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The Oscar nominated star of Borat Subsequent Moviefilm stuns as Ivana Trump in the year’s biggest cinematic hot potato, The Apprentice. Can the talented Bulgarian actor help bridge the political divide even a little? We say “yes.”

By Richard Pérez-Feria / Photography by Mike Ruiz

There are several things—important things—I can’t quite square about actor Maria Bakalova. It feels impossible that it was only four short years ago that the Bulgarian thespian exploded into the pop cultural zeitgeist with her jaw-dropping, I-won’t-be-ignored performance as Tutar in the global smash mockumentary, Borat Subsequent Moviefilm. Her unforgettable turn as Borat’s fictional daughter not only sent the acting world a red-hot missive announcing Bakalova as a major player, but it also quite literally changed the trajectory of her life.

The film included the impossible to forget scene (try as you might) in which a grotesque Rudy Giuliani appears to put his hands down his trousers while reclining on a bed in the presence of Bakalova's character. That moment, needless to say, became a worldwide cinematic lightning rod in 2020, a US presidential election year.

No one—and I do mean no one—had Bakalova, a young, then unknown, Eastern European actor in a Borat movie(!) receiving the genuinely unbelievable accolades she was inundated with for her stellar performance on their Bingo card. Bakalova was honored with several awards, including an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress. She also earned Best Supporting Actress nominations from the Critics’ Choice Movie Award, the BAFTA Awards and the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) and received a nomination for Best Actress in a Motion Picture Comedy or Musical at the Golden Globe Awards. Remarkably, Bakalova became the first Bulgarian actress to be nominated for any of these coveted awards and naturally, she was also named one of Variety’s “Top Ten Actors to Watch” in 2020.

Now, in 2024, with yet another American presidential election cycle in full throttle, Bakalova once again finds herself in the middle of the soup portraying Ivana Trump (opposite Sebastian Stan’s Donald Trump and Jeremy Strong’s Roy Cohn) in the year’s most, if not exactly controversial, then certainly polarizing film, The Apprentice, directed by Ali Abbasi (Holy Spider). Meant to be a biographical drama, the film examines the rise of “The Donald” (as Ivana famously called him) as a real estate businessman in New York City in the 1970s and ’80s. The Apprentice had its world premiere at the 77th Cannes Film Festival in May, to universal rave reviews.

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“I hope I play Ivana Trump with respect and dignity, because learning about her made me inspired,” Bakalova says. Asserting that she believes Ivana was ultimately a “survivor,” Bakalova says she’s tickled that the mother of Don, Jr., Eric and Ivanka will also be remembered for a humorous, but decidedly feminist clarion call: “Don’t get mad, get everything.”

Bakalova’s eclectic, indefatigable pace continues with her upcoming projects including Learning To Breathe Underwater opposite Rory Kinnear and Mayday, alongside Ryan Reynolds and Kenneth Branagh. In addition, the 28-year-old stars in Triumph for Bankside, which had its triumphant world premiere at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival.

Though her projects since her impressive introduction to Hollywood have been both plentiful and celebrated including Judd Apatow’s The Bubble for Netflix, A24’s Bodies Bodies Bodies opposite Rachel Sennott, Fairyland, produced by Sofia Coppola and Marvel’s Guardians Of The Galaxy 3, The Apprentice is what everyone on both sides of the US political divide is buzzing about. And in this most consequential of elections—certainly the most important American presidential election since the Civil War—maybe, just maybe, Maria Bakalova’s respectful and heartbreaking performance as Ivana Trump may just remind some voters what’s at stake when they vote, but also what kind of leader should be entrusted in The White House.

That’s a lot to place on an actor no one knew existed four years ago. Something tells me, though, Maria Bakalova is more than up to the task. Just sit back and watch.

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Are you excited, nervous, or both anticipating the global response to your portrayal of Ivana Trump in The Apprentice?
Mostly excited! I was nervous at the beginning, knowing that this is the first time I’m portraying a real person, so I started doing my homework very early on- watching a lot of interviews, talk show, and reportages of her speaking, looking at magazines to see how she posed, how she walked on fashion shows, searching for documentaries where people that knew her shared details about her life, plus reading her memoir. I believe if you want to create a layered character, it’s a mixture of three things: (1) how you want to be seen, (2) how people who really know you see you and (3) who you are in front of the camera. Then I focused on her accent for months. I find it more challenging to learn a different accent if you already have one, yourself. It’s been easier for me to neutralize my own accent into general American. Hers was a challenge, but I had the time to work on it. I was less nervous when on set because after the first day I knew Ali (the director) would guide me perfectly and Sebastian would be a great, supportive partner in this. Of course, at the end of the day, we as artists do this job for the people, for the audience, and I hope people enjoy our movie and my portrayal of Ivana. Of course, I’m a little bit nervous for the world to see this. But I’d say I’m mostly excited for the people to see our film, my Ivana, and talk at length about powerful women.

Did you come to the role from a place of empathy, kindness, and respect?
I tried to leave all my thoughts and feelings about who she was behind me and look at her as a complex character. Of course, there’s always some empathy when you spend so many days and hours listening to this person and learning about their journey. I have to say that the more I got to know about her the more respect I gained. She had always been an outspoken women, ahead of her time. She was hardworking and smart. She was bold enough to demand to be treated as an equal and not be seen only for her looks, but also for her brains. Whether you agree or disagree with some of the choices that she made throughout her life- there’s no denying that she was a bold and smart woman.

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What was the most challenging scene to film? Most people would assume the sexual assault would be it, but you’ve said that in that scene you felt protected.
This was probably the most challenging scene for me too. I did feel protected and surrounded by people who cared. It was a closed set, Ali, Sebastian and I had rehearsals and discussions about it before that, there was intimacy and stunt coordinators were with us. On the professional side it wasn’t scary. But emotionally it was horrifying and devastating. This is something no one should go through. But people do, there are so many women all around the world that even right, in this moment are facing some form of abuse- it’s our duty to approach that type of scenes with respect and research and also our responsibility to use our platform to raise awareness and open up a conversation about organizations that help survivors like Ivana and work to put an end to these issues. Any kind of abuse should not exist--not narcissistic, domestic, physical, nor emotional. Opening up and talking about it may take time, but time is a tricky thing. Sometimes it may be too late. It takes a lot, a lot of courage to acknowledge it.

Can you believe it’s only been four years since your life blew up so amazingly after Borat Subsequent Moviefilm? Do you even have the time to remind yourself to enjoy the process and pause every now and again?
You’re right, it’s only been four years! At the same time back in 2020 . In late October Borat Subsequent Moviefilm was released. And it changed my life tremendously. I never knew the power of comedy before ,the ability to make people laugh and at the same time, make them think about bigger issues and act on how to make this world a better place without pointing a finger at you judgmentally but holding a mirror to your face. I do wake up every morning grateful for the opportunity that I was able to do that film and meet Sacha. His art, his revolutionary work is something that has had the strongest impact on me as an artist. I see him as a superhero and I’m lucky to call him my mentor.

**Left:**
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**Right:**
Earrings by Nicole Amato
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Dress by Haleia at The Confessional Showroom
Intriigo Claire sandal by Giuseppe Zanotti

What’s the biggest misconception most people get wrong about you?
My guess would be that I’m a bit naive and easy going. Chill, because I have this child-like attitude. while I like to spend my free time in the company of Nietzsche and Dostoyevsky and every single decision that I make I’ve made with the idea of what the consequences will be, but you know, it’s not surprising. People have said that clowns are the saddest people.

I imagine you’re quite the rockstar in Bulgaria. What a source of pride that must be to be in a position to help your fellow Bulgarians achieve their own dreams.
This is the goal--to shine light on artists from my part of the world. I feel like it’s my duty to be an advocate for representation. We have so many talented people who have never been given a chance to prove what they’re capable of. That’s why I founded a production company (Five Oceans) whose purpose is to tell stories that are authentic but universal in the same way. And I am proud and humble to say that my first producing project just premiered in the Official Competition at Toronto Film Festival and went to the official selection at BFI London Film Festival shortly after. I’m talking about “Triumph,” which is also the Bulgarian entry for the Oscars this year.

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If you could pick your next big Hollywood project, tell me who would be your co-lead, who’s directing and what category (rom-com, drama, epic, etc.).
This is a very difficult question, there are so many talented people I would like to work with. It’s almost impossible to choose. I’ll listen to my gut and name the people whose work made me fall in love with cinema. I’d love to work with Cate Blanchett in something directed by Lars Von Trier-honestly the genre wouldn’t matter.

You’ve accomplished so much in less than half-a-decade. What do the next few years look like for you? Is there a road map?
Thank you so much for the kind words. I love my job and I’m the happiest when I’m on set. There are some projects that I’m really passionate about making, but I always try to keep my schedule just a bit flexible and open for some new challenging role.

Complete this sentence… Maria Bakalova is……waiting for the world to meet her Ivana Trump.

**Left:**
Ring and Bracelet by Nicole Amato
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Candiice slingback by Giuseppe Zanotti
**Right:**
Gloves by Stylist Own
Corset by TheOliverTolentino at Flying Solo

CREW CREDITS:
Talent: Maria Bakalova
PhotoBook Editor-In-Chief: Alison Hernon
PhotoBook Creative Director + Photographer + Producer: Mike Ruiz
Interview by Richard Pérez-Feria
Fashion Stylist: Alison Hernon at Exclusive Artists
Hair: Carolyn Cina
Makeup: Corey Chrysler
Retoucher: Steve Weldon
Fashion Stylist Assistant: Moises Nunez, Atėnė Asakavičiūtė
BTS: Robin Chou
Tearsheets by Daniel López, Art Director, PhotoBook Magazine
Studio: Love Studios NYC

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