Anya Chalotra Explained

Anya Chalotra
Birth Place:Wolverhampton, England
Alma Mater:London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art
Guildhall School of Music and Drama
Occupation:Actress
Years Active:2017–present

Anya Chalotra (born 1995 or 1996)[1] is a British actress. She is best known for her role as Yennefer of Vengerberg in the Netflix series The Witcher. She began her career in a 2017 production of the play Much Ado About Nothing, and made her screen debut with BBC dramas Wanderlust and The ABC Murders in 2018.

Early life

Chalotra was born in Wolverhampton, England,[2] the daughter of an English mother and Indian father.[3] She grew up in the nearby village of Lower Penn with her parents, older sister, and younger brother.[4] She attended St Dominic's Grammar School in Brewood. Chalotra started performing at school and youth theatre groups, then moved to London to complete a year-long foundation course at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art followed by a three-year degree at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama,[5] [6] before she embarked on her professional career.

Career

Chalotra has starred in several stage productions.[7] [8] She was nominated for The Stage Debut Award for Best Actress in a Play for her performance as Hero in Matthew Dunster's production of Much Ado About Nothing at Shakespeare's Globe in 2017,[9] and subsequently earned acclaim for her roles in April De Angelis' The Village at Theatre Royal Stratford East in 2018,[10] David Hare's Peter Gynt at the National Theatre in 2019,[11] and Rupert Goold's stage adaptation of Cold War at the Almeida Theatre from 2023 to 2024.[12] [13]

Her first on screen role came in 2018 when she portrayed Jennifer Ashman in the BBC comedy-drama, Wanderlust, alongside Toni Collette. The same year, she appeared as Lily Marbury in BBC’s adaptation of Agatha Christie’s The ABC Murders, starring John Malkovich.[14] In October 2018, it was announced that Chalotra had been cast in the main role of Yennefer alongside Henry Cavill as Geralt and Freya Allan as Ciri in Netflix series The Witcher,[15] an adaptation of the fantasy novels by Andrzej Sapkowski.

Chalotra currently stars in a leading role as Yennefer of Vengerberg in the Netflix fantasy drama The Witcher.[16] [17] She has featured in all three seasons released to date; the first season premiered on 20 December 2019,[18] with the second following on 17 December 2021[19] and the third on 29 June 2023.[20]

Chalotra was listed as one of Screen Daily's Stars of Tomorrow 2020.[21] [22] On 15 July, it was announced that she would be headlining the voice cast of the sci-fi animation series NEW-GEN.[23] On 30 September, she starred in a short film called No Masks that aired on Sky Arts, based on real-life testimonies of key frontline workers in East London during the COVID-19 pandemic.[24] [25] She also voiced Sabrina in the 2020 BBC Sounds sci-fi podcast The Cipher.[26] [27] In 2024, Chalotra featured in the Forbes 30 Under 30 list in European entertainment.[28]

In January 2024, it was announced that Chalotra will voice Circe in the animated series Creature Commandos.[29]

Filmography

Television

YearTitleRoleNotes
2018WanderlustJennifer AshmanMiniseries
The ABC MurdersLily MarburyMiniseries
2019SherwoodRobin Loxley (voice)Main role
2019–presentThe WitcherYennefer of VengerbergMain role
2020No MasksDr. AnujaShort film (TV special)
2024Creature CommandosCirce (voice)

Theatre

YearTitleRoleTheater
2017Much Ado About NothingHeroShakespeare's Globe
2018The VillageJyotiTheatre Royal Stratford East[30]
2019Peter GyntSabineRoyal National Theatre
2021MarylandMary 2Theatre Royal Stratford East
2023-2024Cold WarZulaAlmeida Theatre[31]

Video games

Awards and nominations

YearAwardCategoryWorkResultRef
2017The Stage AwardsBest Actress in a PlayMuch Ado About Nothing, Shakespeare's Globe[32]
2018BroadwayWorld UK AwardsBest Actress in a New Production of a PlayThe Village, Theatre Royal Stratford East[33]
2020IMDb STARmeter AwardsBreakout StarThe Witcher[34]

References

  1. Web site: ‘The Witcher’ star Anya Chalotra has the magic touch . GQ.
  2. Web site: 'The Witcher' Star Anya Chalotra Shares A Few Of Her Favourite Things With Vogue . British Vogue . 6 March 2022 . 10 December 2021.
  3. Web site: Dabral, Anupam . Who is Anya Chalotra, the Indian-Origin Actor from The Witcher?. 3 June 2020. Lifestyleasia.com. en. 18 March 2020.
  4. Web site: St. Dominic's Grammar School Staff . Heroic Role for Actress Anya . 13 September 2017 . StDominicsGrammarSchool.co.uk . en. 28 July 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190728221736/https://stdominicsgrammarschool.co.uk/news/heroic-role-for-actress-anya/. 28 July 2019. live.
  5. Web site: Anya Chalotra: ‘You can forget your lines no matter how well you know a play’ . the stage.
  6. Web site: Guildhall School of Music & Drama  Anya Chalotra (2017). gsmd.ac.uk. 28 July 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190728221752/https://www.gsmd.ac.uk/drama/acting_alumni/recent_graduates/anya_chalotra_2017/. 28 July 2019. live.
  7. News: Wolf . Matt . A Mexican-Style 'Much Ado About Nothing' . 7 January 2020 . The New York Times . 24 August 2017.
  8. News: Billington . Michael . The Village review – teenage firebrand leads resistance against patriarchy . 7 January 2020 . The Guardian . 15 September 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190925134222/https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2018/sep/15/the-village-review-theatre-royal-stratford-east . 25 September 2019 . live .
  9. Web site: Anya Chalotra: 'You can forget your lines no matter how well you know a play' . the stage .
  10. Web site: The Village, Stratford East — striking use of movement and music . financial times .
  11. News: Peter Gynt review – David Hare brings modern madness to Ibsen's epic . the guardian . 9 July 2019 . Billington . Michael .
  12. News: Oscar-nominated romance Cold War to have major London stage adaptation . the guardian . 20 September 2023 . Beaumont-Thomas . Ben .
  13. Web site: Cold War review — a lush tender play with joy as well as trauma . The Times.
  14. Web site: Iyengar . Radhika . 2019-12-16 . Meet Anya Chalotra, the Indian origin lead actor in Netflix's The Witcher . 2024-06-18 . Vogue India . en-IN.
  15. Web site: Shanley . Patrick . 2018-10-10 . Netflix’s ‘The Witcher’ Finds Its Female Leads (Exclusive) . 2024-06-18 . The Hollywood Reporter . en-US.
  16. Web site: Netflix Reveals First Look at The Witcher Cast. Radulovic. Petrana. 1 July 2019. . 28 July 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190729044533/https://www.polygon.com/2019/7/1/20677111/the-witcher-images-netflix-henry-cavill-geralt-yennefer-ciri-actress. 29 July 2019. live.
  17. News: Wise . Louis . Anya Chalotra is The Witcher's secret weapon . 7 January 2020 . The Times . 15 December 2019 . en . https://web.archive.org/web/20191218081538/https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/anya-chalotra-is-the-witchers-secret-weapon-782fz23qj . 18 December 2019 . live .
  18. Web site: Gonzalez . Oscar . Netflix's The Witcher begins streaming in December . Cnet . 31 October 2019 . 31 October 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20191031164419/https://www.cnet.com/news/netflixs-the-witcher-begins-streaming-in-december/ . 31 October 2019 . live .
  19. Web site: Geralt fights giant monsters, and Jaskier befriends rats in new Witcher season 2 trailer. 29 October 2021 . 29 October 2021.
  20. Web site: The Witcher Season 3 release date case details. 1 July 2023. Esquire. 29 June 2023 .
  21. Web site: 28 September 2020. Screen unveils the 2020 Stars of Tomorrow. 28 September 2020. Screen. en.
  22. Web site: BBC One famous for acting in – Wanderlust – Jennifer. BBC. en-GB. 28 July 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190803043134/https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/profiles/2jTZRx5SMl2MY8fhXz7VMyH/jennifer. 3 August 2019. live.
  23. Web site: 'Stranger Things' Star Finn Wolfhard, 'Witcher's' Anya Chalotra Set For Sci-Fi Animation 'New-Gen' (EXCLUSIVE). Naman. Ramachandran. 15 July 2020.
  24. Web site: Anya Chalotra joins coronavirus play No Masks. Outlook India.
  25. Web site: No Masks – Stratford East. 13 November 2021. Stratford East. https://web.archive.org/web/20211113213620/https://www.stratfordeast.com/whats-on/all-shows/no-masks. 13 November 2021.
  26. Web site: BBC – Anya Chalotra and Chance Perdomo star in new sci-fi podcast The Cipher – Media Centre. BBC.
  27. Web site: The Cipher Episode 1 – Media Centre. BBC Sounds.
  28. Web site: Anya Chalotra . Forbes .
  29. Web site: Peralta . Diego . 2024-01-15 . 'The Witcher's Anya Chalotra Joins 'Creature Commandos' in a Perfect Role . 2024-01-20 . Collider . en.
  30. Web site: First Look at The Village at Theatre Royal Stratford East. Playbill. Hannah. Vine. 13 September 2018. 23 March 2020.
  31. Web site: Initial cast confirmed for Cold War musical at the Almeida. WhatsOnStage. Alex. Wood. 20 September 2023. 5 October 2023.
  32. Web site: The Stage Nominees and winners 2017. thestage.co.uk. 22 September 2022.
  33. Web site: Shortlist Announced For The 2018 BroadwayWorld UK Awards. broadwayworld.com. 22 October 2018.
  34. Web site: Anya Chalotra Awards . IMDB (Index source only) . 19 September 2022.

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