One of the greatest things to come out of 2020 has undoubtedly been the new film Borat 2, starring Sacha Baron Cohen as the titular character and introducing 24-year-old Maria Bakalova as his daughter, Tutar.
The Bulgarian actress rose to international fame overnight following the film's release, credited for her incredible portrayal of the naive 15-year-old, with many of her scenes performed undercover and almost entirely improvised.
Bakalova certainly had to earn herself the role, going up against more than 600 competitors, participating in an open call and three days of screen tests in London.
Speaking to The New York Times, she shared:
"I heard from a friend there was an open call for the lead role in a Hollywood movie. And I was like, 'That's not possible. We are Bulgarians. Nobody can actually see us in lead roles.'
"I sent out self-tapes, then they called me for a screen test in London. But the project was so confidential, I was like, 'Is this actually a project?' I was sure it was going to be a human trafficking situation. I had no idea I was going to meet Sacha - it was a surprise."