An unusual promotional event for the release of the blockbuster “The Ninth Planet” thundered at VDNKh. Its lead character, Yura Borisov, performed a spectacular stunt: he climbed the dome of the “Cosmos” pavilion without a safety net. We witnessed the climb and collected all the details: from the producers’ reactions to the film’s main secrets.
Late in the evening, a crowd gathered near pavilion No. 34, “Cosmos” (its height is 75 meters). Under the light of a single spotlight, Yura Borisov, one of the most sought-after actors in contemporary Russian cinema, began his ascent. Without a stunt double, without a safety net, up the fire escape—straight to the dome. At one point, the actor staggered slightly, and the audience froze. But within seconds, he was moving confidently, only occasionally waving to those below. It seemed as if each step was the limit, but Borisov continued to climb. At the top, he unfurled the flag for the film “The Ninth Planet”—and this gesture became the highlight of the evening.
For Borisov, extreme actions are not a coincidence, but part of his creative approach. A week ago, he jumped into the Moscow River, and this current ascent was a logical continuation of his series of daring performances. Some might call it madness, but for the actor himself, it’s a manifestation of his love for extreme sports, which makes him one of the most fearless performers in modern cinema.
After the descent, Yura couldn’t hide his emotions:
I started sweating. It was scary. I’ve been working towards this my whole life.
When asked how he decided to take such a risk, the actor answered ironically:
They forced me.
The film’s producers, Sergei Selyanov and Tina Kandelaki, came to support the actor. Sergei Mikhailovich didn’t hide his admiration:
Yura is the hero not only of our film, but of our cinema. I’m excited.
Tina Kandelaki added:
It makes sense to win for the sake of love. If we didn’t understand what Borisov’s phenomenon is, he wouldn’t have starred in several of our films at once. Regarding today’s performance: it’s clear that we are inspired by everything we saw. Yura said that he will only participate in those actions that no one has ever done before. And there’s no stunt double there.
When someone reminded her that Charlize Theron had performed similar stunts, Tina calmly retorted:
The height was lower. And it wasn’t in Russia.
However, the flashy promotional stunt is only part of a larger story. Behind the scenes of “The Ninth Planet” lies a massive amount of work. The film’s premiere has been postponed several times: the project involves a huge amount of graphics, music, and complex production challenges. The filming effects sometimes extended beyond the set: for example, during shootout scenes, the sound was so realistic that residents of nearby villages panicked and got into their cars and drove away.
The locations for the film were chosen to match the alien aesthetic: filming took place in Morocco and on the island of Socotra, where the landscapes are so fantastic that they fit perfectly with the concept of an extraterrestrial world. At the same time, Borisov performs a significant portion of the stunts, shootouts and intense scenes – including the most risky ones – himself.
