mark Eydelshteyn plays a very charming man-child, right up until it counts, when he comes up tragically small. Karren Karagulian and Vache Tovmaysan are amusing and compelling in equal measure, but it’s Yura Borisov who is the star of the supporting players, upending expectations about his supposed thug. Igor’s menacing look shields an actual concern for Ani that pays major dividends.

Below, you can see my interview with Borisov. We did this conversation right as his first precursor nomination had come in, but since then, he’s racked up some wins, putting him smack dab in the Best Supporting Actor race. He’s obviously not thinking about Oscar nominations right now, as this whole experience has to be overwhelming, but you can tell in the discussion that he’s taking it all in. We’d spoken briefly at Telluride, so this is a bit of a continuation. Stay tuned to see if he becomes an Academy Award nominee, but regardless of that, he’s a breakout actor to take notice of. If you somehow have not seen Anora yet, rectify that immediately. Not only will Madison obliterate you, so too will Borisov…

Here now is my interview with Anora co-star Yura Borisov. Enjoy:

Anora is playing in theaters now!