As I delve deeper into this captivating narrative, I am struck by the raw talent and resilience of Mark Eydelshteyn, a young man who has navigated the complexities of life with an unwavering spirit. His journey from nervous novice to bold, improvising actor is nothing short of inspiring.
Mark Eydelshteyn and I are traveling in a car speeding along a mountain road on the opening day of the Telluride Film Festival in Colorado. The actor is up front, while I’m seated at the back with two of the film’s PR representatives. His face brightens as the driver mentions his seat has a massage feature; he’s astonished it exists. A short while later, he expresses excitement, “Folks, it actually works! Let’s pull over in a few minutes so you can experience it too.
Approximately thirty minutes passed, and we found ourselves engaged in a discussion within a restaurant offering a breathtaking panorama of the valley. His initial cheerful demeanor seemed to have softened slightly. Turning to me, he inquired softly, “From your perspective, who do you see me as?
Even stranger is what he says next: “I’m nothing.”
Though Eydelshteyn may not be a familiar name or face in the U.S., his performance in Sean Baker’s Palme d’Or-winning film, “Anora,” is set to make him more recognizable as one of its stars. As this movie enters the awards season with great expectations, Eydelshteyn finds himself puzzled by the attention he’s receiving. He humorously describes himself as “just some peculiar individual who somehow found a place in Sean Baker’s film.” Intrigued by the interviews he’s receiving, he expresses his curiosity to understand what interviewers think of him so that he can provide them with appropriate or at least engaging responses.
Experience Mark Eydelshteyn: His youthful charisma, spirited demeanor, and boyish good looks give the impression of someone younger than his 22 years. An article in Variety referred to him as “the Russian Timothée Chalamet,” a comparison that also rings true in Russia. Perhaps it’s just his hairstyle. In reality, he’s less ethereal and distant compared to Chalamet; instead, he comes across as more of a lively kid. However, this is contrasted by an introspective nature, a self-awareness that feels mature, wise, and somewhat anxious. Mikey Madison, the star of Anora with whom Eydelshteyn shares most scenes in the film, notes, “He has a very sensitive, deep side to him that I was fortunate enough to get to know better. Our English wasn’t as polished during filming as it is now, but we shared many laughs, hearty ones. I knew right away that we would have some kind of chemistry.
In the movie called “Anora“, which is based and filmed in New York City, Eydelshteyn portrays Ivan, the reckless and carefree son of a wealthy Russian businessman. After spending several weeks paying Ani, a stripper protagonist in Madison, to be his girlfriend, he suddenly runs off with her. However, trouble ensues when Ivan’s displeased parents hire goons to chase after the couple. Although this storyline could lead to a much more frightening movie, “Anora” offers a unique blend of tension and sorrow mixed with an unconventional humor that surprises us; it’s a bit like a dark fairy tale and a zany comedy all in one. This unusual mix is what made Cannes jury president Greta Gerwig compare the film to the works of Howard Hawks (Bringing Up Baby) and Ernst Lubitsch (Ninotchka) when she awarded it the festival’s top prize.
Key to Anora’s remarkable tonal balance is Eydelshteyn’s performance. We can feel in our bones that none of Ivan’s promises will be fulfilled and that this hyperactive, hedonistic, pampered princeling will prove to be thoroughly unreliable. He also has just enough charisma, just enough sweetness, that we briefly find ourselves thinking and hoping that things might work out for Ani. “He put a lot of himself into the character — all the best parts, though,” says Madison. “The energy, his youthfulness, his quirks.” Eydelshteyn’s is not the film’s biggest performance, but it may, in its own sly way, be its most important — the one without which the whole enterprise would fall apart.
Growing up in Nizhny Novgorod, a city steeped in history on the Volga River, Eydelshteyn likened it to a “stone jungle, yet incredibly beautiful and perilous.” (For comparison’s sake, we might think of San Francisco, although neither has visited the other.) His father was a sports journalist while his mother trained voices. Eydelshteyn traced his acting beginnings back to punishments for misbehavior, often involving fights with his younger brother. As punishment, he was required to memorize passages from books or plays. One of the first he learned by heart was Holden Caulfield’s declaration of virginity in J.D. Salinger’s “The Catcher in the Rye.” He claims to have entire chapters of Alexander Pushkin’s epic verse-novel, “Yevgeny Onegin,” memorized by rote. (He proceeded to recite portions for me, convincing me of his claim.) All these punishments eventually led to a career decision: What could I contribute to this world to make it a bit more compassionate and radiant? he pondered. He recalled how much joy he brought to those around him by reciting poetry, novels, and plays. These memories resurfaced powerfully at the film’s premiere in Cannes. “Perhaps the peak of my happiness in life occurred when I sat in this Cannes hall and people were laughing,” he reminisced. “I thought, Thank you, Mother, for this. I haven’t made a mistake.
Speaking about the character of Ivan, Eydelshteyn shared memories of his childhood friend in Nizhny Novgorod, who was an oligarch’s son. (He clarified that not all oligarchs in Russia are extremely wealthy and popular.) They would frequent strip clubs and party together as teenagers. Due to the way he interacted with others informally, which is typical among friends but not elders or strangers in Russian culture, Eydelshteyn noticed a pattern. He explains, “He feels safe in every situation because he knows his father’s wealth and status will back him up.” Moreover, Eydelshteyn observed a restless avoidance of solitude in this friend, which he believes inspired Ivan’s consistent activity and almost compulsive extroversion: “It’s frightening to be alone with himself, so he makes time for everyone else.
At the esteemed Moscow Art Theatre School, a renowned dramatic institution founded in 1943 by Konstantin Stanislavski and Vladimir Nemirovich-Danchenko, our actor honed his craft. Here, he delved deeply into understanding characters’ lives, jotting down seemingly trivial details to create a comprehensive portrait before taking the stage. He describes the school as both bold and demanding. With a hint of nostalgia, he shares that it instilled in him the belief that acting is not merely a profession, but a calling to be something greater. He ponders, “They made me understand that I could be an actor, and even more than that. It’s not just about performing; it’s about analyzing scripts, building characters. But they forbade being ‘just’ an actor – you must strive to be more.” Reflecting on his time there, he admits, “I’m still pondering what it means to be more than an actor.
Eydelshteyn reminisces about an early job, where he believed he’d work on a movie set during the final years of the USSR, a time when obtaining western music illegally was common. His role was to portray a black market dealer peddling American music. He conducted thorough research, even seeking advice from his father regarding popular music of that era. However, he was amused rather than appreciated when he presented his research and character backstory to the director during filming – it turned out to be an advertisement for a record store instead of a movie. “It was quite humorous,” he shares now, “but at the time, it felt quite disheartening.
In that very instant, I found myself resolute about creating genuine films – those that offered a platform for exploration and innovation. Ever since then, I’ve graced the screen in various Russian productions, such as “The Land of Sasha” from 2022, an independent romantic drama that didn’t rake in significant profits domestically but was showcased at the Berlin International Film Festival, and the sci-fi thriller “Guest From the Future.” It was my co-star from this last project, Yura Borisov, who encouraged me to audition for “Anora.” Having already secured his role as Igor, one of the harried henchmen assigned with attempting to persuade Ani to nullify her marriage to Ivan, he thought I’d be a great fit.
To convincingly portray Ivan in the film’s self-audition video, Eydelshteyn decided that the character should appear with high-end clothing items like Gucci glasses and Dior shirts, intentionally looking worn out. However, the actor didn’t own such luxurious outfits and couldn’t risk damaging them. So, he opted for an unconventional approach: He performed his audition completely nude in bed. This daring move might have seemed questionable, but Eydelshteyn dismissed any concerns about offending Baker or failing to get a response. “I can’t fathom a scenario where Sean would react with, ‘What? What? I will cancel him! Why do I have to see this guy’s bare bottom during an audition?’ and hang up,” Eydelshteyn thought. As it turned out, his gamble paid off. “It left us astounded — not only by his courage, but also because he was genuinely humorous and down-to-earth. We couldn’t even consider another candidate for the role,” Baker stated.
Initially, despite his self-assured demeanor and vigor, Eydelshteyn felt anxious on set at the outset. His inaugural scene, ultimately discarded from the movie, depicted Ivan calmly waiting for Ani inside a cryotherapy chamber as she stood outside. Eydelshteyn recalls Baker mentioning he could use a vape pen before filming began. The actor, viewing the vape as his closest ally on set, decided to collaborate with Baker. He started vaping frequently, a habit that eventually became characteristic of his character.
He was also quite anxious about his first sex scene with Madison. Baker closed the set and told them that the crew would be very careful in how they shot the scene to avoid any sense of exploitation. For Eydelshteyn, this had the opposite effect. “With every word, this uncomfortable feeling of shyness was just racing, racing, racing inside of me.” But that tension resulted in one of his more inspired improvisations: a sudden and joyous backflip in which he would, in one simultaneous action, throw off his clothes to reveal his penis — a moment of unexpected hilarity. This also set his co-star immediately at ease. “This was the first sex scene I’d ever done,” says Madison. “I had no idea what it would be like. He was so nervous, but he felt the need to make sure I wasn’t nervous. I found that very giving of him.” Baker encouraged improvisation for the English-speaking scenes more generally too: “A lot of the best lines in the film are ones Mark came up with.”
Anora’s success is expected to provide Eydelshteyn with additional opportunities on global film sets, and he’s actively working on perfecting his English and accent. Despite this, he acknowledges the negative impact of Russia’s actions in Ukraine on its international standing. He is cautious when discussing Russia, realizing that certain topics could potentially be risky.
As a fan, I must share that his portrayal in the film remains unseen by his parents, though they’re fully aware of its accolades. He’s described it as a modern-day fairy tale where he assumes the role of a prince. He reassures them with an “I’m not lying” and admits to his character engaging in questionable activities such as drugs, alcohol, and inappropriate language. Despite his mother being a seasoned professional in the acting industry, Eydelshteyn expresses apprehension about his parents accepting this side of him. He anticipates needing to clarify, “It’s not your son; you’re not oligarchs. It’s just a role.” Then he pauses and breaks into a broad smile, “It’s not me, but I genuinely adore this character. So yes, it’s your son, Mother! And it’s your son, Father! Thank you.
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2024-10-09 15:54