Actress and model Maria Liman (@liman_maria) is sure that the fate of a person is only in his hands. Her life and career are a perfect illustration of this belief.

By education, you are an architect. How did you get into acting?
Since childhood I dreamed of becoming an actress, but in my hometown, in the south of Russia in Rostov-on-Don, there was no acting schools, and my mother did not see any prospects for me. Since I was very good at drawing as a child, she sent me to study as an architect. For a very long time I just dreamed and remembered my dream with a smile, I didn&rsquo;t even imagine that I could make it come true. For me it was something unreal. I could not even imagine that I could do this in my life. But I was lucky enough that even without acting education I was welcomed to act in films when I moved to Moscow. Now I can tell it wasn't even bad. Believing in my dream, I decided to move to London and study here at the Royal Academy as an actress.
Did you really dream of being a "Bond Girl"?
I still dream about that. The problem is that James Bond girls don't "live" for long, they usually die by the end of the movie. And now another problem has appeared: by the time I got to London, James Bond himself, played by Daniel Craig, died.
The biggest challenge in acting profession for you is&hellip;?
Shakespeare. Playing plays in a language that is over 400 years old is a real challenge. I love the works of Shakespeare, but sometimes I lose faith that I can fully understand them &ndash; there are so many words that are outdated and not used today. When I work on roles, I remind myself of Sherlock Holmes, who collects all the details until the puzzle fits. With Shakespeare it often does not work out for me. All four years in England I devoted to the study of Shakespeare, during which time I read all his plays and attended all the performances based on the plays of the genius author. And now I have another dream &ndash; I really want to play Iago from Othello.
What is your favorite role among all the roles you have played?
Titania from A Midsummer Night's Dream at the theater in Cambridge. This was my first close encounter with Shakespeare. Titania is a playful and mischievous fairy queen. In this play I had an affair with a donkey, and I think that was my most unforgettable partner.
You starred for Playboy. Were you afraid of the judgment of others? Was it difficult to decide on such a frank step?
Most of all I was afraid of my mother's condemnation. I really hoped that she would not see these pictures, since I was filming in Ukraine. But local media published many articles about me, so everything was revealed, and after that my mother did not talk to me for a long time.
For the first time it was very difficult for me to stay undressed in front of the camera. I was still shy, I felt embarrassed. I also didn't know that there would be more than 10 people on set. Today I look at all this simply as an experience that was also useful to me in life.

Does beauty help you in life? Or, on the contrary, is it an obstacle &ndash; in the sense that not everyone tries to consider something bigger behind it?
Beauty is a very abstract concept. For me charisma and sparkling eyes are more important than anything else &ndash; that&rsquo;s what really helps in life. But I do not &ldquo;turn on&rdquo; this light every day. Yes, and I don&rsquo;t feel beautiful every day &ndash; sometimes I just don't want to attract attention and be considered only as a sexual object. Everything is good in balance.
You are the winner of the Miss World Next Top Model Russia contest, you also participated in the Supermodel of the Universe 2015 contest held in Bulgaria. Do you love to compete? What gave you participation in these competitions?
I used to love to compete, but after moving to England, passions subsided a bit. In the first competition I won a contract with Fashion TV, which started my career on television and acquaintances with directors and producers. Despite the fact that these were competitions, I had good, warm relations with all the participants. Many of us are still in contact. I really liked the competition in Bulgaria, then I visited Sofia for the first time.
How are your studies in the UK going? What impresses you the most in the academy? And what is given not so easy?
I really enjoy studying here. I did not expect that I would move to England and study acting according to the Stanislavsky method and play in the Russian play "The Seagull" written by Chekhov, and dance to the music of Tchaikovsky in ballet lessons. I like the atmosphere of London. I love walking around this city, visiting places familiar from my favorite films, and sometimes even meeting my favorite actors on the streets. For me everything here is saturated with acting atmosphere. I live near the Tower Bridge and often see how famous Hollywood films are filmed here. Right next to me, under my window. In London I feel much closer to my dream.
At the academy I like the professional approach of teachers &ndash; individual in relation to each student. We are taught here not to compete with each other, but to work together as an ensemble. Often famous actors come to our Academy and give master classes for students, share advices and help us discover our talents.
Do you have favorite actors and directors - someone you look up to in the film world?
One of my favorite directors is Guy Ritchie. I love his film The Gentlemen with Matthew McConaughey. I really like this director's style. I would like to star in his film as a "bad Russian girl".
Legendary things are directed by Jace Cameron. I really like his precise and detailed approach to work. He devotes himself entirely to the idea of ​​high-quality cinema of a new level. For me, he is an example of following what you really want. And it doesn't matter how much time it takes. I'm already looking forward to the next Avatar.
Also, I would add Ridley Scott in the list of my favorite directors. I'm not a big fan of horror movies and I can admit that "Predator" lived in my nightmares when I was little. And was even seen in the tree&rsquo;s shadows at night up to 25 years. House of Gucci, starring Lady Gaga, changed my relationship with predators and fallen gladiators. Now I see Gucci handbags everywhere (smiles).
The list of my favorite actors is very long &ndash; Anthony Hopkins, James McAvoy, Matthew McConaughey, Benedict Cumberbatch. My favorite actresses are Angelina Jolie and Monica Bellucci. Monica is beautiful, sexy and very feminine. For me, she is the epitome of femininity. Angelina is a real fighter. This is the level I want to reach in acting. For example, in "Lara Croft" she performed all the stunts herself, refused to work with the stuntwoman. She knows how to shoot from different types of weapons, assemble a gun with her eyes closed, is engaged in karate, martial arts, throwing knives. The list of her skills is endless, besides, oh my God, how beautiful she is!
Since I also dream of being a &ldquo;superhero&rdquo; and working on the set without stuntmen, I still have a lot to learn. At the moment I am engaged in boxing, horseback riding and fencing.

If you could name the most important rule you follow in your life, what would it be?
My favorite rule, which I try to adhere to, although sometimes I still fail, is &ldquo;failure is just experience&rdquo;. Actors often engage in self-criticism after failing auditions or an unsuccessful role. What surprised me at first was that the first acting class started with how to deal with setbacks or rejections, not take things personally, but move on. But then I realized how important it is. I am still learning to accept my uniqueness, individuality and, in spite of everything, go towards my dream.
What do you like and dislike most about people?
I love positive attitude, daydreaming and faith in a brighter future. It helps me to believe in myself and not give up. Honesty, the ability to keep one&rsquo;s word and the ability to treat oneself and others with respect, I consider as &ldquo;basic equipment&rdquo; for the people I let into my life.
Are you a fatalist or believer that everything in life depends on the will of a person?
I am the exact opposite of a fatalist. I believe that fatalists are lazy people who shift the responsibility for their lives onto other people's shoulders. In fact, they also create their lives, just passively, in the way that suits them. I believe that everything in my life depends only on me, that's for sure. Even the number of successes or failures is only in my hands. What's the point of living a life written by someone else? Frankly, I think that people overestimate the involvement of God or the Universe in their lives. No one sits up there and writes the scenario of his life for everyone. Life is a space of options.
Did your loved ones and you personally have a dissonance when you played the role of a homeless woman in the film "Psyched"? What most important do you remember about this project?
Many people still ask me why I chose this particular role. It opened a lot of new things in me, I looked at my abilities and talents with different eyes. It turned out that I can play not only &ldquo;myself&rdquo;, not only a beautiful, charming girl or a she-devil, but I can transform into completely different people, I can even play men or animals.
I am not only an actress, but also a model. I was taught to walk correctly and beautifully, to keep my back straight. As a homeless person, I had to completely &ldquo;break&rdquo; it all &ndash; forget about posture, walk, sit, lie down and stand in a way that I never did. I did so well in this role that a few months later I was invited to another project, &ldquo;Fando and Liz&rdquo;, again to play a homeless woman.

Among your hobbies is making ice sculptures. Please tell us more about this hobby.
I studied to be an architect, and my thesis was the project of an ice sculpture museum. For the presentation, I wanted an ice sculpture as an example of an exhibit in my museum. But in my city, there was not a single workshop capable of making it. Studying ice sculptures, I got so carried away that I went to St. Petersburg to learn how to create them. I have been able to draw and create ordinary sculptures since childhood. I returned to my beloved Rostov and opened a workshop for making sculptures from ice. With my works, I went to an exhibition in Harbin, where in winter the best sculptors from all over the world build an entire ice city. Unfortunately, for health reasons, I had to leave this hobby, and I went into the modeling business.
You once predicted the correct score in the Champions League final between &ldquo;Manchester City&rdquo; and &ldquo;Chelsea&rdquo;. Is football your hobby too? Or was it pure intuition?
I like predicting &ldquo;Chelsea&rdquo; scores and competing with my followers to see who wins. I often feel what the score will be, especially when I am at the stadium myself, and I rarely make mistakes. Unless, under the influence of emotions, I change my intuition, trying to &ldquo;play along&rdquo; with my favorite team. But my intuition is really good.
The recipe for the perfect day from Maria Liman?
Let me share with you a recipe to start a good day. Always wake up 3 hours before you need to leave the house. If it's the weekend, wake up at the same time as on weekdays. Next &ndash; an hour run or yoga, then turn on your favorite music, take a contrast shower with your favorite fragrant gel, apply body lotion with pleasure, put on your favorite underwear. For breakfast &ndash; oatmeal on coconut milk with berries, a boiled egg and green tea. And that's it &ndash; you're ready for a new perfect day!

What are your creative plans for nearest future?
I'm currently writing a solo piece for the Edinburgh Festival Fringe which takes place every year and I'm getting the team together to do a solo show. I used to not really like mono plays, but after looking at Jodie Comer in the play &ldquo;Prima Facie&rdquo; at the Royal National Theater in London, I fired up to do my own production. The topic I want to discuss in my play is toxic relationships. I want to understand why women still hold on to relationships that drain and destroy them, why they are so afraid to take this step &ndash; to leave everything and start a new beautiful life that will definitely be better than the old one. I hope that the life and experience of my heroine will help women who are still lost in such situations, that it will be easier for them to gain strength and start all over again. When I myself had such a relationship, I just did not know what to do. To be honest, I didn't even realize they were toxic.
What is your wish to our readers?
I wish you to follow your desires, enjoy the wonderful weather and spend an unforgettable summer. And most importantly &ndash; remember that next summer will be even better!

Style: Anna Nazarova | @nazarova.pro.style Photo: Maksim Serikow | @maksim_serikow

Maria Liman: “My dream is to play the Bond girl and Iago from Othello!

Recommended posts for you

Editorials

HÀBITAT

Editorials

SERENITY

Fashion

Coquette Aesthetic: A Celebration of Tenderness and Power

Fashion

Matthieu Blazy: A New Chapter in Chanel's Fashion Legacy?

Editorials

ENDURING ON MY OWN

Beauty

Wish-List: Beauty Gifts 2024

Interior & Design

Your Coziest Autumn-Winter 2024 with Archideco Design Centre

Beauty

Christmas in Paris