Ana Ularu featuring in the Romanian TV series “Spy/Master”, premiered in Berlin

The Romanian actress also talked about another TV series she stars in

Corina Sabău, 22.04.2023, 14:00

Spy/Master,
an HBO Max Original production, is the first Romanian TV series to be nominated
at the Berlin International Film Festival. Filmed in Bucharest and Budapest and
co-produced by Warner TV Serie (Germany), the TV show was premiered in the
Berlinale Series. This is the first time in the history of the festival when a
new award is dedicated to remarkable series from all over the world. The script
for Spy/Master was written by Adina Sădeanu
and Kristen Peters. The series was directed by
Christopher Smith and produced by Ioanina Pavel. Set to be premiered in May on
HBO and HBO Max, the series tells the story of a double secret agent who is the
right hand of dictator Nicolae Ceaușescu.
The cast includes Ana Ularu and Alec Secăreanu. Ana Ularu told us more about
this series.

This
is in fact a TV mini-series. There will be a total of six episodes, and only
the first two episodes were screened in Berlin, which means that only two
episodes were included in the competition. The public response was quite good,
at least this is what I could tell from the reactions to the premiere, and I’m
really happy. On the other hand, I must confess that I was also extremely
impressed, although I knew this was something very special we were working on.
Like any premiere, you see things differently. There’s this strong energy you
feel when you see the end result on the big screen in a packed hall, and you
can actually hear people’s reactions. It’s a wonderful feeling which I think
all actors expect. I want to add that this TV series also features Elvira
Deatcu – an actress I personally adore. She and Claudiu Bleonț are fabulous in the roles of
dictatorial couple Elena and Nicolae Ceaușescu. I
play the part of a counter-espionage agent named Carmen Popescu. She is tasked
with thwarting the plans of Victor Godeanu, played by Alec Secăreanu, the male lead. So my
character is trying to prevent and annihilate any attempt by Godeanu to defect.
My character is both intelligence and determined, and she also has a sense of
humor. I think I’m destined to play highly determined characters. I was very
happy to be part of the crew that shot this mini-series. I loved the script the
moment I read it. I read it in one go while I was in Portugal, and the end of
each episode was a cliffhanger, which made me eager to see what the next
episode would bring.

Another
TV series featuring Ana Ularu is The Power, where she performs alongside Toni
Collette. The Power was premiered on Amazon Prime at the end of March. A
number of other Romanians are also cast in this TV show, including Bogdan
Albulescu. The book that inspired the TV series was written by Naomi Alderman.
It was translated in Romanian by Miruna Voiculescu and brought out by Storia
Books. Actress Ana Ularu has the details:

The
script for ‘The Power’ is based on a very clever assumption. I’d say it is a
history of evolutionism. The basic idea is that nature helps organisms adapt to
the society and world they live in. According to the script, teenage girls
evolve and develop a new organ gifted by mother nature. This new organ gives
them the power to electrocute at will. This new power women acquire somehow
shifts the balance of power from many points of view. And these changes are all
the more important if we refer to oppressive and unjust societies, societies
deprived of democracy. This is another action-packed TV series which takes
place all over the world. Part of the story occurs in America, another part in
Nigeria. The protagonists also end up in England and other places. I can say
this is one of the best films I have ever played in. And also speaking about
‘Spy/Master’, I was also very happy to have been able to be part of two TV
shows which I adore, and I am very happy to be able to share them with the
public. As for my stage partners in ‘The Power’, Toni Collette and Bogdan
Albulescu, I didn’t get to work with them a lot, as we are part of different
narratives. I won’t be giving any spoilers, because I want the film to surprise
the audience. What I can say is that I was very happy to meet Toni Collette and
star with her in this production. I hope the two us will have the opportunity
to work together in a different film.

Ana
Ularu is one of the most acclaimed Romanian actresses right now. She has
featured in theatre and film productions alongside celebrities such as Keanu
Reeves (Siberia), Tom Hanks (Inferno), Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence
(Serena). She recently played important roles in the TV series Emerald
City, Alex Rider or Tribes of Europe. (VP)