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MARIA
BAKALOVA
Maria Valcheva Bakalova was born on the 4th of June 1996. She is a Bulgarian actress. She is the recipient of various accolades, including a Critics' Choice Movie Award, in addition to nominations for an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award and a Golden Globe Award.
Born and raised in Burgas, Bakalova began her career in Bulgarian cinema while attending the National Academy for Theatre and Film Arts. She mostly portrayed dramatic roles in films such as Transgression (2017), The Father (2019), Last Call (2020) and Women Do Cry (2021). She rose to prominence after starring in the 2020 mockumentary film Borat Subsequent Moviefilm, which earned her a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.
Bakalova has since had starring roles in films of various genres, including Bodies Bodies Bodies (2022) and The Apprentice (2024). She also had voice roles, including in the Marvel Cinematic Universe film Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023) as Cosmo the Spacedog, and in the DC Universe series Creature Commandos (2024).
2020–present: Hollywood breakthrough
In 2020, Bakalova portrayed Tutar Sagdiyev, the daughter of fictional Kazakh reporter Borat Sagdiyev, in the mockumentary Borat Subsequent Moviefilm, alongside Sacha Baron Cohen. Although she was initially credited as Irina Nowak, reports later revealed her involvement. During the audition process, Bakalova had to travel to London for a callback; the secrecy around the project made her concerned that she might have become part of a human trafficking scheme. The film was lauded as "the most impactful piece of political entertainment" in the weeks leading up to the 2020 United States presidential election, as a scene in which Rudy Giuliani appears to put his hands down his trousers while reclining on a bed in the presence of Bakalova's character garnered significant media attention.
Critics praised her performance, with some stating it was among the year's best. Matt Fowler of IGN noted that "the film's fantastic find, Maria Bakalova, every bit Sacha Baron Cohen's on-screen equal, is who, and what, most people will be talking about." Los Angeles Times film critic Justin Chang described her performance as "terrific," praising her portrayal of her character's journey "with madcap energy and touching conviction." For her performance, Bakalova received several awards, including the Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Supporting Actress. She was also nominated for Best Supporting Actress at the Academy Awards, BAFTA Awards, and Screen Actors Guild Awards, and for Best Actress in a Motion Picture Comedy or Musical at the Golden Globe Awards. She became the first Bulgarian actress to be nominated for these awards.
Bakalova next starred as Sonja, a 19-year-old girl who discovers she is HIV positive and is in denial about her need for treatment, in Women Do Cry (2021), directed by Mina Mileva and Vesela Kazakova. The film premiered to positive reviews from critics at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival, where it competed in the Un Certain Regard section, and received a Queer Palm nomination. The same year, Bakalova joined the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences as a member of the Actors Branch.
In 2022, she starred alongside Amandla Stenberg and Pete Davidson in A24's horror film Bodies Bodies Bodies. The film received predominantly favorable reviews; some felt that her comedic talents were wasted by playing a serious character. Her next role was in Judd Apatow's The Bubble (2022), part of an ensemble cast that included Karen Gillan, David Duchovny, Leslie Mann and Pedro Pascal. The film generated mostly negative reviews, and New York Times critic Ben Kenigsberg wrote that it "underused" Bakalova. After voicing Cosmo the Spacedog in The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special (2022), she starred in the romantic comedy The Honeymoon (2022), which marked her first production venture. The film saw her play Sarah, whose honeymoon is ruined by her husband's troublesome best friend and who is pursued by the Italian gangster Giorgio, played by Lucas Bravo.
Bakalova next appeared in Andrew Durham's directorial debut Fairyland (2023), which premiered at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival. She reprised her role as Cosmo the Spacedog in the Marvel Cinematic Universe superhero film Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023), also providing the motion capture performance for the character. With box office takings of $845.6 million worldwide, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 was the fourth highest-grossing picture of the year, and became Bakalova's highest-grossing film.
Bakalova began 2024 by starring in Hala Matar's directorial debut Electra. After making a cameo appearance in Jerry Seinfeld's directorial debut Unfrosted (2024), Bakalova starred as Ivana Trump in The Apprentice (2024), directed by Ali Abbasi, which premiered at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival and competed for the Palme d'Or. She next reunited with The Father directors Kristina Grozeva and Petar Valchanov for the black comedy Triumph (2024), which she also produced. The film marked her return to Bulgarian cinema following her Hollywood breakthrough. It premiered at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival and was selected as the Bulgarian entry for the Best International Feature Film category at the 97th Academy Awards.
In November 2022, Bakalova joined the cast of the action thriller film Dirty Angels, directed by Martin Campbell. She will also star in Madeleine Sackler's sci-fi comedy drama O Horizon. In April 2024, she was cast in the Apple TV+ action adventure film Mayday.
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REFERENCE
https://www.imdb.com/
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