MARIA ALMEIDA

Dress by Stella McCartney

London-based Angolan-Portuguese actress Maria Almeida chooses roles that hold a special place in her heart, moving across genres with a quiet intensity and passion that audiences can feel through the screen. From her breakout role as the emotionally observant Mary in Netflix’s critically acclaimed psychological thriller The Strays, to appearances across some of television’s buzziest shows, including Amazon’s tennis drama Fifteen-Love, period series The Buccaneers, and crime thriller Gangs of London, Maria’s cinematic presence has quickly established her among a new generation of rising British talents. Perhaps it’s because of her years of experience training as a professional dancer, but there is an undeniably electric physical awareness to her performance, making even her quieter moments feel charged with emotion. Her newest project, the upcoming BBC drama Two Weeks in August, is one to look out for, carrying all the anticipated tension, relationship fractures, and repressed anxieties against the antithetically gorgeous backdrop of Malta and Gozo.

5'ELEVEN” Magazine sat down with Maria to delve into her world, from her obsession with Marvel

and comic books, to her first love of dance, and the artists she looks up to, and as we talked, it soon became evident that this is an artist who moves without limits, both across genres and across the creative languages of acting and dance. It's as if we, the audience, are taking our seats at the cusp of a great and enduring career.

Interview by Kristania Gunawan

Photographed by Domizia Salusest. Styled by Kayleigh Swan. Makeup by Anna Inglis Hall at Stella Creatives. Hair by Sandra Hahnel at Caren. Maria appears courtesy of AMPR.

Dress by Stella McCartney. Shoes by Malone Souliers

How would you introduce yourself and your work to an audience unfamiliar with it?

I’m Maria Almeida. I’m an actress and a dancer and I’ve been dancing for the past ten years, and acting for the past five. I’m a very creative person– being on set is where I’m happiest and that’s why I’m glad that it’s what I get to do for a career.

What kind of dance styles do you do and which ones are your favourite?

Anything you’d see in a Step Up movie, honestly it would be mostly anything commercial, or Afro. But I also trained in ballet, jazz and tap in school.

Looking at your career so far, it’s interesting how quickly you’ve moved through completely different worlds and genres. Do you feel like you’re still discovering the kind of actress you want to become, or do you already have a clear vision for it?

I think I definitely have a lot of big dreams and goals. I always say that If I could take someone’s exact career then that would be either Zendaya or Rachel Zegler. And it’s because I definitely want to do bigger things and feel really challenged in the process. But for right now, I’m really focusing on having fun, bouncing from different genres and I loved doing the period piece The Buccaneers and the horror Suburban Screams – I would really love to do it again.

I really had a lot of fun on the comedy‑drama Two Weeks in August. It’s still early in my career and it’s only been a couple of years, so I think I have time to explore and have fun exploring different things first.

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We read that The Strays was the project that really made you fall in love with acting. Is that correct?

Yes, it is. It was the job where I decided, “Okay, I’m going to take this seriously and become an actress because I just loved being on set every day, and I also became really close with the cast. It also came at a time when I had to decide whether to apply for drama school if I truly wanted to take the dancer route or to get a higher education, but then I just decided to take a risk by not applying — and I think it paid off. I think I’m doing well and I think playing the role in the movie had a very big contribution to my career now.

Was there a specific part in the filming process that made you fall in love with acting in particular?

Other than the cast themselves, I’ve become really close to them out of all the jobs I’ve worked on so far, there was definitely an experience I really, loved and it was in the last couple of weeks of the shoot where we had to spend two weeks filming this 20-minute long play. And even though it’s cut up from the movie, I just remembered feeling like even if you could feel that everyone is tired from doing the same thing over and over again — I found myself in love with doing the scenes in different ways because I can watch how everyone approached the scene differently. It made me feel like I was in a community of people who loved what they were doing and because I felt the same way, so it sort of became that moment when I knew I wanted to do it professionally.

Your upcoming TV series Two Weeks in August feels really interesting because underneath the holiday setting, it’s actually about tension, relationships and people slowly unravelling. What was your first impression when you read the script?

I read the script right before my first callback so I knew about the characters. My character, Avery, isn't immediately introduced as the stereotypical teenager, she’s calm and quiet but not reserved, I think she’s just more of an observer rather than a talker. And then when I read the first couple of scripts and saw the chaoticness that ensued throughout the show, I was definitely very excited. Catherine is just such an amazing writer. From the very first episode, even immediately off the bat, I just thought that the whole thing was hilarious and from that I thought, “Okay, I really want to be in this!”

So we take it you had loads of fun filming it?

Yes. We spent five or six months on the island of Malta, which is such a

crazy thing to say as an actress. I had so much fun. I thrive in the sun, so even though

the first month was cold – I think it was the coldest spring they’d ever had — after that, I

was thriving. I bonded so much with my castmates and the crew. It’s an actor’s dream to work on an

island under the sun, on beaches and mountains.

Top and long skirt by MIXMVSE

So you’re definitely a summer person?

Oh, yes, 100%. I love London and I wouldn’t want to live anywhere else, but we only really get sun for one month of the year.

You mentioned that your new show was filmed in beautiful Malta and Gozo! What was the atmosphere like filming there, and was there a specific location or moment you enjoyed the most?

I loved the beach scenes. We filmed all of the beach scenes at one specific beach, and I just felt so at home there. I was under the sun, in the water — I felt completely at peace. There’s a scene in episode three or four where I come out of the water, and the director called it my Halle Berry Bond movie moment. And I’m such a water person, so I remember thinking, “Okay, I’m going to do it, I’m going to try my best with this. ” I watched it back in ADR and I wasn’t bad, so I’m really happy with how it turned out. I also got VIP tickets to see Jin from BTS while we were filming there. I somehow managed to get number 100 in the queue right in between scenes – I genuinely don’t know how it happened because this year, I tried for BTS and even if I got tickets, it wasn’t VIP so I think it's the island giving me luck, so now Malta honestly feels sacred to

me.

Coming from a dancing background where discipline was built in through training, do you feel that translates to how you show up on set as an actress?

I think so. Especially when I started out, I was very much a perfectionist and I wanted to do everything right, even though acting is very subjective. One of the first pieces of advice I was given was, “Trust the director.” They know the overall story and how they want to portray it– if it's bad, they’ll tell you it’s bad, but if it’s not, then they know what’s best. I think learning to trust the people you’re working with is really important. After that, I was able to let go a bit more, and with every project I feel a little freer. I really like portraying things and I like acting in realism and naturalism, and people in real life aren’t perfect.

Do you think acting feels like a different form of creative expression compared to dancing?

Definitely. I think that they are definitely a different aspect of the creative industry and because I still dance now – I could feel the difference between both worlds. Dancing was my first love, but acting is my true love, so it's hard going in between one and the other, but I love them both so much, and I couldn't see my life without either of them.They each have their own struggles and their own opportunities, I think that’s why I love them both.

Dress by Georgia Harding

Looking at everything from The Strays to Fifteen Love to The Buccaneers to Gangs and your current production, what's the role so far that has pushed you the furthest out of your comfort zone in terms of preparation?

I think it was definitely The Buccaneers because Cora knew exactly what she wanted, whereas I’m much more of a go-with-the-flow person. I tend to let the group lead things naturally, but Cora wasn’t afraid to say exactly what she wanted – doing all that while wearing the corsets, boots and huge dresses helped me step into character.

I just love Cora so much, and she was definitely one of the funnest characters to play because I got to have a little attitude and have a lot of fun with that cast. It really was a dream.

How do you balance fully stepping into a character while still having fun on set

and staying relaxed?

I’m a chatter, so in between scenes I’m constantly talking to the cast and crew and just generally having fun. But the second they say, “Rolling,” I lock in immediately by reminding myself of what’s going on in the scene before each take and how the character I'm playing is supposed to be feeling. Usually I’ll have one emotive word in my head, like “angry” or “annoyed,” and I focus on that. I think I’m just used to switching between personalities very quickly. 

You mentioned earlier that you want to explore every genre. Is there one in particular that you would you like to explore next?

I’d love to do another period piece, but I really want to do a slasher horror film. I’d love to play a villain, and honestly, I really want to die in a horror movie like a gruesome death. I’ve done so many self-tapes where I’ve had to die dramatically, and they’ve genuinely been the funnest self-tapes I’ve ever done. Getting stabbed, getting choked — it sounds insane, but I’d really love to do a horror movie where I die.

Is there a specific horror project or style that inspires you?

I grew up watching the Scream movies, Scary Movie and Scream Queens. I really love comedy horror. I loved the comedy elements in Two Weeks in August, and I love horror, so I think combining the two would honestly be perfect for me.

Dress and shoes by Stella McCartney

So are you that friend who doesn’t get scared by watching horror movies?

Oh, no, I get scared. In fact, I can’t watch horror films at night because I end up closing all the blinds and get so scared. But I think there's this thrill and rush you get from horror movies.

When I filmed Suburban Screams, seeing everything behind the scenes completely changed my perspective because you could see all the pipes under tables making fake goo come out. There were Ouija boards everywhere — and once you see how everything works, it suddenly stops being scary. That made me want to do horror even more. But I’ll probably cry as I watch it - I didn’t though!

You’ve mentioned before that Zendaya and Greta Gerwig are people you really

admire. What is it about them specifically that resonates with you?

I really look up to people who are double or triple threats because that’s the kind of person I feel like I am too. I remember watching Zendaya as a little kid and then now her still in the movies, seeing how much she’s grown and done everything under the sun, and as someone who has a similar background to me doing such big things, has been really inspirational.

I feel the same way about Rachel Zegler and Ariana DeBose. I really connect with people that have worked in so many different sectors and come from so many different backgrounds, and have trained similarly to me. Seeing them succeed makes me feel like I can do it too.

Is there a role or project you’ve watched where part of you instantly thought,

“I would absolutely love to do that”?

I’d love to do a movie musical one day. I think that coming with my dance background, I’ve had loads of singing training and preparation because I genuinely believe it’s going to happen eventually — one day! I just don’t know when yet but I'll be prepared when the opportunity comes around. West Side Story has a really special place in my heart, especially because it was also Rachel Zegler's first role. And If I could play anyone in it, I’d probably choose Anita because she’s such a dancer – the moment I get to dance in a movie will probably be my biggest biggest accomplishment because I put a lot of pressure on myself as a dancer. So either a Step Up-style film although it’s been done already or something like “West Side Story”. Again, people like Rachel Zegler, Ariana DeBose and Zendaya who has done movie musicals and very dramatic projects– I want to be able to jump between genres and have fun doing all of them.

Coat by Asar London

If the opportunity ever came up, is there a specific Marvel or comic book character you’d love to play?

Yes. Absolutely. I have my favourite comic book characters apart from Spider-man. They are my dream roles of all time– there are three of them and they’re all connected characters within the Spider-Man universe. The first one is Jessica Drew Spider-Woman, then we have Mayday Parker (who’s the daughter of Peter Parker and MJ), and then a symbiote, sort of a venom character who’s also Mayday Parker’s clone, April Parker. And I think either one of those characters would make my life – I'd be able to retire. Kevin Feige, if you’re listening, call me. I’m ready.

Did comic books play a big role in your childhood?

More during my teenage years. I remember my first on-set gift was a huge Kraven comic

book from a crew member, and I remember thinking, “This is a sign. I’m going to be part

of the Marvel universe someday.” My birthday is also on the 24th of April, which is usually around the time Marvel films would release, so every year it basically became a birthday tradition to go watch them opening day. It felt like a birthday gift – I was obsessed.

Do you have a favourite Marvel movie?

Spider-Man: No Way Home without question. I watched it seven times in cinemas. I also love Avengers: Civil War, Age of Ultron (which I think is underrated) and Iron Man 1.

You’ve starred in some of the buzziest shows out right now. For audiences who’ve been following your journey, or even people just discovering your work now, what would you want to say to them?

I’m honestly just really thankful for everyone who has given me opportunities and especially on Tiktok, I have a little community of people who are so supportive of my work, and that means everything to me. I come from a background where this kind of career wasn’t really expected or wasn’t supposed to happen. No one in my family is creative and I’m definitely not a nepo baby, so seeing that support genuinely keeps me going. I can only really say thank you for every opportunity I’ve been given so far.

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