Who is Maria Bakalova? Bulgarian actor who stars as Borat’s daughter in Subsequent Moviefilm

Sacha Baron Cohen’s surprise sequel to Borat is set to hit screens on 23 October, coming straight to Amazon Prime Video.

The film, entitled Borat Subsequent Moviefilm: Delivery of Prodigious Bribe to American Regime for Make Benefit Once Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan, sees Borat Sagdiyev (Baron Cohen) return to the US with his daughter, Tutar, in tow.

The character of Tutar has featured prominently in news headlines ahead of the film’s release, particularly because she was involved in a controversial scene with Rudy Giuliani.

The former New York mayor and lawyer/advisor to Donald Trump was filmed interacting with Tutar in a hotel room, in a manner which some have interpreted as inappropriate. But who plays Tutar in Borat 2?

While initial press materials suggested Tutar is played by an actor called “Irina Novak”, fans soon deduced that this was a pseudonym.

Tutar is in fact portrayed by Maria Bakalova, who is given second billing under Baron Cohen in the film’s credits.

Bakalova is a 24-year-old Bulgaria-born actor who is essentially a complete newcomer to Hollywood.

She has featured in a handful of notable Bulgarian films, however, including Transgression (2018) and this year’s Last Call.

While Bakalova’s anonymity doubtless helped Baron Cohen orchestrate some of the film’s pranks, Borat 2 ’s warm critical reception suggests the actor won’t be so unheard of for long.

In her review for The Independent, film critic Clarisse Loughrey called Borat 2 “a jaw-dropping expose of America in the here and now”.

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