Anora Cast & Character Guide

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. For Anora, he assembled some rising stars, frequent collaborators, and actors known mostly for their work in Russia.

The approach worked, as Anora became a favorite during awards season. Along with winning the Producer's Guild Awards for Best Film, Anora received 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, the Anora cast deserves all the praise they have received.

Anora Cast & Characters
Actor	Character
Mikey Madison	Anora, aka Ani
Mark Eidelshtein	Ivan "Vanya" Zakharov
Yura Borisov	Igor
Vache Tovmasyan	Garnick
Karren Karagulian	Toros
Aleksei Serebryakov	Nikolai Zakharov
Darya Ekamasova	Galina Zakharov

Mikey Madison As Anora aka Ani

Born March 25, 1999

Active Since: 2013

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 series Better Things. She has also had roles in films such as Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood and 2022’s Scream. Apart from the minimally seen 2015 film Liza Liza: Skies Are Grey, Anora is Madison’s first leading film role.

Mikey Madison Notable TV & Movie Roles
Title	Role
Better Things	Max
Once Upon a Time...in Hollywood	'Sadie'
Scream	Amber Freeman

Character: Madison plays the titular role, who is otherwise known as Ani, in Anora. 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 in Anora, 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 February 18, 2002

Active Since: 2020

Actor: Eidelshtein is a Russian-born actor from Nizhny Novgorod, Russia. Prior to Anora, his film career has been typically comprised of Russian-language content, including the films Pervvy sneg, Strana Sasha, and episodes of TV series such as Smychok, and Monastyr. In addition to Anora, Eidelshtein has remained active this year through his work in the television series Chistye and Farma.

Mark Eidelshtein Notable TV & Movie Roles
Title	Role
Pervvy Sneg	Max
Strana Sasha	Pavel
Farma	Anton

Character: Playing opposite Madison’s Ani, Eidelshtein appears as Ivan, otherwise known as “Vanya,” in Anora. 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 December 8, 1992

Active Since: 2003

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 is playing Lyokha in the drama-romance film Compartment 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 in Captain Volkonogov Escaped, Kalashnikov, and T-34.

Mark Eidelshtein Notable TV & Movie Roles
Title	Role
Compartment Number 6	Lyokha
Captain Volkonogov Escaped	Volkonogov
Kalashnikov	Mikhail Kalashnikov

Character: Borisov plays Igor in Anora, 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 through in Anora'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 in Anora.

Vache Tovmasyan As Garnick

Born July 15, 1986

Active Since: 2012

Actor: Tovmaysan was born in Yerevan, Armenia (formerly the Soviet Union). The actor got his start playing Bido in the 2012 film Lost 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 in Stone Cage and Golden School. With Anora his biggest project to date, it is possible that Baker’s film could catapult the Armenian actor’s career forward.

Vache Tovmasyan Notable TV & Movie Roles
Title	Role
Lost and Found in Armenia	Bido
Stone Cage	Moso
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, from Four Letter Words in 2000 to 2021’s Red Rocket. In Anora, 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 3, 1964. Anora is his first film with Baker, but the actor has one of the most robust filmographies of anyone in Anora. His breakout role was in the Russian film Leviathan in 2014, and he has also been in films such as Nobody and Van Goghs. In Anora, 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 series YUG. In Anora, 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 in Anora, 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.