Russian actor Ivan Yankovsky called filming the movie Battle of Motors alongside Yura Borisov an acting celebration during a promotional event for the picture. Yankovsky said he had dreamed of working on camera with Borisov, but previous attempts had never worked out until director Ilya Malanin created the project.
Yankovsky revealed that he agreed to star in the film immediately after speaking with Malanin. The director pitched the story while Yankovsky was preparing for a filming shift on the project Outsource, describing a movie focused on Nagel, the Russo-Balt as the first Russian car, a 1910 race in Monaco, and Emperor Nicholas II.
Filming with Yura Borisov
Although Yankovsky did not know who Nagel was at the time, he decided to join the project as soon as Malanin mentioned that Borisov would co-star. Yankovsky said working on the film allowed him to understand Borisov better as a person and gain valuable insight from him.
Expressing deep respect and affection for Borisov as a colleague whose work he follows, Yankovsky said he would follow Borisov anywhere if he is behind the wheel, adding that having Malanin direct made the experience even more wonderful.
