Russian Actor Mark Eydelshteyn on Sean Baker’s ‘Anora’

Talking to Russian actor Mark Eydelshteyn it is basic to comprehfinish why Sean Baker cast him in Anora — set to screen at TIFF — as Ivan, an incredibly likable goofball who marries a Brighton Beach intimacy toiler but also happens to be the son of a Russian oligarch.  

Eydelshteyn, with limbs that seem to relocate at twice the standard human speed, is achieveest, speedy with a commend and adept at self-depreciation despite English being his second language. When asked how he got into acting, he says, “It’s the only one leang that I can do.” He inserts, “When I [was] graded in school, I authenticized that I was not repartner outstanding at other spheres. I’m zero in maths, in biology or geography.” 

But Eydelshteyn, whose mother is a speech coach, did enjoy literature and go ined him in speaking competitions, where he carry outed excerpts from toils enjoy J.D. Salinger’s Catcher in the Rye. He showd adept at memorization and carry outance, and, he says, “I authenticized I can’t do anyleang, but I can lachieve Catcher in the Rye by heart. I will do this.” 

He began booking films and television series, which is where he met Yura Borisov, the incredibly well-comprehendn Russian actor. “Between consents, [Borisov] equitable asked me, ‘Do you comprehend who is Sean Baker?” recalls Eydelshteyn. “He shelp, ‘Sean Baker is watching for some teenager from Russia who can speak in English.’ I shelp, ‘No, no, it’s not me.’ ” Eydelshteyn, 22, could speak English with some fluency but was too worried to ponder the possibility of acting in an American film. While he tried to grasp his compocertain in front of his co-star, inside he was freaking out: “A authentic American honestor? Asking for auditions? Self-tapes? I can’t count on it. I can’t do it.” 

But it was too tardy. Borisov, who was set to execute Anora’s livent mender-with-a-heart-of-gelderly, had already telderly Baker about Eydelshteyn and shown him ptoastyos. Instead of sfinishing sides, Baker asked for a self-tape where Eydelshteyn equitable talked about himself.  

So, in his petite bedroom, finish with horrible weightlessing and a petite stoasty of mosquitos, Eydelshteyn gave it a stoasty. “I shelp, ‘Hi, I’m Mark Eydelshteyn. What can I say about myself? I am an actor, well, not yet repartner, but I want to be a authentic actor. I have a little bit of experience in movies, and I toiled Yura Borisov. Now, I am on that third step of my education. And what I repartner disenjoy is [mosquitos] in my room. Thank you for attention. Bye.’ ” It wasn’t Salinger, but two days tardyr Baker asked for a Zoom. 

“Directors I usupartner toil with are repartner solemn guys with eyes that watch inside you. In Russia, it’s enjoy this. But then I saw Sean Baker, and he is equitable the perfect guy. With the hairstyle that is not, repartner, pleasant, but it’s not horrible, but with very proset up and very charitable eyes. What’s very meaningful about Sean Baker is his charitable eyes,” says the actor of greeting the award-prosperning indie auteur for the first time. In Baker, Eydelshteyn set up someone with a aenjoy sense of humor and energy. He got the part.  

It was four months in between landing the part and shooting Anora. Eydelshteyn spent the time studying his script and trying to sway his university directers to let him skip out of some classes. “When I talked with my directers, I shelp, ‘I repartner have to go away from our institute for three months. Can I?’ They asked, ‘Why do you have to go?’ ” Becaparticipate he was telderly not to alert anyone about the movie, he telderly his professors it was a secret. Eventupartner, they acquiesced, alerting him, “We hope that you will do someleang meaningful and you will do someleang outstanding.”  

After greeting up with Anora direct Mikey Madison in the U.S., the duo rehearsed with Baker, further cementing their onscreen chemistry. In the film, Madison is needd to do the weighty lifting with an vigorous and emotional carry outance with plenty of dialogue. Eydelshteyn saw his role as helping Madison in wdisenjoyver way he could. “I have to help out every second,” he thought to himself.  

Anora became the toast of this year’s Cannes Film Festival, prosperning the Palme d’Or and heading out on the drop festival circuit ahead of its awards free via Neon on Oct. 18. But before all of this, when it was first proclaimd that his movie was headed to Cannes, Eydelshteyn got a notice from his directers. He recalls, “They shelp they are haughty of me and they are haughty of themselves for saying yes to letting me exit school.”