Laia Costa Bertrán () (born February 18, 1985) is a Spanish actress who has worked in Spain, Russia, Germany, Argentina, Italy, United Kingdom and the United States.
Life and career
Costa was born in Barcelona,
Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = '' Plus ultra'' ( Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, ...
. Costa obtained a degree in advertising, public relations, and marketing at the Blanquerna-
Ramon Llull University's School of Communication and International Relations. She speaks fluent Catalan, Spanish, French, and English.
She starred in the critically acclaimed 2015 film ''
Victoria'', which was almost entirely improvised by the actors; the 134-minute film was shot in a single take. Costa won the
Lola
Lola may refer to:
Places
* Lolá, a or subdistrict of Panama
* Lola Township, Cherokee County, Kansas, United States
* Lola Prefecture, Guinea
* Lola, Guinea, a town in Lola Prefecture
* Lola Island, in the Solomon Islands
People
* Lol ...
for Best Actress and was nominated for a
European Film Awards
The European Film Awards (or European Film Academy Awards) have been presented annually since 1988 by the European Film Academy to recognize excellence in European cinematic achievements. The awards are given in 19 categories, of which the mo ...
for Best European Actress. Her performance also garnered her a nomination for the prestigious
BAFTA EE Rising Star Award. Prior to her big international breakthrough, she also starred in ''Cites'', the Catalan remake of the British TV series ''
Dates'', and ''
Polseres Vermelles'', winner of the
International Emmy Award for Best Kids TV Series, adapted by
Steven Spielberg
Steven Allan Spielberg (; born December 18, 1946) is an American director, writer, and producer. A major figure of the New Hollywood era and pioneer of the modern blockbuster, he is the most commercially successful director of all time. Spi ...
for North America as ''
Red Band Society
''Red Band Society'' is an American teen medical comedy-drama television series, developed by Margaret Nagle, that aired on Fox for the 2014–15 American television season. The series premiered on September 17, 2014.
Based on the Catalan dra ...
''.
Costa starred alongside
Nicholas Hoult
Nicholas Caradoc Hoult (born 7 December 1989) is an English actor. His body of work includes supporting work in big-budget mainstream productions and starring roles in independent projects in both the American and the British film industries. ...
in
Drake Doremus
Drake Doremus (born March 29, 1983) is an American film director, screenwriter and producer best known for directing the films '' Like Crazy'' (2011), which won the Grand Jury Prize at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival, '' Douchebag'' (2010) whi ...
' ''
Newness'' (
Sundance Film Festival
The Sundance Film Festival (formerly Utah/US Film Festival, then US Film and Video Festival) is an annual film festival organized by the Sundance Institute. It is the largest independent film festival in the United States, with more than 46,6 ...
2017). In addition to co-starring with
Mia Wasikowska and
Christopher Abbott
Christopher Jacob Abbott (born February 1, 1986) is an American actor. Abbott made his feature film debut in '' Martha Marcy May Marlene'' (2011). Abbott's other notable films include '' Hello I Must Be Going'' (2012) '' The Sleepwalker'' (2014) ...
in Nicolas Pesce's ''
Piercing
Body piercing, which is a form of body modification, is the practice of puncturing or cutting a part of the human body, creating an opening in which jewelry may be worn, or where an implant could be inserted. The word ''piercing'' can refer to ...
'' (
Sundance Film Festival
The Sundance Film Festival (formerly Utah/US Film Festival, then US Film and Video Festival) is an annual film festival organized by the Sundance Institute. It is the largest independent film festival in the United States, with more than 46,6 ...
2018), she is the lead of two films which premiered at the
Tribeca Film Festival
The Tribeca Festival is an annual film festival organized by Tribeca Productions. It takes place each spring in New York City, showcasing a diverse selection of film, episodic, talks, music, games, art, and immersive programming. Tribeca was ...
2018,
Miguel Arteta
Miguel Arteta (born 1965) is a Puerto Rican director of film and television, known for his independent film ''Chuck & Buck'' (2000), for which he received the Independent Spirit John Cassavetes Award, and for the films ''The Good Girl'' (2002) ...
's ''
Duck Butter'' with
Alia Shawkat and ''
Maine
Maine () is a U.S. state, state in the New England and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Provinces and territories of Canad ...
'' with
Thomas Mann
Paul Thomas Mann ( , ; ; 6 June 1875 – 12 August 1955) was a German novelist, short story writer, social critic, philanthropist, essayist, and the 1929 Nobel Prize in Literature laureate. His highly symbolic and ironic epic novels and novella ...
. Also in 2018, Costa co-starred in Amazon/
Dan Fogelman's drama film
''Life Itself'' with
Oscar Isaac and
Antonio Banderas
José Antonio Domínguez Bandera (born 10 August 1960), known professionally as Antonio Banderas, is a Spanish actor and singer. Known for his work in films of several genres, he has received various accolades, including a Cannes Film Festival ...
.
Costa starred alongside
Josh O'Connor in
Harry Wootliff's critically acclaimed directorial debut
''Only You'', which premiered in competition at The London Film Festival, on 19 October 2018.
''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'' includes her in 2015’s "Breakthrough Performances of the Fall Season".
In April 2019, it was announced that Costa had been cast alongside Guillermo Pfening in
Isabel Coixet
Isabel Coixet Castillo (; born 9 April 1960 ) is a Spanish film director. She is one of the most prolific film directors of contemporary Spain, having directed twelve feature-length films since the beginning of her film career in 1988, in additio ...
's ''
Foodie Love'' series for
HBO Europe
HBO Europe is a premium television group of channels by HBO. It is available as a group of film channels and streaming television services in Hungary, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Romania, Bulgaria, Croatia, Slovenia, Serbia, ...
.
She then filmed the international co-produced Italian English language television series released in 2020
''Devils'' co-starring along
Patrick Dempsey based on the international bestseller novel of
the same name by Guido Maria Brera.
That same year, Costa starred alongside an ensemble cast in the American science fiction television anthology series
''Soulmates'', in the third episode of the first season titled "Little Adventures", directed by
Marco Kreuzpaintner
Marco Johann Kreuzpaintner (born 11 March 1977) is a German film director, executive producer and screenwriter.
Career
In 1999, he began his career in the role of German dubbing assistant for the Stanley Kubrick film '' Eyes Wide Shut''.
In ...
and written by
Jessica Knappett and
Brett Goldstein & William Bridges.
Costa returned to the
Berlinale
The Berlin International Film Festival (german: Internationale Filmfestspiele Berlin), usually called the Berlinale (), is a major international film festival held annually in Berlin, Germany. Founded in 1951 and originally run in June, the festi ...
to premiere ''
Lullaby
A lullaby (), or cradle song, is a soothing song or piece of music that is usually played for (or sung to) children (for adults see music and sleep). The purposes of lullabies vary. In some societies they are used to pass down cultural knowledg ...
'' by Alauda Ruiz de Azúa, which premiered in the Panorama section on February 11, 2022. Subsequently, the film premiered at the
Malaga Film Festival on March 20, 2022, where it was the grand winner of the edition with the Golden Biznaga for Best Spanish Film, the Silver Biznaga for Best Screenplay, and the Silver Biznaga for Best Female Performance for Costa and
Susi Sánchez.
‘Cinco lobitos’, gran ganadora del Festival de Málaga
/ref>
Filmography
Film
Television
Theatre
* ''Bright potential of the Human Body'', by Magdalena Barile Tandhomas Sauerteig (2014) Role: Calda. Festival Grec
* ''Killing, Beating and Death in Agbanaspach'', by Marcel Borràs and Nao Albet (2013) Role: Maria Kapravof. TNC
Accolades
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Costa, Laia
Spanish film actresses
Spanish television actresses
Living people
Actresses from Barcelona
21st-century Spanish actresses
1985 births