When Marysia Peres is asked to describe what style of actress she is, she struggles. For the versatile Ukraine-native, fitting into a single genre or mould is very difficult. Throughout her career, she has experimented with every acting technique possible. According to Peres, finding a “one fits all” solution in an art form like acting is nearly impossible. Every workshop, every course, and every book she has learned from has helped add a different element to her overall presence on and off of the camera. She believes in submerging herself into every character she is tasked with playing and she devotes herself to embracing every moment she spends working as an actress. She aims to be fully present in each scene, listening to her fellow actors, ensuring that her on-screen environment and relationships are as real and specific as possible in order to take her audience on a journey for the duration of her films and television shows.
From as early as she could remember, Peres has always enjoyed singing and dancing, whether she was with her family and friends, in dance class, singing in her choir, or performing on stage. She was an avid film and television watcher, exhausting Disney’s film list and watching every episode of Star Wars on a continuous loop. Her passion for the performing arts only strengthened with age and she has built a remarkable career out of exactly that passion. In fact, her unwavering desire to share her talents with the world has earned her lead roles in films such as Love to Paradise, where Peres plays Carmen, a feisty artist who shows the film’s male lead around the island of Malta. The hit romance film went on to receive the Best Film award at the Malta International Film Festival and has since been released on iTunes and Amazon in over 65 countries. She is also no stranger to the realm of television, having played the series’ lead, Eleonora Morrison, in an enactment of research surrounding the wreckage of the Titanic’s sister ship in U-Film’s mini-series, The Mystery of Britannic.
Peres considers the roles of both Carmen and Eleonora as being two of the three main highlights of her career. The third highlight of her career came in 2016, when Peres played the role of Queen Isabella in the major Hollywood Blockbuster film, Assassin’s Creed. The film, which was produced and distributed by Regency and 20th Century Fox, stars Michael Fassbender and Marion Cotillard and was released worldwide depicting Ubisoft’s widely popular video game series of the same name. Peres was contacted by a local casting director and asked to audition for the role. She was extremely honored to earn a position acting alongside such a prestigious cast and was thrilled when she won the role of Queen Isabella. In addition to the excitement of working with high caliber co-stars, Peres was intrigued by the game’s already well-established fan base and was determined to bring her strongest performance in order to do the game and its fans the justice that they deserve. The most rewarding part about working on the film for Peres, however, was in the learning experience that she gained from the role.
“Working on Assassin’s Creed was absolutely amazing. I felt like such a rockstar. Everyone treated me very nicely and every day on set was a new learning experience. I was fascinated by the spectacular production design, the costumes, and the props. The makeup and hair department did an exceptional job turning the characters into 15th century heroes. It was a pleasure,” stated Peres.
One of Peres’ favorite aspects of today’s film industry is getting to see an increasingly large female character presence on screen. She finds herself overly inspired by intelligent, strong female heroines like Lara Croft and Wonder Woman and is energized by the idea that she may inspire and motivate other young girls to pursue their own dreams and to stand up for what they believe in. Playing Queen Isabella allowed her to do so, as she was playing one of the most powerful, terrifying monarchs in history. Peres’ character was instrumental to the film’s pivotal scene during the trial of Aguilar and without her unparalleled ability to transform into her character in a truly believable, authentic manner, the scene would not have been as intense as it was. She has an ability to guide her audience along a journey, leaving them almost unable to separate themselves from reality and fiction.
The trailer for Assassin’s Creed went on to win awards at the Golden Trailer Awards and the Yoga Awards in 2017. The film was widely adored by its large fan-base and it was a stellar addition to Peres’ career. Thomas Camilleri, who acted closely with Peres for Assassin’s Creed, having played her on-screen counterpart, King Ferdinand II, was astonished at her profound ability to transition in and out of her character when appropriate.
“Marysia is an absolute treat to work with. On a personal level, she is such a sweet person with a very interesting story that has taken her across the world. Professionally, she is constantly switched on when she is working and she is an exceptional team player. She was dealing with several different departments when she was on set, due to the intricacies of her costume but she was always enthusiastic and ready to go,” recalled Camilleri. “What makes her so good at what she does is the fact that her attitude is everything. She approaches parts methodically and she never loses focus. Having said that, she is always great to be around when she isn’t on set due to her lovely personality and her wit.”
As for the future of her career, Peres hopes to continue to expand her presence in the film and television industry, while balancing it with her modeling career. She is juggling several interesting projects, and is excited to continue to develop herself both personally and professionally. In all, she aims to reach increasingly wider audiences and use her gifts to continue to share beautiful and inspiring stories with the world.
Photo by Anne Laymond