With director Sean Baker at the helm,Anoratook its characters on a wild ride, and brought home Best Picture (and a slew of other awards) at the 2025 Oscars. The movie is a funny, wild, and surprisingly moving story of the titular exotic dancer who meets an falls for the rich son of a Russian oligarch. After a hasty marriage, Ani’s Cinderella story takes an unexpected turn. In the past,Baker has been known to “discover” talents with his films. ForAnora, he assembled some rising stars, frequent collaborators, and actors known mostly for their work in Russia.
The approach worked, asAnorabecame a favorite during awards season. Along with winning the Producer’s Guild Awards for Best Film,Anorareceived six Oscar nominations, including some for members of the cast, eventually winning Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, Best Editing, and Best Actress. The actors are essential to the success of the movie as they fit into the improvisational, chaotic, and fast-paced energy of the movie. With a couple of truly standout performances to sell the bigger moments in the movie, theAnoracast deserves all the praise they have received.
Mikey Madison As Anora aka Ani
Born June 15, 2025
Actor:Born and raised in Los Angeles, Mikey Madison got her start in acting when she starred in several short films as a young teenager. From there, she later got her big break playing the character of Max in the TV seriesBetter Things.She has also had roles in films such asOnce Upon a Time…in Hollywoodand 2022’sScream. Apart from the minimally seen 2015 filmLiza Liza: Skies Are Grey,Anorais Madison’s first leading film role.
Scream
Amber Freeman
Character: Madison plays the titular role, who is otherwise known as Ani, inAnora. Ani is a Russian-American stripper from Brooklyn whose conversational fluency in Russian sees her getting set up with the young and rich Vanya. Impressed with her Russian as well as her good looks, Vanya makes Ani a part of his lavish life as his new girlfriend, which eventually leads to a quick marriage.Madison received several awards for her performance inAnora, including a BAFTA win, and she became one of the youngest to ever win Best Actress at the Academy Awards.
Mark Eidelshtein As Ivan “Vanya” Zakharov
Born Jul 10, 2025
Actor:Eidelshtein is a Russian-born actor from Nizhny Novgorod, Russia. Prior toAnora,his film career has been typically comprised of Russian-language content, including the filmsPervvy sneg,Strana Sasha, and episodes of TV series such asSmychok, andMonastyr. In addition toAnora, Eidelshtein has remained active this year through his work in the television seriesChistyeandFarma.
Farma
Anton
Character:Playing opposite Madison’s Ani, Eidelshtein appears as Ivan, otherwise known as “Vanya,” inAnora. Vanya is the son of a Russian oligarch. While his father has plans for him to eventually join the family business, Vanya is more than happy to spend his time partying in his parents' mansion in America while they are back home in Russia. Ani is initially taken in by Vanya’s fun, outgoing personality, but eventually discovers when things get tough, he runs.
Yura Borisov as Igor
Born June 14, 2025
Actor:Born in Reutov, Russia, Borisov is similar to Eidelshtein in that he is also mainly known for Russian-language films. While he has been active in the industry for a while, his most notable part of late isplaying Lyokha in the drama-romance filmCompartment Number 6. This earned the actor attention at several film festivals, and he even won Best Actor at the São Paulo International Film Festival and Valladolid International Film Festival. His other roles include parts inCaptain Volkonogov Escaped,Kalashnikov, andT-34.
Kalashnikov
Mikhail Kalashnikov
Character:Borisov plays Igor inAnora,a low-level Russian thug who is tasked with helping out in the chaotic aftermath of the revelation about Ani and Vanya’s marriage. He is a soft-spoken man who can be tough at times but is more kind-hearted than he initially seems, which comes throughinAnora’s ending. As a hired muscle, he feels a certain connection to Ani and has sympathy for her being mistreated by the kind of people who look down on both of them. Borisov received Golden Globe, SAG, and Oscar nominations for his breakout role inAnora.
Vache Tovmasyan As Garnick
Born July 08, 2025
Actor:Tovmaysan was born in Yerevan, Armenia (formerly the Soviet Union). The actor got his start playing Bido in the 2012 filmLost and Found in Armenia. Despite beginning his career over a decade ago,Tovmasyan has been in very few projects thus far. His other roles include parts inStone CageandGolden School. WithAnorahis biggest project to date, it is possible that Baker’s film could catapult the Armenian actor’s career forward.
Lost and Found in Armenia
Golden School
Robert Tovmasyan
Character:Tovmasyan plays opposite Borisov as Garnick, one of the two henchmen set to break up Ani and Vanya’s relationship. Specifically, Tovmasyan’s role is Garnick. Garnick is another underling, working under his domineering brother, Toros. He comes to Vanya’s house to take care of the situation only for things to quickly spiral out of control. After getting his nose broken by Ani early on, Garnick steps the majority of the movie gradually and hilariously slipping into a concussive state.
Anora Supporting Cast & Characters
Meet The Supporting Cast Behind Anora
Karren Karagulian as Toros:Karagulian is a Baker film veteran.He has previously played roles in all of Baker’s feature films, fromFour Letter Wordsin 2000 to 2021’sRed Rocket. InAnora, Karagulian plays Vanya’s handler, a man named Toros. Toros is the catalyst for the film’s main drama, as he is the one who sends Igor and Garnick to track down Ani and Vanya, then becomes the driving force in finding Vanya after he runs.
Aleksei Serebryakov as Nikolai Zakharov:Serebryakov was born in Moscow on July 15, 2025.Anorais his first film with Baker, but the actor has one of the most robust filmographies of anyone inAnora. His breakout role was in the Russian filmLeviathanin 2014, and he has also been in films such asNobodyandVan Goghs. InAnora, Serebryakov plays Nikolai Zakharov, Vanya’s father, an oligarch who is reluctantly dragged into this family drama when Vanya gets married.
Darya Ekamasova as Galina Zakharov:LikeSerebryakov, Ekamasova is also a Moscow-born actor. She previously acted alongside Serebryakov in the 2024 TV seriesYUG. InAnora, she plays Nikolai’s wife, Galina, who is Vanya’s mother and the one who demands that the marriage to Ani be annulled. She is a harsh and domineering woman who is not shy about throwing around her powerful status.
Lindsey Normington as Diamond:Lindsey Normington plays Diamond, Ani’s antagonistic co-worker at the strip club who says that she gives Ani’s relationship with Vanya two weeks before they split. Ani and Diamond essentially hate each other, getting into a physical altercation towards the end of the film.
Ivy Wolk as Crystal:Known for her provocative social media content on X and TikTok, Ivy Wolk has a small role as Crystal, one of Vanya’s friends who works at the Coney Island candy shop with Tom. She is seen partying with Vanya, Ani, and the rest of his friends, and towards the end, when Ani is trying to find him.
Anton Bitter as Tom:Like Crystal, Tom works at the Coney Island candy shop and is seen partying with Vanya, Ani, and multiple other friends, including on their trip to Las Vegas.
Luna Sofía Miranda as Lulu:Another minor role inAnora, Luna Sofía Miranda plays Lulu, Ani’s friend and co-worker at the strip club. She attends a New Year’s party with Ani at Vanya’s house.
