1. TOUCH. What was the last touch of the mind, the body, or the soul that took you out of your usual rhythm and brought you somewhere you never thought you could reach?

If I were to think about my music or define my rhythm, I believe I’d find myself in an improvisation worthy of Charlie Parker, delirious through most of my everyday life and within the chaos of an orchestra tuning itself at certain moments. Then there’s something about the touch of the velvet curtain that separates the backstage from the stage at Teatrul Act it always starts the same internal symphony in me, with different degrees of virtuosity. Or the touch of a small, warm hand, offered with complete trust, which forces me to try to be the best version of myself. Or the touch of a makeup brush that starts the engine of a new character. Or the touch of my person, who is my peace and my other half. Or the touch of a new stage that doesn’t yet know me, like the one at the Athenaeum, where I’m about to offer something and I somehow ground myself in all the textures and shapes that are new to me before I can do what I do.

All these tactile rituals give me rhythm; they don’t take me out of it. I need them. They’re a kind of second heartbeat. They place my energy on a logical and beautiful path, they give me purpose.

2. You’ve been in an intense professional moment for a long time now, but also a very grounded one as a human being. Over time, has something changed in the way you film or perform on stage?

Absolutely. Something is different it inhabits me, and I don’t yet know what it is, nor do I want to define it. I let this something guide me when I perform, without putting it into words. For me, maturity means increased respect and love for what remains a mystery.

3. We can’t talk yet about upcoming projects, but we can talk about the state of mind from which you choose them. What makes you say “yes” to a casting or a role today, and what makes you refuse, even if it “could be an opportunity”?

I accept auditions and roles when I feel I wouldn’t necessarily be comfortable with what’s coming. When I sense I’ll probably have emotions I’ll think are unbearable, or that I’ll face questions and doubts. I place myself in a kind of imbalance that can be very creative and interesting. I’ve said “no” to opportunities either out of moral excess, a kind of outlaw spirit, or the realization of incompatibility.

4. “Tradatorii” has recently come to an end. It was a format completely different from anything you’d done before. How did you see it at the beginning, and how do you see it now, after it aired? Do you keep in touch with the team and the contestants?

Before starting the project, I had no idea what awaited me, haha. I naïvely underestimated my involvement, even though I couldn’t wait to begin. While filming, I wasn’t able to see anything objectively. I was working 16-17 hours a day, so deeply connected to the project, to its flow and strict rules, to my hybrid character of Game Master/Ana, to my players and my beloved team. Each day glued me more to the spirit of the game and made me fall more deeply in love with what I had to do there.

The period after is always the most interesting. You tremble and anticipate, and you can’t tell anyone anything. Then comes the glamour of promotion and the ecstasy of each episode. These are three stages of a process that have absolutely nothing in common with one another and it feels like the version of me from each stage gains something valuable from the experience. Yes, we keep in touch. My players truly became dear to me and I probably to them as well. They come to my shows, we talk online… As for the team, I genuinely feel I’ve gained new friends. We visit one another, we enjoy each other’s company. The family atmosphere remained.

5. Let’s return to the Touch Magazine photoshoot. We wanted it to be more than a classic shoot. Do you think we succeeded? What stayed with you when you think about the team’s energy, the music (you even played tracks from your own playlist), the coffee, the clothes, the makeup, the freedom to improvise?

I absolutely loved the photoshoot. I adore Vlad (Andrei, ed. note) and our almost telepathic communication, the freedom and appreciation I feel from him. We share visual references and pull in the same aesthetic direction. It’s already our fourth shoot together, and we’re becoming more efficient and expressive each time. I loved the clothes Mădălina created some fabulous looks Malvina’s (Ișfan) makeup and Adrian Trif’s hairstyling were an incredible compliment to me. Honestly, from the moment I stepped onto the set reimagined by all these amazing artists, I felt that I was probably about to do one of my favorite photoshoots ever. And that I was going to feel good, at home within myself, ready to play. Thank you, Irina Sopcu, for the invitation.

6. Was there an outfit you loved especially, or an image that made you say “this is it” the moment you saw it on the laptop?

You had me at vintage Mugler. I probably said “this is it” about 250 times. Truly, I loved dancing together.

7. Let’s move to what you’ve been discovering lately because you’re always discovering remarkable things. What feeds you during this period, beyond work? A piece of music you’ve heard recently, a book, a city, or even a dish you enjoy cooking for your family?

I’m deeply enjoying the impressive record collection we inherited from my husband’s music teacher, our beloved Johnathan Kinsler. Listening to them is a way of paying tribute, of meeting him again on another plane, like in Maeterlinck. There’s something profoundly noble, intimate, and deeply loving about leaving someone all the music you gathered in a lifetime. I find great joy in cooking often, diversely, and creatively for my family. The Alps, which I saw for the first time recently, filled me with joy in the mountains I am entirely happy, naïve, and humble. I’m nourished by any moment spent in front of a work of art, simply being a spectator accepting an artist’s gift. I’m nourished by any act of humanity and generosity within this unspeakable global disaster.

8. We arrive at your personal life. It isn’t exposed, yet it’s always present in who you are when we see you. What helps you, concretely, to stay fully where you are, between filming, theatre, family, and yourself?

Love is presence, not words. When you love someone or something, you are there. That’s what I believe. That’s what I do.

9. And the TOUCH question: if you could leave Touch readers with a single state, not advice, what would be the “state of the day”? (It could have been worse we could have asked you for “a message for readers at the start of 2026.”)

Absurd optimism. Maybe that will save something.