PROFILES

This 21-year-old Russian-born actress trained in Prague, London and Los Angeles. The Cannes Festival, to which she was invited this year, might really make her career take off. We interviewed her in a snug lounge at the Buddha-Bar Hotel Paris.

Maria Darkina couldn't have a better training under her belt: the fundamentals of singing and acting at the Prague British School, then a stint at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London and a long period at the New York Film Academy in Los Angeles. But she's a clear-headed young woman: "Doing courses, studying, doesn't really allow you to comprehend the reality of acting as a profession and how complex it is getting contracts. They don't teach you that at school. Plus I'm not American and you absolutely have to have a green card to work over there." Well aware how lucky she is to have been able to acquire a grounding in her profession within sight of Hollywood, she's equally conscious of the impact the Cannes Festival could have on her career. "I was very lucky to be invited to this great festival where you can make contact with the entire global film industry over a fortnight. It's wonderful!" An enthusiasm tinged with determination plus admiration for all those she would love to work with: "I'm thinking of James Cameron, Martin Scorsese, Ridley Scott and Steven Spielberg but also Luc Besson on the French side. I'd be thrilled to work with an actress such as Marion Cotillard and I also love French comedies, especially the ones with Pierre Richard. Then there's The Intouchables, which has become a French comedy benchmark in Russia and Los Angeles. In fact I intend to take French lessons because your language is music to my heart!" But Maria Darkina's ambitions aren't just for her career, as behind her enthusiasm lies a sense of solidarity and mutual aid. "While I was training I saw lots of talented people unable to express themselves because they couldn't get financing. So I joined an association (Vissi d'Arte) in Prague that helps young singers become known; I sit on its jury. Later I'd like to set up my own association for helping young actors, performers, writers, screenwriters, directors, singers and stylists so as to build bridges between those different arts disciplines." Her concern for others extends to animals too, specifically abandoned dogs, through the Ace of Heart association based in Los Angeles. Quite enough to occupy a young actress with the best ahead of her.

Par Harry Kampianne
© Valentina Eleonora Costa