Ana Ularu in the new Netflix Production Tribes of Europe

In late February, Netflix premiered the series Tribes of Europe, a fantasy saga starring Ana Ularu

Corina Sabău, 20.03.2021, 13:46

In late February, Netflix premiered the series Tribes of Europe, a fantasy saga starring Ana Ularu. She is well known as an actress, with almost 50 film roles under her belt, many of them international successes starring, among others, Keanu Reeves, in Siberia, Tom Hanks, in Inferno, Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence, in Serena. Here she plays a warrior in a fierce tribe, in German director Philip Kochs vision of the future, more to the point the year 2074, 45 years from a catastrophe that turns Europe into the stage for a merciless fight for survival and freedom.

Ana Ularu auditioned for her part in Tribes of Europe while she was filming Alex Rider, the thriller produced by Eleventh Hour Films and Sony Pictures Television, launched in Romania late last year, distributed by AXN. According to her, the first condition for building a credible character is to like the script and believe in the story. Here she is talking about it:

“In the end, that choice has to do with my tastes as a member of the audience, of consumer of quality cinema and television. I have to feel that the project is to my taste, that it could challenge me enough to go in for an audition, because I obviously dont expect to get every part I audition for. I am fairly picky, I only go for the projects that challenge me, because it is very important for me to believe in the story. Sometimes I dont believe in the story, or I dont think its well structured to the end, or I think it is a topic that is treated superficially, or even in an offending manner, and so Id rather I take myself off the list of casting choices. I am lucky that my agents are understanding, and believe in my choices. It is the same with the calls I get. I think that we, the actors, are tempted to keep on working, we have the freedom to choose and to say out loud that we dont believe a given project represents us. Some projects or stories are in line with our vision of the world, others contradict it. The ones that contradict it make no sense getting involved in. In the end, it is about my perspective as a member of the audience. The artist in me would like to get involved in projects that give me joy, and give joy to the audience in me. Then the choice is easy, I go for the movies I would like to watch myself.”

Ana Ularu told us about filming Crotia and near Prague, in the Czech Republic, and about her character, Grieta:

“Honor is what characterizes their tribe, the Crows, which has a very strong value system, like the samurais. These members of the tribe, who claim they never lie or cheat, have dedicated their lives to war and debauchery. And, in spite of their expansionist tendencies, they are fair. We are talking about very complex characters, and I can say this is what attracted me a lot, the world that Philip Koch has created, which is absolutely fascinating in its diversity. Each tribe has its features, and once in a while a character appears from another geographical area. To create such a saga, as a writer, appeals to the teenager you have nurtured in yourself. It is very pleasant to read the story. And if you have the opportunity to act in such a thing, it gives you even greater joy. As I said, the series is directed by Philip Koch, its creator, but a few episodes, the ones where my character is featured more prominently, are directed by Florian Baxmeyer, another wonderful director that I have worked with very well. The scenes were hard, but pleasant, as always. There can be very difficult conditions, extreme weather, long hours, unpredictable situations. For instance, we had a very long night of shooting, and from this point of view, life as an actor is a way of hardening yourself in the face of vicissitudes. But I think that is a good thing, we have strong immunity. In addition, I noticed a sort of unwritten rule, that the action in the film never matches the season in which you are shooting. In Inferno, directed by Ron Howard, I happened to have to wear a woolen uniform and wool lined gloves, and we were in Florence in May and June. In the movie Periferic, on the last day of shooting, it was minus 12 degrees in February, but the story had me in the summer, and I was wearing a T-shirt.”

The part she played in the 2010 movie Periferic, directed by Bogdan George Apetri brought Ana Ularu the Boccalino award, the Swiss film critics award for best actress at the Locarno International Film Festival, the best female performance at the festivals in Salonika and Novi Sad, and a special mention at the Warsaw International Film Festival. For that same part, Ana Ularu got the Gopo Award, and the award for best actress in the Shooting Stars program, dedicated to the 10 most talented young European actors at the 2012 Berlinale. One of her first leading roles was in The Italians, made in 2004 by Napoleon Helmis. Then came Turkey Girl, by Cristian Mungiu, the collective film Lost and Found, Radu Munteans The Paper Will Be Blue, and Youth Without Youth by Francis Ford Coppola. She also played major roles in the movies I Am a Communist Crone, by Stere Gulea, A Very Unstable Summer, by Anca Damian, On the Road with Dad, by Ana Miruna Lazarescu, and Charleston, by Andrei Cretulescu.