Swedish born actress MyAnna Buring just seems to go from strength to strength. Since her portrayal of Edna Braithwaite in Downton Abbey catapulted her into the big time, she’s appeared in everything from the hugely successful (and much missed) Ripper Street to the goliath that was the Twilight franchise. These days, she’s busy lighting up our screens as Tissaia de Vries in The Witcher, Netflix’s brand-new fantasy drama starring, among others, Henry Cavill and Anya Chalotra. With a second season already in the works, 2020 looks set to be a busy year for Buring… and an entertaining one for us. Find out more about the actress with these ten little facts.
1. She grew up in the Middle East
Buring may have been born in Sweden, but it’s not somewhere she considers home. When she was two years old, her family relocated to Oman in the Middle East, where she resided until she was sent to an Oxford boarding school at the age of 16. After leaving high school, Buring studied at the famous London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art, graduating in 2004. She’s lived in London ever since, and thinks of both Oman and the UK as her home.
2. Her name comes from a children’s comic
Buring was born My Anna Margaretha Buring Rantapää. The ‘My’ in her name comes from the mischievous character Little My from Moomin, a hugely famous comic created by Finnish author and illustrator, Tove Jansson. According to IB Times, the actress decided to combine her first and second names into one after a teacher in middle school decided My was a “ridiculous name” and took to calling her Anna (a name the actress dislikes) instead.
3. She’s got history with The Witcher
In October 2018, it was revealed Buring would be joining the cast of The Witcher as the sorceress Tissaia de Vries, leader of the magical academy at Aretuza. Unlike all the other members of the cast, Buring already had a history with the series, having voiced the role of Anna Henrietta in the critically acclaimed expansion, Blood and Wine, in 2016.
4. She’s an associate director at a theatre company
When she’s not busy with her film and TV roles, Buring can usually be found at her second job as associate director of MahWaff Theatre Company. Her role in the company has included the direction of productions such as Guardians (a Fringe First Award Winner in 2005), and Monologue for an Ensemble.
5. Kill List changed the direction of her career
In 2011, Buring was cast in the psychological crime thriller, Kill List. It was a part that would change the course of her career for good, as she later recalled to The Express. “Kill List totally changed the direction of my career,” she said. “For a long time, nobody said, ‘Here’s something meaty to do,’ until that film came along. That and The Twilight Saga came out at the same time, meaning it was harder to pigeonhole me, which was great.”
6. She kept her pregnancy secret
Some stars start to tweet about their pregnancy almost from the moment of conception, but not so Buring. The actress managed to keep her pregnancy secret right up until the end, when her burgeoning bump was finally revealed on the red carpet. The birth itself was equally shrouded in secrecy, with Buring only admitting she’d welcomed her son 8 weeks after the event. She finally revealed all during an interview on The Lorraine Show, where she told guest host Gaby Roslin, ‘Eight weeks ago I had my baby! He smells so good!’. ‘All he does is bathe in his own milk and throw up… but it’s so divine!’
7. She likes to keep her personal life private
While she’s happy enough to discuss her roles, Buring isn’t the kind of actress who’s happy to invite audiences into her personal life. Neither does she feel the need, a quality she credits to having found fame in later life. “I don’t talk about my personal life ever and quite early on I decided that was out of bounds,” she told the Daily Express. “If I was in my early twenties, I might feel pressure to talk about home life. I have my friends and my family I can talk to about issues in my life, so I don’t feel it’s something I need to talk to the whole world about.”
8. She though Lesbian Vampire Killers was an adult film
In 2009, Buring was cast as Lotte in Lesbian Vampire Killers, a British comedy horror film starring James Corden and Mathew Horne. When she was first sent the script, she almost dismissed it offhand, as she later told the Daily Record. “I said, ‘Push off, no way, it’s porn. That’s outrageous. I can’t believe my agent would have sent me this,'” she recalled. “But my boyfriend calmed me down and told me to read the script as he was sure they wouldn’t have sent me a porn film.” It turned out he was right…. although given the dire reception the film met on its release (with even James Corden latter dismissing it as “rubbish”), she might have been better off sticking to her gut instinct.
9. She loves TV as much as film
TV is currently experiencing a renaissance, with everyone from Nicole Kidman, Richard Gere, and Reece Witherspoon turning their backs (even momentarily) on the big screen to enjoy the wider story arcs (not to mention huge audiences) TV allows. Buring herself has always flirted back and forth between TV and film, claiming each has its own unique advantages. “When a film comes along that I want to do, I will jump at the opportunity,” she told BT. “However, I love working in television and on stage too – all forms of storytelling excite me.”
10. Downton Abbey changed her life
Parts in productions like the phenomenally popular Downton Abbey don’t come along that often, but when they do, they can be life-changing. Buring had already been active in the industry for 8 years when she landed the role of Edna Braithwaite, but it was that role that turned her into one of TV’s most recognizable faces. “Absolutely [it changed my life]!” she told Gaby Roslin during an ITV interview, “I think there’s something that it does to you personally as well.” Even years later, she still looks back fondly on her time on the show and was happy to participate in the special BAFTA event that marked the end of the series in 2015. “It was so much fun,” she recalled. “It was extraordinary just to be there. Extremely moving, it was just beautiful, wonderful way to commemorate six years.”
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