Buzz Interviews Maria Bata
I was raised in Transylvania, a “mystical” region of Romania, by wonderful parents who encouraged me to pursue my passion as an actress, especially my mom after my father, unfortunately passed way at an early age. As a child, I very much enjoyed reciting poetry, dancing or simply “performing” before audiences during festive events. Most of all, I loved watching movies as I was fascinated by the emotional impact actors had on our hearts and minds and I developed my craft to the point where I began making movies in my homeland. However, it was always my dream to follow my career path and move from the land of Dracula (Transylvania) to the City of Angels (Hollywood).
Despite this dream, I was always somewhat “pragmatic” about the odds of becoming a successful actor so after graduating from a Mathematics-Informatics high school I enrolled at the Bucharest Academy of Economic Studies in Faculty Management; however, I never abandoned my passion to become a meaningful actor and I continued to take as many acting classes as possible in addition to my regular college curriculum. Eventually, casting agencies in Bucharest brought me offers for commercials and advertising photo campaigns during my free time between classes.
I loved working before the camera so much that after obtaining my university degree, I enrolled at Spiru Haret University, a prestigious drama academy in Bucharest. Soon, thereafter, I landed my first lead role as “Mona” in Bobby Paunescu’s “Pioneer Palace” which was selected for the prestigious Sundance Film Festival. After attending the Festival, I knew that the United States of America was the place I hoped to be for the rest of my life, and I’ve been working here as an actor since then on a 01 Visa.