The ‘Borat Subsequent Moviefilm’ Star Maria Bakalova Is Now an Oscar Nominee

How did you learn today that you had received your Oscar nomination?

The reality was that, from the beginning, hearing my name in a conversation alongside people like Glenn Close or Olivia Colman or Amanda Seyfried or Yuh-Jung Youn [her fellow nominees] — that’s already enough. I’m beyond happy. I’m like, I don’t want to be greedy or thinking about something more because it’s already too big to be true. I remember when I got to set this morning, Judd Apatow asked me, Do you want to have a break during the [announcement] ceremony? Do you want to watch it? Do you want to be alone? Do you want to be around other people? I was like, No, no, no, please, let’s not talk about this! Let’s just work! Let’s shoot!

And then what happened?

We were shooting a scene with Pedro and me, and Judd came to me in the middle of the take, and he was coming closer to me. And I was like, What is happening? Is it that bad that he’s not even confident to say it out loud? Because he was literally going, like [leans in closely to the camera], and I was like, Mm-hmm? “You just got your nomination!” I was like what? I lost my mind in that moment.

Did you have a chance to celebrate the news with your co-stars and co-workers?

Not a celebration, because we were shooting. I was like, Should we keep working? But it was a really powerful moment for me and it’s going to stay with me for the rest of my life, I believe. Because it’s never going to be the same. Even in 50, 60, 70 years, if someday I get another nomination for anything. This is the biggest day of my life, and I was around Judd and Pedro, and I saw in their eyes that they were really happy for me.

Have you spoken with Sacha yet?

I haven’t, because I just got home. I literally just opened the door.

Did you keep track of Rudy Giuliani’s further misadventures after the “Borat” sequel was released?

I still don’t want to get involved with the political stuff because I’ve been living in America for less than two years. I’m not really politically familiar, to have positions. I should at some point. I can only say that I was extremely happy to see such huge celebrations on Nov. 7 [the day most media organizations called President Biden’s victory]. I was living in L.A. and I went with my girlfriends in the streets of West Hollywood and it was just beautiful, how many people were celebrating, dancing and singing. They were united.

I was extremely impressed by the speech of Vice President Kamala Harris, where she said I might be the first but I’m not going to be the last. For me, as Maria, I also want this to be my motto. Because as an Eastern European and a person that has this huge recognition right now, and this platform, I would love to bring more attention to my region of the world. These people are talented and they need these chances. There’s going to be another Maria who will be the next one.