Anjana Vasan (born 31 January 1987)[1] is a Singaporean actress and singer-songwriter based in London.[2] She is known for her stage work, winning a Laurence Olivier Award,[3] and her role in the Channel 4 sitcom We Are Lady Parts, for which she was nominated a British Academy Television Award. She starred in the Black Mirror episode "Demon 79" in 2023.
Anjana Vasan | |
|---|---|
 Vasan in 2017 | |
| Born | 31 January 1987 Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India |
| Alma mater | Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 2010–present |
Early life and education
Vasan was born in Chennai, India in a Tamil Hindu family and moved to Singapore when she was four.[4][5][6] She took theatre studies at the National University of Singapore before relocating to the United Kingdom, where she graduated in 2012 with a Master of Arts in Acting from the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama.[7][8]
Career
In 2011, Vasan made her television debut as Lauren in two episodes of the Channel 4 comedy-drama Fresh Meat. After completing drama school the following year, she had small roles in the National Theatre Wales production of The Radicalisation of Bradley Manning, the Royal Shakespeare Company production of Much Ado About Nothing, as well as Golgotha at the Tristan Bates Theatre in London.
Vasan played a witch in Kenneth Branagh's Macbeth at the Manchester International Festival and for its New York run at the Park Avenue Armory.[9] She made her feature film debut with a small role in the live-action version of Cinderella (2015).
In 2018, Vasan played Zahra Alsaadi in the Channel 4 sitcom Hang Ups and had a role in the anthology film London Unplugged. She played Rosa in Summer and Smoke at the Almeida Theatre and Duke of York's Theatre, marking her West End debut. This was followed by roles Rutherford and Son at the National Theatre and A Doll's House at the Lyric Hammersmith, the latter of which earned her an Evening Standard Theatre Award nomination.
Vasan starred in the 2020 Riz Ahmed-written and starring drama film Mogul Mowgli. She then reprised her role from the 2018 short Lady Parts as lead guitar player Amina in We Are Lady Parts on Channel 4 in 2021.[10] For her performance, Vasan received nominations at the British Academy Television Awards, Independent Spirit Awards, and Gotham Awards. She also appeared in Joe Wright's Cyrano.
Vasan joined the main cast of the BBC spy thriller Killing Eve for its fourth and final series as Pam. She returned to the stage as Stella Kowalski in the London revival of A Streetcar Named Desire opposite Paul Mescal and Patsy Ferran. The production opened at the Almeida Theatre in 2022 and moved to the West End's Phoenix Theatre in 2023.
Her performance as Stella won Vasan the 2023 Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role.[11]
In 2023, Vasan starred in the Black Mirror episode "Demon 79" as Nida Huq, a woman in 1970s Britain who discovers a talisman. She had previously made a brief appearance in a previous Black Mirror episode, "Nosedive".[12]
She has an upcoming role in the comedy film Wicked Little Letters.
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Macbeth | Third Sister | National Theatre Live |
| 2015 | Cinderella | Maid | |
| Behind the Beautiful Forevers | Manju Waghekar | National Theatre Live | |
| 2016 | A Midsummer Night's Dream | Hermia | Recording |
| 2017 | Double Act | Manager | Short film |
| The Children Act | Kate | ||
| King Lear | Cordelia | Recording | |
| 2018 | London Unplugged | Lucy | Anthology |
| 2019 | Spider-Man: Far From Home | Reporter | |
| 2020 | Mogul Mowgli | Vaseem | |
| Dara | Hira Bai | National Theatre Live | |
| 2021 | Cyrano | Sister Claire | |
| TBA | Wicked Little Letters |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Fresh Meat | Lauren | 2 episodes |
| 2016 | Call the Midwife | Tripti Valluk | Series 5, episode 8 |
| 2017 | Ill Behaviour | Shazia | Miniseries |
| 2018 | Lady Parts | Amina | Comedy short |
| Hang Ups | Zahra Alsaadi | 5 episodes | |
| 2019 | Brexit: The Uncivil War | Interviewer | Television film |
| Pls Like | Lorna | Episode: "Kids" | |
| Sex Education | Abortion clinic protester | Series 1, episode 3 | |
| Temple | Katie | 2 episodes | |
| 2021 | We Are Lady Parts | Amina | Main role |
| 2022 | Killing Eve | Pam | 7 episodes |
| 2023 | Black Mirror | Nida Huq | Episode: "Demon 79" |
Stage
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | The Radicalisation of Bradley Manning | National Theatre Wales, Cardiff | |
| Much Ado About Nothing | Servant | Royal Shakespeare Company | |
| Golgotha | Loretta | Tristan Bates Theatre, London | |
| 2013–2014 | Macbeth | Third Sister | Manchester International Festival / Park Avenue Armory, New York |
| 2014 | The Taming of the Shrew | Tranio | RSC tour |
| Behind the Beautiful Forevers | Manju Waghekar | National Theatre, London | |
| 2015 | Dara | Hira Bai | |
| Image of An Unknown Young Woman | Leyla | Gate Theatre, London | |
| 2016 | A Midsummer Night's Dream | Hermia | Globe Theatre, London |
| 2017 | Life of Galileo | Virginia | Young Vic, London |
| King Lear | Cordelia | Globe Theatre, London | |
| 2018 | An Adventure | Jyoti | Bush Theatre, London |
| 2018–2019 | Summer and Smoke | Rosa | Almeida Theatre and Duke of York's Theatre, London |
| 2019 | Rutherford and Son | Mary | National Theatre, London |
| A Doll's House | Niru | Lyric Hammersmith, London | |
| 2022–2023 | A Streetcar Named Desire | Stella Kowalski | Almeida Theatre and Phoenix Theatre, London |
Audio
- Goblin Market (BBC)
- The Man Who Wore Sanitary Pads (BBC)
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Category | Work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Evening Standard Theatre Award | Best Actress | A Doll's House | Nominated | [13] |
| 2021 | Gotham Awards | Outstanding Performance in New Series | We Are Lady Parts | Nominated | [14] |
| 2022 | Independent Spirit Awards | Best Female Performance in a New Scripted Series | Nominated | ||
| National Comedy Awards | Outstanding Comedy Actress | Nominated | |||
| British Academy Television Awards | Best Female Comedy Performance | Nominated | |||
| 2023 | Laurence Olivier Awards | Best Actress in a Supporting Role | A Streetcar Named Desire | Won | [15] |
Discography
Albums, EPs
References
- ^ Roberts, Aaliyah; Harry (19 June 2023). "Black Mirror's Anjana Vasan: 'I Would Love To Explore Demon 79 Again – But In A Different Universe'". Grazia. Retrieved 24 July 2023.
- ^ Gyamfi, Akua (17 May 2017). "#TBB10 with Anjana Vasan starring in Young Vic production of Life of Galileo". The British Blacklist. Retrieved 20 June 2021.
- ^ Hood, Alun (21 November 2018). "Review: Summer and Smoke (Duke of York's Theatre)". WhatsOnStage. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
- ^ Patel, Vibhuti (14 July 2014). "Witching Hour". Outlook. Retrieved 20 June 2021.(subscription required)
- ^ "The Cast of 'Mogul Mowgli' on Representation and Breaking Barriers". Brown Girl Magazine. 24 November 2020. Retrieved 20 June 2021.
- ^ ""Chennai. Singapore. London. I'm made up of three places and cultures. I often feel like I'm split in three."". Mogul Mowgli. Retrieved 20 June 2021.
- ^ "Anjana on Singapore, Shakespeare and Sir Ken". RWCMD. 8 July 2014. Retrieved 20 June 2021.
- ^ Mountford, Fiona (10 September 2019). "Anjana Vasan on A Doll's House: 'I didn't know if someone who was foreign and brown would have a career here'". INews. Retrieved 20 June 2021.
- ^ "Anjana Vasan". BBA Shakespeare. 12 April 2022. Retrieved 5 February 2023.
- ^ Seth, Radhika (14 May 2021). "'We Are Lady Parts', A Comedy Series About An All-Female Muslim Punk Band, Is About To Bring The House Down". British Vogue. Retrieved 20 June 2021.
- ^ The Guardian (2 April 2023). "Olivier awards 2023: full list of winners". TheGuardian.com.
- ^ Saville, Alice (14 June 2023). "Anjana Vasan on Black Mirror, Paul Mescal and bad reviews". i. Retrieved 17 June 2023.
- ^ Paskett, Zoe (25 November 2019). "The 2019 Evening Standard Theatre Awards winners in full". www.standard.co.uk. Retrieved 22 January 2021.
- ^ Lewis, Hilary (21 October 2021). "Gotham Awards: 'The Lost Daughter,' 'Passing' Lead Nominations". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 21 October 2021.
- ^ "Singaporean actress Anjana Vasan wins best supporting actress in a play at Britain's Olivier awards". CNA. 5 April 2023. Retrieved 6 April 2023.
- ^ "Too Dark For Country, by Anjana Vasan". Anjana Vasan. Retrieved 24 February 2022.
- ^ "Strange Country Jukebox, by Anjana Vasan". Anjana Vasan. Retrieved 24 February 2022.
External links
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