Russian actor nominated for Oscar — RT Entertainment

Russian actor Yura Borisov has been nominated for an Oscar in the Best Supporting Actor category for his role in the film ‘Anora’ by American director Sean Baker, organizers have announced.

Earlier this month, Borisov was nominated for a British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) award in the same category. 

The announcement was made during the 97th Oscars Nominations Announcement on Thursday. Among Borisov’s fellow nominees are Kieran Culkin for his performance in ‘A Real Pain’, Edward Norton for his role in ‘A Complete Unknown’, Guy Pearce for ‘The Brutalist’, and Jeremy Strong for ‘The Apprentice’.

‘Anora’ is a love story about a Brooklyn sex worker named Anora and the son of a Russian oligarch. When the two get married, the young man’s family sets out to do everything they can to break them up. The 32-year-old Borisov plays the role of Igor – a henchman working for the groom’s family.

The film premiered at the 77th Cannes Film Festival in May, where it won the prestigious Palme d’Or.

‘Anora’ director Baker told Variety magazine that Borisov was right for the role. The film involves “setting up stereotypes and then shattering them,” the director said, so he needed a henchman who was a “teddy bear” underneath. “His performances had that sensitivity, a lot of that emotion going on behind his outer shell,” Baker explained.

He went on to describe Borisov as a “genius.” The Russian actor had never done an English-language film prior to ‘Anora’.

When filming began in Brooklyn in 2023, Borisov arrived from Moscow with some apprehension, having never worked on an American production.

“I didn’t know Sean as a person. I didn’t know [actress] Mikey [Madison, who plays Anora]. I didn’t know what was different about the American process. But I quickly learned that it’s absolutely the same everywhere,” The Hollywood Reporter quoted the actor as saying in December.

Borisov was born in Moscow and graduated from the Mikhail Shchepkin Higher Theater School in the capital in 2013, having begun his film acting career in 2010.

Since then, he has starred in nearly two dozen films, mostly produced in Russia. In 2021, he won Russia’s Golden Eagle Award for best leading actor in ‘The Bull’ and received a nomination for Best Actor from the European Film Awards for his role in the Finnish film ‘Compartment No.6’.

In December, Borisov also received a Golden Globe nomination, competing for ‘Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role’. Kieran Culkin ultimately won the award for his role in ‘A Real Pain’.

‘Anora’ received a total of six Academy Award nominations in the following categories: Best Picture, Best actress, Best Supporting Actor, Directing, Writing (Original Screenplay), and Film Editing.

The winners of the 2025 Academy Awards will be announced during a ceremony on March 2 in Hollywood, Los Angeles.

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