Boris Shcherbina Telephone Scene from HBO's Chernobyl. "We need a new phone", "I don't give a f*ck".

Soviet scientists attempt to use a high-tech German robot in the effort to clear debris from the roof of the Chernobyl complex, but the machine fails almost immediately. Political operative Boris Shcherbina (Stellan Skarsgård) suspects that the robot has succumbed because of exposure to radiation levels that exceed its design tolerance, and he further believes that this is likely because his superiors in Moscow lied to the machine's owners about the amount of radiation to which the machine would be exposed. When his suspicions are confirmed during a phone call, he cannot contain his frustrations, even though the person to whom he's speaking warns him that "they" (presumably the KGB) are listening to the conversation and his denunciations of Rhyskov, Gorbachev, and other top officials. The result is one of the most epic rants in the history of cinema -- on par with Tony Montana's outburst in Scarface. The scene would be hilarious were the subject matter not so sobering.
Includes the memorable lines "We need a new phone" and "I don't give a fuck".

[@Randomness5050]

Please like the video, subscribe to the channel, and leave a comment. Thanks!

[@kylemartin7237]

That phone was two days away from retirement…

[@deBebbler]

It was retired - permanently. Soviet-style.

[@veikovaldna5306]

Gotta appreciate a subtle Simpsons reference

[@HentaiSpirit]

😭

[@piotrmalewski8178]

Those jokes here are not right. People in the USSR were killed for less, and it's like Legasov says close the end of the movie; 'Accidentally the party sent their only good man.' He went from not understanding the situation, but willing to risk his life from the start, to going all out to contain the disaster, even if that would kill him, which it eventually did.

[@deBebbler]

@@piotrmalewski8178 And the Germans have officially entered the chat.

[@gabegu5102]

Boris had a bigger meltdown than that reactor did.

[@diekanalratte2643]

Haha

[@blackheart456]

Too Soon!😏

[@JACOPO.OFFICIEL]

🤣

[@timdowney6721]

I would love to see Professor Legasov explain that meltdown as he did with the model in the court scenes.😅

[@iraf.official]

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@EATSLEEPDRIVE2002]

Reactor: "yo, can we get some boron and sand for my man over here…"

[@HotForgeChaos]

Legasov: The boron and sand melted on Scherbina's head and has burned a hole through the earth

[@TheDidgerideuces]

"When it reaches the reservoir located in the bladder it will instantly create steam and result in a 2-4 megaton explosion."

[@dylankornberg4892]

“Of course I know they’re listening,” Shcherbina said calmly.

[@dantruong2582]

Scherbina knew that he was already a dead man just being there. If they kill him, one of them will have to take his place.

[@kairu55able]

Is this a Goblet of Fire reference?

[@Ali-fc1bv]

@@kairu55ableyes

[@EATSLEEPDRIVE2002]

Apparently, the reactor asked for the sarcophagus to be built around it, to protect it from Boris‘s meltdown.

[@zwp-uq3di]

my favorite line of the whole series was "We need a new phone"

[@Christrulesall2]

The phone was still in pretty good condition. Repairable. Not great, not terrible.

[@zwp-uq3di]

@@Christrulesall2 waste of phones

[@Christrulesall2]

@@zwp-uq3di Boris was being racist against that phone. It has rights!!!

[@zwp-uq3di]

@@Christrulesall2 where tf did racism come from?

[@Christrulesall2]

@@zwp-uq3di Your not serious right? Your cool? It was a sarcastic joke..

[@Gmoviesmoothie]

When someone nails a performance like that, where they have to be furious beyond belief, and he's on his own working with a prop talking over the phone he's not even working off another actor! Great actor

[@Geoff69420]

Skarsgård was channeling the anger he felt at the Soviet government when their attempted cover-up of Chernobyl was revealed to the world

[@TheStefanskoglund1]

I have a memory of him from Bergmans Hamlet and how his figure the Prince slowly decapitates his uncle.

[@juliusraben3526]

Well, one really needs to raise blood pressure to show the veins in his head haha

[@jcmat9917]

Stellan Skarsgård deserved EVERY SINGLE award he won for this magnificient performance…

[@jakeg3733]

He is one of the finest actors in generations. That said, making a film is incredibly stressful... I'm sure he had plenty of frustration to draw from for this scene

[@bodieofci5418]

Reactor: My explosion will be a shitstorm on a massive scale. Boris: Hold my vodka.

[@cheaplaffsarefree]

You win the internet, Comrade.

[@blakevirtonis8567]

Comrade... 😂

[@Lessareve]

My therapist told me I need to learn how to get angry. I am here to learn from the best.

[@65k25]

First you need a phone

[@alext2566]

Your therapist is encouraging you to embrace anger? Isn't that kind of bad?

[@Lessareve]

@@alext2566 They are encouraging me to express anger rather than suppress it. Being unable to get angry has prevented me from defending myself in the right situations in the past. Once again, I am just really bad at getting angry. I promise, I am not smashing phones ;)

[@Conn30Mtenor]

​@@Lessarevesuppression of anger is not a great thing. It'll stuff up your health. The one day you can't suppress it and you'll end up hurting yourself or others.

[@50srefugee]

But note what provoked Shcherbina's anger. He would not be where he was if he lacked perfect self-control.

[@jmpp7644]

The phone doesn’t get enough credit for its incredible acting he should’ve gotten a golden globe or emmy for best prop

[@davidcalvin4215]

​@FlounderVFW & @jmpp7644, you have both won the internet today. 😊

[@smctrout4423]

@@davidcalvin4215 That phone never had the makings of a varsity athlete.

[@commentor3485]

The two dislikes are from Ryzhkov and the other is from Gorbachev

[@johnstitt2615]

Exactly....✌️

[@Felamine]

A third dislike from Yegor Ligachyov (the captions incorrectly say "Go tell him he's a joke!" when Boris actually says "Go tell Ligachyov!")

[@puffadder92]

Boris: has phone meltdown Valery: "He's not 3 roentgen. He's 15,000."

[@Fl0wchart]

My man realized he was dealing with the End of the World, while also finding out his superiors are going far enough to cover it up by knowingly getting obsolete equipment.

[@ulisesherrera9632]

Bueno, el socialismo aplicado es eso......

[@larrymartin8737]

I could be mistaken but as I understand, Skarsgård channeled his own personal anger and outrage over the disaster when he learned of the Unbelievable Soviet Silencing Regiment’s downplayed severity in all things for this scene. One of the realest outbursts I’ve ever heard in my life lol

[@jcmat9917]

It is possible. He declared in interviews that, in the aftermath of Chernobyl, the Swedish Government impeded locals to carry on with long-standing hunting and foraging traditions that had gone on for generations, to prevent radiation-related illnesses from potentially consuming contaminated game or plants. Skargård’s family seemed to be particularly affected by this.

[@marko0marko0marko01]

​@@jcmat9917could you explain me about this. About what exactly is his family affected?

[@jcmat9917]

@@marko0marko0marko01 Read my comment again… it’s all there.

[@marko0marko0marko01]

@@jcmat9917 they've got cancer by consuming contaminated game? That doesn't make a lot of sense to me. Maybe you are the one who should revisit comment of yours

[@jcmat9917]

@@marko0marko0marko01 The Government put a restriction, or a ban, on hunting/foraging, to prevent people from getting sick. Since this people depended on these activities for part of their livelihood, it had to impact them badly. If this still doesn’t make sense to you, then I’m not the one with the problem, dude…

[@Sasquatchvideos38]

The general when he heard, "I DONT GIVE A FUCK!!!!" is like... damn glad it's not me

[@twitchsopamanxx]

"My phone. My nuclear disaster. My Chernobyl" - Boron Roentgen Harkonnen

[@dv2045]

Boron Roetgen Harkonnen XD

[@achilles_wiggen]

Boron xD love it.

[@SkySovereignn]

lmao😂

[@jordanverbeek5121]

0:17 I love that little 'Oh my God' expression; the Party has just done what Boris would have done prior to Chernobyl, and Stellan Skarsgard nails the reaction. It is a fantastic set up for the next scene.

[@hagamapama]

That look, that "You absolute IDIOTS!" look!

[@NickJohnCoop]

You know when you can hear a guy at a distance 20 meters that it’s best his anger isn’t directed at you.

[@danieldickson8591]

And through a closed trailer.

[@oblivious108]

Even the nuclear plant noticed Shcherbina's meltdown and was all like, "Dude, chill."

[@PSYCOMETAL]

Working as a Desk Sergeant, this scene brings me great joy and I wish I could do the same when the phone rings for stupid calls.

[@martindawson8165]

This scene is fantastic therapy! How many times have we been in a situation where people who think they know better than us and talk down to us. Then we want to do this over the phone! I DON'T GIVE A FUCK!!!!

[@johnstitt2615]

Exactly. I watched my friend do that. Our boss at the time had it coming. Then he went in person and ripped a strip off him in person.

[@RexGalilae]

I actually came here to vent. Tired of life, its expectations and the bullshit

[@jcmat9917]

The story of the lives of any of us who work under a system…

[@manudasmd]

Transformation from " Situation is under control" in episode 2 to " Tell fkn Gorbachev, he's a joke" of Boris 😂

[@iamjacksennui]

Boris was equally my fav character(besides Legasov obviously) because of his transformation from "by the numbers G-man" to conscientious, doomed old guy trying to use his power and resources best in the hopes of unfucking a global situation. Ironic since I kinda hated him the first episode.

[@Conn30Mtenor]

The KGB guys monitoring the phone line are like : "Okaaayy. I think we should let this one slide."

[@markcarr5142]

That guard is like... "Thank God I wore my brown pants today."

[@BaldwinVoice]

The Chernobyl disaster was the 2nd worst meltdown in history. Comrade Shcherbina was #1

[@sergiocortez7600]

Reactor No. 4 core: I think I'm going through a meltdown. Boris Shcherbina: Hold my Беломорканал.

[@HotForgeChaos]

Reactor: Ohhhh pizdec

[@CatalinElton]

They should produce a series about the Spitak, Armenia 1988 earthquake. Shcherbina part 2

[@matthewchristiansen9978]

It's incredible how he went into Armenia to organize relief efforts so quickly after spending so much time dealing with Chernobyl.

[@Felamine]

Bring back Stellan Skarsgard for the role.

[@chapalax]

minor correction, it was in Armenian city of Spitak

[@HragFarraGaming]

I agree! but it's the Spitak Earthquake.

[@iamjacksennui]

@@matthewchristiansen9978 Wait what?! I'm a yank so I don't know *too* much about the people afterwards, but to know the real man went on to do that as well just...damn, so much respect. Most of us can only daydream about being a fraction of the kind of man he was.

[@MarcoStrange]

I like to imagine the KGB listening in on this conversation was actually terrified hearing his reaction. Kind of like "wait he knows and he's still not scared of what we could do to him?"

[@rascallyrabbit717]

there was nothing to do, every one knew he was already dead man walking

[@insertcognomen]

Were they worried the kgb were listening or were they worried the west was listening?

[@astrofan1993]

@@rascallyrabbit717 If you read the script for this episode, Scherbina himself says that he's a dead man. The dialogue in the script is altered from what we actually saw on TV. Instead of him screaming, "I DON'T GIVE A F***!!!!" he instead screams, "YOU THINK I CARE!? I'M A DEAD MAN!!!!" He already knew that his exposure to the radiation likely spelled his doom, so he had nothing to lose at this point. So he was unrestrained with his anger at the government that hamstrung their efforts to mitigate the disaster every step of the way. For me, it's my favorite moment in his character arc. It's when he truly realized that the state was not on their side. They would rather keep their secrets than do what needed to be done to protect the people. When a government is more interested in its own power than doing right by its citizens, it is inevitable that such a government fails in the end.

[@olnarks]

​@@insertcognomen Both

[@iamjacksennui]

@@insertcognomen as olnarks said in reality they would be worried about both, but as far as the scene is concerned I believe it's supposed to be a fellow Soviet warning him the KGB is listening so watch what he says, & of course Boris pulled out his nuts and laid them on his chin in response

[@PuffleFuzz]

“Please explain to me how a deputy of the council of ministers explodes. Not a meltdown, an explosion.” “That is how a Deputy of the council of ministers explodes: lies”

[@dudicorn6503]

Good one

[@sophiecooper1824]

Ok you got me with that one 🤣

[@EATSLEEPDRIVE2002]

Damn you. I was so excited to come comment this

[@greenwire9745]

With lies. With lies and propaganda.

[@xinny4190]

That is brilliant

[@viktor3567]

Skarsgård performance is impeccable

[@ReichLife]

He is terrific actor. It's still perplexing how MCU completely squandered him.

[@mindlessdroid3630]

That phone is delusional take it to the infirmary

[@alex_6911]

Or the scrapyard!😜🤭😂😏

[@murphysaburningdeathtrap4983]

fuck off Dyatlov

[@TheHalloween81]

Underrated comment man...lol

[@EATSLEEPDRIVE2002]

“This call may be monitored for quality assurance “ Me: 0:25

[@Megog]

Best scene in the series, IMHO. I still say, "Tell f**king Gorbachev" when I'm in a mood and don't want to deal. 😁

[@bigcazza5260]

"I don't give a fuck" scherbina said calmly

[@egyptfrazier]

Kids these days will never know how therapeutic it is to slam the phone to pieces after yelling into it.

[@nocalsteve]

The last time Skarsgard was in charge of a nuclear reactor: "These orders are seven bloody hours old! Sitting on the bottom like an adle school boy....all ahead flank...inquire of the engineer the possibility of going to 105 percent on the reactor!"

[@klaasklapsigaar1081]

I love how every sentence Boris yells has 3 exclamation marks. It's an appropriate presentation of the reality at stake.

[@Xellius13]

My dad was supposed to be drafted to clear this shit like they did in the movie. His luck that before boarding the bus they lost some of the documents, his included. So he just turned around and went back home.

[@DisposableSupervillainHenchman]

Dang. He dodged an irradiated bullet.

[@Captain_Frank_Abagnale]

When my amazon order is 3 weeks late and they tell me to call the post office

[@vincecangelosi9403]

I’m sure there are a few actors out there that can be scary when angry, Skarsgard however could instill the fear of God into the devil himself.

[@normanfillmore3490]

Joe Pesci level indeed.

[@bullgravy6906]

I’m 3 years late, but I’m exactly sure that the devil himself has an immensely strong fear of God already

[@lenz_karot3954]

0:24 When your father reads on the electronic register that you have an avalanche of disciplinary notes and insufficiencies Then he calls you on the phone and calmly asks you why you have all those notes.

[@FreelancerFreak]

Can you imagine being the quartermaster and having a lowly soldier come in a say "I need a new phone, my CO destroyed this one in a fit of rage"

[@johncate9541]

In the USSR, Shcherbina could get 5000 tons of sand and boron just by asking. I am sure a new phone was no issue. It was just having to do embarrassing things like evacuate tens of thousands of people from deadly radiation that he wasn't allowed to do. Phones, sand and boron don't talk. People do.

[@piotrmalewski8178]

@@johncate9541 Exactly. If this was, let's say, a mining disaster, Soviets would have just executed surviving witnesses and pretended a town never existed in the first place. Shcherbina was pissed as hell, because of all Soviet officials at this point he was the only one understanding the weight of the situation, and he knew exactly how Soviet regime was capable of destroying the world just by their standard and total misinformation.

[@KasusEpykMusykII]

*Boris had 15,000 roentgens of fury here.* Great acting by Stellan Skarsgård. I love this series, my favorite.

[@KasusEpykMusykII]

*_“We need a new phone.”_* Perfect line.

[@inkedseahear]

Props to the production team, making a real-life soviet union to make the show authenticate, Bravo.

[@yuricherkasov]

If Boris Scherbina was such a badass as he portrayed by Stellan Skarsgard, he probably would had throw all radioactive graphite from the roof with has bare hands, and then flown to his Scherbin-cave to have a dinner with the Satan himself

[@igorabasjidze1194]

..ты б, так и поступил на его месте. Никто не сомневаться.

[@PuffleFuzz]

Then death would be like “oh shit oh blyat”

[@piotrmalewski8178]

He was already dying.

[@iamjacksennui]

Check out the comment above/below about the earthquake. IRL Scherbina went on being a badass even after Chernobyl.

[@folkblues4u]

I recommend the documentary 'The Battle For Chernobyl'. It really shows the struggle of these men and the lengths they had to go to trying to clean up this insane level of contamination.

[@ZFKATNBADGER40]

Such great character development with Boris through the series.

[@sinhaashish935]

The half life of Boris's telephone is less than Uranium in the reactor

[@RPM-bw1lo]

This is one my favorite scenes from the whole series. It also provides an abject lesson on the danger of substituting orthodoxy for fact. I love when he comes walking out of the hut with what's left of the phone in his hand.

[@Plathismo]

Stellan Skarsgard = International treasure.

[@Mazryonh]

Now that Stellan is in Denis Villeneuve's Dune (2021), let's hope he can become an interstellar treasure too!

[@peterschorn1]

So many great movie scenes involve destroying telephones. "Everywhere I go--America, Europe, Russia, China--everyone hates the phone company." "BEDOUINS hate the phone company."

[@xaenon]

Coupling incompetence with bureaucracy guarantees that progress is impossible.

[@ReaverLordTonus]

What i liked about Boros is that he was a realist. Like he knew how the game was played in the USSR, even aknowledged the stupidity of it all, yet he still played within the rules because he knew he could never accomplish anything if he didn't. This scene was basically him saying the quiet part out loud. They are in a situation where they may not have to admit the reality of it to the rest of the world but to not admit it to even themselves is beyond stupid. They expect them to solve the problem yet deliberately hamper their efforts and can't see the correlation between that and their inability to solve it. I think the only reason Boris didn't get in any trouble for that phone call was that on some level, everyone listening knows he's right to be angry.

[@smk8251]

He should get an award every year for his acting in this series.

[@xuzza]

In the context, "Do you know what we're doing here!?" hits so hard

[@xinny4190]

I like how the General guy gave Boris the look of, "Wait, seriously?" when being informed that the government gave out the propaganda number.

[@BLKBRDD]

The way he says "I Don giv a fok!" 😂

[@johnharrison6745]

Yep. 😁

[@brandonhamilton833]

This is why he was the best to lead the operation. The writing in this show is incredible.

[@jldude84]

God damn he's good. Love Skarsgard.

[@Theantininja]

I'm just amazed Scherbina didn't turn into a giant green monster and start smashing everything. What with all the radiation around and that level of rage.

[@jarjarblinks8011]

0:43 TELL FILUCKING GORBACHEV

[@HotForgeChaos]

Now we know why the Konavalov got hit by its own torpedo. It wasn't Mancuso playing chicken with it, it was Boris Scherbina's nuclear meltdown in the control room that the torpedo picked up on

[@nickmaclachlan5178]

All this scene needs is Harry from "In Bruges" shouting: "YOU'RE AN INANIMATE OBJECT" at the phone.....

[@timdowney6721]

“We need a new phone.” Some of the best understatement in cinema history.

[@myankoZuluTango3613]

Boris: breaks phone Also boris: *angry russian voices

[@SittingBull99]

"I don't give a fuck!" When Boris Scherbina had a nuclear explosion meltdown in 1986. "We need a new phone" When the meltdown energy continues to leak out in the air after the explosion.

[@WreaklessTaco]

In a nation where even high ranking members of the government disappear when they disagree with the state, really puts into perspective just exactly how pissed Shcherbina was here.

[@Yhinzo]

Man, it's kinda disturbing that the USSR was capable to let an entire continent to die before they admit that they made a mistake

[@Joe-ij6of]

My mortgage application didn't match what my credit score actually was, and when the loan officer asked what's going on here, I told them, "I gave you the propaganda number". Worked like a charm.

[@wrestlingbear1188]

Heartbreak. He was trying to save lives.

Him: *starts throwing meltdown* Me: Why are you even friends with Legasov? You could be dead in 4 years if you stress like that!

[@williampitts1257]

Dad: can you get the meat out of the fridge to thaw Me: I’m not home Dad: 0:35

[@alexanderward5286]

William Pitts underrated Comment...

[@RikkiTikkiTavi290]

Lmao

[@RikkiTikkiTavi290]

That was hilarious. I haven't laughed out loud at a comment in ages, thank you.

[@novemberalpha6023]

😂😂😂😂😂underrated

[@blakevirtonis8567]

"Tell fucking Gorbachev" lmaooo

[@iamjacksennui]

Lol, right?! KGB listening in instantly drop their smokes out of their mouths 😨😰😨😨 "...cyka blyat....there's nothing we can do"!

[@billlombard9911]

Tremendous series , amazing Oscar worthy acting out of 5 stars this deserves 10

[@awesomelf8230]

That "I dont give a fuck!" Was building for awhile

[@maw4734]

Before I had seen Chernobyl for the first time, I never knew how much hearing Stellan Skarsgard bellowing "I don't give a fuck!" could improve my mood.

[@CarlosMoreno-ct9tu]

He made LAVA with that phone.

[@saveusmilkboy]

Stellan Skarsgard is such a legend.

[@abdulqudz89]

0:25

[@The8OJ4N]

- It's an inanimate fuckin' object! - You're an inanimate fuckin' object!!!!!

[@grayfox1771]

The meter was definitely reading higher than 3.6 during Shcherbinas meltdown.

[@novemberalpha6023]

Stellan's Stellar performance🎉

[@nicholai40]

When your phone carrier over charges you on your bill and won't refund your money! lol

[@kid111775]

I find this scene both funny and scary at the same time

[@travisb2438]

Ahh good old communisim.

[@peaveyst7]

its socialism, dude. socialism. communism was the goal. also three mile island... remember?

[@alext2566]

It's not communism it's corruption, greed, and a bloated bureaucracy. The USA is in decline due to these exact reasons, and likely won't survive it

[@spitfirekid1]

I destroyed a phone like that once in my career. I paid for its replacement. It was worth every penny.

[@razvanionut5350]

someone who really got involved in this mission at all cost and soul very much a man who deserves respect❤

[@Gustarx]

Ryzkhov only died in February, 2024. A shame the people most responsible for failure after failure at Chernobyl lived for so long after.

[@80__HD]

This is me when creditors keep calling me lol

[@sbgonzalez167]

Bro, pay your bills! I hope you sort it out lol

[@RealAadilFarooqui]

In Chernobyl, It was not just people or animal who died, There were Phones too

[@GreatWhiteShark75]

Stalin: "That's my boy!"

[@johnharrison6745]

More like Ivan the Terrible than Stalin. 😉

[@thesoldier8477]

Me when my supervisor tells me I’m on speaker and other supervisors are listening

[@sanchezking6188]

„we need a new phone.“ „Yes of course, it’ll be here in 6 years.“

[@takovejchhodin4780]

it´s ... just... Boris!

[@ollieox9181]

Gorbachev would later admit that the Chernobyl disaster was what brought down the Soviet Union.

[@vksasdgaming9472]

It might have been biggest singular reason out of many.

[@Sabrowsky]

The rawest "I don't give a fuck" I've ever heard

[@nakfoor1846]

This was a great character moment to show that Boris wasn't just a party shill and actually cared about fixing the problem.

[@anderskorsback4104]

I would say he already proved that when he asked "Why did we see graphite on the roof?"

[@piotrmalewski8178]

@@anderskorsback4104 When he didn't understand things yet, he still wanted to fly over the reactor even when told this would kill them. He was either very quick to overcome disbelief, or more likely, given other scenes with him, he was an extremely brave man who just didn't yet understand that a reactor is far worse than machinegun fire or artillery shelling and there was no chance of walking out of this alive. The man was a war veteran after all.

[@JoshSweetvale]

Legasov: "...yeah, I know, man." General: "Welp."

[@timdowney6721]

Love this scene….especially when he calmly says, “we need a new phone.”

[@VegasBuggMan]

This is the scene that showed me he cared, best scene in the series if you ask me.