A conversation with Ana Ularu

There is a rare caliber of actor who doesn’t merely step into a scene, but fundamentally alters its atmospheric pressure. Ana Ularu is one of those rare forces. Her eyes that seem to hold an infinity of unsaid stories. Her presence  balances fierce resilience with a delicate, raw vulnerability. She has clearly become one of Europe’s most compelling cinematic exports.

From the independent grit of Romanian cinema and theatre to the universe of Hollywood, Ana’s career path is not just a resume of impressive titles. It is a masterclass in artistic survival, passion, and profound emotional depth.

A Journey Written in Fire

To understand Ana Ularu is to understand an artist who consistently refuses the safety of predictable choices. For instance, she stepped onto the global stage with a performance so raw it felt almost dangerous to watch. This breakthrough occurred in the film Periferic (Outbound, 2010). Playing Matilda, a prisoner on a 24-hour furlough trying to escape her past, Ana didn’t just play pain; she lived it on screen.

As a result, the performance earned her international acclaim. This included the prestigious Locarno International Film Festival Best Actress award and the Shooting Stars Award at the Berlin International Film Festival. Instead of taking the easy path, Ana used that momentum to dive headfirst into complex, multi-dimensional characters across genres.

The Hollywood Breakthrough

In 2016, she shared the screen with Tom Hanks in Inferno, directed by Ron Howard. Her performance brought a sharp, unforgettable edge to the screen.

Following this success, her work was equally remarkable in NBC’s dark reimagining of Oz, Emerald City (2017). Soon after, we saw her stepping into the critically acclaimed sci-fi landscape of “Trіbes of Europa“ (2021). Even the expansive universe of Disney+’s Andor (2022) welcomed her talent. Through these diverse roles, Ana has proven that her emotional gravity can ground even the most imaginative fictional worlds.

A leading role to praise her talent

Making history on her home soil, she took on the leading role in Subteran (2025), Netflix’s very first original Romanian TV drama series, delivering a gritty, tour-de-force performance that redefines modern Romanian noir. From the brooding psychological depth of Bogdan George Apetri’s Miracol (2021) to the poignant historical romance For the Love of a Woman (2026), Ana continues to seek out stories that challenge the human condition.

What follows is an intimate conversation with an artist who treats every character as a temporary home, stripping away the armor of the ego to show us what it truly means to feel.

Beyond the Script: An Intimate Conversation with Ana Ularu

On Transitions and Adaptability

ibmagazine.ro: You have an impressive career that constantly shifts between massive Hollywood productions, theater, and independent European projects. How do you manage your energy and mindset when facing these radical shifts in dynamics and workplace culture?

Ana: I strongly believe my energy and drive and perhaps even work ethic function on the same principles as a dynamo, they beget each other, and if there is anything that frightens me, it’s relenting, not chaos. I presume there is some kind of scientific name or explanation for my proclivity to over multitask and exert myself in everything I do. But I’d rather just live with the mystery of what makes me authentic than try to explain in to myself or outside of myself. I adapt; that’s the main thing. I fiercely adapt to rhythms and tasks at hand. And I center myself with the love of my family, with meditation – I practice TM, not enough unfortunately, with the escapism of literature, music, cinema, nature, being active. And then I go back to being fully in whatever medium I’m at.

Authenticity in a World of Algorithms

ibmagazine.ro: We live in an era dominated by social media, where exposure and a perfect image often seem to dictate success. Yet, you have always remained an incredibly authentic presence, strictly focused on the craft of acting. How difficult or easy is it to maintain your core values and say “no” to compromises for the sake of the algorithm?

Ana: It is very easy for me to not give in to any algorithmic trend. I’ve always been a natural born punk and felt a compulsion to scoff or reject the wave du jour, ever since I was a teenager. The more something swerved in the direction of uniformity, the more I turned the wheel in the opposite.

I am who I am, I like things I’ve liked all my life and still find something new to like or research or obsess about each day. I’m so interested in people, in what makes them tick, what sets them apart, their joys and fears and how that translates to real creativity. I have this immense love for humankind’s little nooks and crannies. And whenever I see some new mass hype type content, messy aesthetic, fashion bla, advice video, pseudo-anarchic still-very-much-catered-to-the-male-gaze eroticism, I feel so happy to either do the cringiest funny video at the theatre or share my kid’s drawings or photograph entire paragraphs of the book I’m reading. Or just generally the most unstylish unstudied post. We need to take our online presence waaaaay less seriously.

A Life on the Move

ibmagazine.ro: An actor’s life on international sets often means months lived out of a suitcase, navigating entirely different time zones. What are your non-negotiable little rituals—those daily habits that help you stay grounded, connected to yourself, and balanced, no matter where you are in the world?

Ana: I try my best to keep active, to work out, wherever I am. My husband and I travel together most of the time and have our daughter with us, so we have like a ritual of looking for coffee shops and playgrounds in any new place. If possible, I will cook. I will bake. Music is always a way of manifesting balance and belonging. If nature is on offer, if forest bathing can be achieved, you’ll find us there. But at the end of the day, the biggest ritual of all is love, that great machinery. If I have my family with me or if not, if I have a lot of contact with them, that’s my grounding. 

The Role of Culture in Collective Mental Well-being

ibmagazine.ro: On ibmagazine.ro, we frequently talk about well-being and designing a conscious life. From your perspective as an artist who deeply explores complex human psychologies, to what extent do you think art and theater function as a form of therapy or emotional regulation for the audience, especially during times as intense as the ones we live in today?

Ana: What I’ve come to realize is that times have always been tumultuous in one way or another. War, greed, abuse, injustice, the few stepping on the many, nothing new in the face of history, only new incarnations. Just imagine how shocking to the human psyche the Industrial Revolution must have been, for example. Art has always existed and will never perish because times will never be perfectly serene and well tuned, so we all need the outlet, the mirror, and the catharsis. We need to witness it or create it. There will always be these two barricades, and they will always be hungry. I hope. 

The Mirror of Time and Personal Evolution

ibmagazine.ro: If you were to look back at the actress you were at the very beginning of your career and compare her to the woman and artist you are today, what is the most valuable lesson you have learned about success, failure, and, above all, having patience with yourself?

Ana: Success is best kept intimate and under a veil of genuine humbleness, as is the journey. Failure is to be laughed at, as it is a mirage and quite mutable in perception. Use trust sparingly and less passionately. Love yourself more.

Text: Yle Balaceanu for IBMagazine.ro

Foto source: IMDB.com, Ana Ularu Photo by NBC – © 2016 NBCUniversal Media, LLC; © Inferno