Anna Maxwell Martin’s time in the entertainment industry hasn’t always been smooth sailing, but she’s had still managed to build a stellar career. She has been acting professionally for more than 40 years. During that time, she has earned the respect of people all over the world. She has shown that she can act across genres and she approaches each role with care. Most recently, she has become known for her role in shows like Motherland and Line of Duty. She doesn’t appear to have any new projects in the works at the moment, but we will likely be seeing a lot of Anna in the years to come. Read on for 10 things you didn’t know about Anna Maxwell Martin.
1. Her Role In Line Of Duty Changed Her Life
Although Anna has almost 50 on-screen credits, it wasn’t until she was cast in Line of Duty that she really started to experience what it felt like to be famous. She told You.co “It wasn’t Motherland that really changed everything, it was playing Patricia Carmichael in Line of Duty [in series five]. I had no idea that Line of Duty was such a huge deal. You become public property, and I wasn’t used to that.”
2. She Studied History
Many people may be surprised to know that when Anna started college, she didn’t focus her studies on acting. Instead, she chose to study history while at Liverpool University. However, Anna eventually went on to get an acting education as well. She trained at the London Academy for Music and Dramatic Arts (LAMDA) after graduating from Liverpool.
3. She’s Been Self Conscious About Her Looks
Let’s face it, the entertainment industry can be a very shallow place, and people who don’t fit a certain image are often made to feel unattractive. This is something Anna has experienced over the years. While talking to You.co she said, “I wasn’t confident about my looks because I wasn’t classically pretty like a lot of actresses when I was growing up.”
4. She’s Narrated Audiobooks
During her career, Anna has also put her vocal abilities to good use. She has narrated two audiobooks, Tamar: A Novel of Espionage, Passion, and Betrayal and The Foreshadowing. Somewhat surprisingly, she hasn’t done any voice acting outside of that.
5. She’s Experienced Bullying In The Industry
The entertainment industry can be a very cutthroat place and Anna knows this all too well. During an interview with The Guardian, Anna said, “I’ve been bullied by other women in the industry – in fact more so than I have by men. Undermined, made to feel stupid, when there’s very clear favouritism in the room from a man. Most of the men I’ve worked with are good people who are totally respectful and lovely. There have been a handful who are bastards but also a handful of women who are bastards, too.”
6. She’s A Dog Mom
Anna is the proud mother of two children, but she’s also a very proud pet parent. She has an adorable fur baby named Bobby who has become the start of her Instagram profile. It’s probably safe to say that her fans would absolutely love it if she made Bobby his own Instagram account.
7. She Likes To Challenge Herself
It can be very easy for actors to get caught up spending their entire careers playing the same types of characters. That isn’t something Anna has an interest in doing, however. She is the type of actress who enjoys putting her skills to the test by playing different kinds of roles.
8. She Almost Gave Up On Acting
Trying to balance a busy personal life and things at home can be very challenging, especially when you work in an inconsistent industry like entertainment. At one point, Anna considered quitting acting so that she could spend more time with her children. However, being cast in Motherland was a big turning point for her.
9. She’s Just Getting Into Social Media
In 2021, celebrities are basically expected to be on social media. However, Anna resisted building an online presence for a while. That has officially changed, though. She now has an Instagram profile and she’s fairly active on it, too. She has 23,000 followers at the moment, but that number will probably grow once more people realize she’s on there.
10. She Loves Giving Viewers An Escape
As an actress, Anna’s first goal is always to keep the audience entertained. She enjoys knowing that she’s able to give people a temporary escape from whatever they’re experiencing in the real world. She has been even more grateful for this during the COVID-19 pandemic when people are looking to escape more than usual.
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