Why Headmistress Kirova From Vampire Academy Looks So Familiar
When the teen comedy-horror film "Vampire Academy" first premiered back in 2014 it flopped pretty hard. Critics tore apart the film, which was based on a YA novel series of the same name, and it proved to be lifeless at the box office. However, now that time has passed and the movie has been added to Netflix, fans of the genre have been giving this possibly underrated gem a second look, no doubt partially inspired by the movie's impressive cast.
In addition to younger talent like Zoey Deutch, Lucy Fry, and Sarah Hyland, the film also featured some established stars. Golden Globe nominee Joely Richardson plays the vampiric Queen Tatiana Ivashkov and celebrated Irish actor Gabriel Byrne is the respected Victor Dashkov. There are also a few other faces you're likely to recognize in the movie. A pre-"The Crown" Claire Foy is there, as is Dominique Tipper of "The Expanse" and Olga Kurylenko, who plays Headmistress Ellen Kirova.
Now, there's a chance that last one might not spark name recognition, but if you've caught the movie on Netflix recently, there's no doubt that you had a "Wait I know I know her from somewhere ..." moment. That's because Kurylenko has had a distinguished film career that has included roles in several very high-profile projects. Here's where else you've likely seen her.
Kurylenko was a groundbreaking Bond Girl
After getting her start in films like "Paris, je t'aime" and the live-action adaptations of the "Hitman" and "Max Payne" video games, Kurylenko landed what many would consider to be the opportunity of a lifetime. In 2008, she starred alongside Daniel Craig in the 22nd James Bond film, "Quantum of Solace."
"Quantum of Solace" saw Bond team up with vengeful Bolivian secret agent Camille Montes (Kurylenko) to take down the powerful businessman and eco-philanthropist Dominic Greene (Mathieu Amalric) who is, of course, actually a nefarious villain.
In many ways, Camille represented the next step in an evolution for the Bond Girl archetype that began with the dynamic Vesper Lynd (Eva Green) in the previous film, "Casino Royale." Camille was not only a force to be reckoned with in her own right, but she also holds the distinction of being the only Bond Girl up to that point to not be seduced by the amorous secret agent.
Speaking with Collider in 2008, Kurylenko said of the decision to not have Camille and Bond consummate their partnership, "Yeah, I'm very happy and proud that she didn't sleep with Bond ... It's okay. He slept with all of them in twenty-one movies, you know? Here is a change."
Kurylenko was part of Seven Psychopath's remarkable ensemble
Following her stint as a Bond Girl, Kurylenko landed some solid roles in the late '00s and early '10s. The bloody Roman era war epic "Centurion" saw her playing a ferocious Briton warrior out for revenge, while Terrence Malick's sweeping "To the Wonder" cast her as a Ukrainian woman who follows her boyfriend (Ben Affleck) to his native Oklahoma. She was also one of the stars of the 1950s set Miami mob drama series "Magic City."
One of her most high-profile projects from this period came courtesy of a small role in Martin McDonagh's "Seven Psychopaths." In the story, her character Angela gets caught in the middle of an escalating conflict between professional dog kidnapper Billy (Sam Rockwell) and notoriously unpredictable gangster Charlie Costello (Woody Harrelson), whose Shih Tzu becomes Billy's latest ransom bargaining chip. The film saw her co-starring alongside a stacked ensemble cast that also included Colin Farrell, Gabourey Sidibe, Christopher Walken, and musician Tom Waits.
Even with those impressive additions to her resume, that's hardly the last of Kurylenko's notable roles.
The Death of Stalin saw Kurylenko blending fact and fiction
In 2017, Kurylenko got the opportunity to portray a real-life iconoclast 20th-century musician ... sort of. The Armando Iannucci comedy "The Death of Stalin" uses the "Veep" and "In the Loop" writer-director's trademark comedic style to tell the story of the aftermath of the eponymous demise of the former Soviet leader. However, while the movie draws its inspiration from history, the humorous take on everything often veers into too-funny-to-be-true territory.
That is especially the case for the character Kurylenko portrays. The Soviet pianist Maria Yudina was as known for her acts of political dissidence as she was for her boundary-pushing musical performances. The film dramatizes a popular story wherein Stalin demanded a special recording of one of her recitals, only to receive a scathing letter denouncing his leadership from Yudina along with the record. Although the movie portrays the surprise of receiving the letter as shocking Stalin to death, as Adam Behan of Van Magazine notes, the whole story is likely nothing more than an urban legend.
Following "The Death of Stalin," Kurylenko has continued to keep busy by appearing in films like "Johnny English Strikes Again," "The Man Who Killed Don Quixote," and "The Courier." And even if you somehow missed Olga Kurylenko in all those films, you'll likely catch her in one of her upcoming projects, a little spy thriller called "Black Widow."