Kristina Anapau

Kristina Anapau (born October 30, 1979) is an American actress and writer. She is known for her roles as Maurella on the HBO series True Blood and as Galina in Darren Aronofsky's Black Swan. --- Kristina Elizabeth Anapau Roper was born in Hawaii. She graduated from high school at age 15 and began her studies at University of Hawaii that same year. Before gaining success as an actress, Anapau had intended to become a classical ballerina, having trained seriously since the age of 4. She is a classically trained pianist and holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Skidmore College in New York. As a student of 16, while majoring in Art History and Dance, and with no plans of being an actress, Anapau was discovered by a talent agent and encouraged to audition for a new Universal Television film Escape from Atlantis (1997), which would be filming in Anapau's native Hawaii. The role of Katriana in the Strathford Hamilton directed production would ignite Anapau's passion for acting, and at the bequest of the filmmaker, she relocated to Los Angeles where she pursued more work, ultimately continuing to work steadily across theater, film, and television. Over the next few years, Anapau appeared in numerous productions, including the films Madison, starring Jim Caviezel and Academy Award Nominee Bruce Dern, the Lions Gate comedy 100 Girls, and Warner Brother’s The Opposite Sex, as well as TV series General Hospital and Once and Again. At age 20, Anapau landed a recording contract with Hollywood Records and spent the better part of a year recording an album and opening for Destiny's Child on MTV's TRL Tour. In 2002, convinced acting was her true calling card, Anapau reappeared in front of the lens. Anapau starred with Christina Ricci and Jesse Eisenberg in the Dimension Films thriller Cursed, directed by Wes Craven, and then acted alongside Golden Globe winner Diane Venora and Greg Germann in THINK Film's independent feature Self Medicated, winner of over 35 international film awards. She also starred as Cassidy Merteuil in the Sony Pictures/Newmarket Films release, Cruel Intentions 3. Also during this time, Anapau guest starred and recurred on many noteworthy television productions, including House, M.D., CSI:NY, Monk, Without A Trace, and Knight Rider. --- In 2009, Anapau was cast in Black Swan, directed by Darren Aronofsky and starring Natalie Portman, Mila Kunis, Barbara Hershey, Winona Ryder, and Vincent Cassel. The film went on to gross over $300 million worldwide and was nominated for 5 Academy Awards. "Darren [Aronofsky] is a genius whose focus and discipline on set is contagious", Anapau said in an interview, reflecting on her work in the 2010 film. "To say that working on Black Swan was inspiring would be an understatement." Anapau then completed several independent films including The Speak, in which she stars opposite Tom Sizemore, and the paranormal thriller 5 Souls, which she also co-produced. She appeared on the AMC series The Glades and then went on to land the role of faerie, Maurella, in Alan Ball’s HBO hit series, True Blood, recurring from season 4 through the present. --- Anapau has graced the cover of the Holiday 2012 issues of both Modern Luxury and Status LA magazine. She has also been a cover model for Stuff magazine. She was also one of Stuff magazine's "103 Sexiest Women in the World". as well as Stuff Magazine's "Hollywood's Most Wanted- 50 Hottest Women to Watch"