Everything You Need to Know About Maria Bakalova, the Daughter in ‘Borat Subsequent Moviefilm’

In what is perhaps the plot twist to end all plot twists, Borat Subsequent Moviefilm produced some of the best acting I’ve seen in years. Say what you want about it as a whole, but there’s no denying the level of talent in the film. It takes an extreme amount of focus, dedication, and skill to pull off stunts like crashing and disrupting an event with the VP of the United States or catching Donald Trump’s lawyer in a compromising position (no, like, literally with his hands down his pants).

We expect such ridiculous antics from Sacha Baron Cohen after his groundbreaking performance in the original Borat, but the sequel had a secret weapon no one saw coming: Maria Bakalova, who plays his daughter.

So who is this mystery actress who (1) stayed in character during the most awkward/uncomfortable/disgusting situations, (2) kept up with Sacha while they did universally embarrassing things in public, and (3) beat the justice department by catching Rudy Giuliani red-handed, committing indecent and (potentially) illegal behavior?

Where’d this girl come from?!

Maria is the 24-year-old Bulgarian actress who played Borat’s daughter, Tutar Sagdiyev, in Borat 2 and slayed. Maria’s breakout performance left everyone, both moviegoers and her fellow actors, pretty freakin’ stunned.

Born in Burgas, Bulgaria, Maria began singing and performing at 6 years old. According to her IMDb page, she studied performing arts at the National School of Arts in Burgas and later at the National Academy for Theatre and Film Arts, where she graduated in 2019. Her acting career is mostly in Bulgarian films, including Transgressions (2018) and Last Call (2020).

How’d she break into the American scene?

Maria moved to Hollywood at the beginning of 2020 and seems to be enjoying that SoCal weather (from the looks of her Instagram). Apparently, the sneaky Borat production was her literal first taste of America, as Sacha said in a video interview according to IndieWire, “Imagine coming to America for the first time and you’re playing a role with real people in some terrifying situations.”

If I experienced the same horrifying interactions she did when first visiting a new country, I’d be like, Yeah, you know what? I’m gonna go now. That’s one heck of a first impression. Yet she “got through it all,” said Sacha. “She is one of the most courageous actors in history. If she doesn’t get nominated for an Oscar, then that’s a travesty.” That’s a huuuuuge push from Sacha that literally paid off, since Maria is now up for the 2021 Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for playing Tutar.

The feelings of admiration between Sacha and Maria are mutual—and even father-daughter-esque. Maria posted an Instagram with the caption, “I am so overwhelmed and moved by your words @SachaBaronCohen! You really are like a father to me! Thank you for everything—your support and guidance. You are my biggest teacher! I am so so grateful for the opportunity to create such an brilliant character like #Tutar with you.”

What else should we know about her?

There’s not a lot of info out there! But it probably won’t be like that for much longer. Since playing Tutar, Maria has received international attention and praise for her acting.

She’s also breaking through the typical Hollywood mold as an actress of Eastern European descent. She wrote, “There are almost no leading characters for actors from my background or actors who have a foreign accent so to be given this platform to perform and show what I can do really means the world to me! Thank you! I love you!!”

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