Valeria Smirnova (born 4 November 1992), known professionally as Lera Abova, is a German model and actress of Russian origin. She works under more than one modelling agency, including

Select Model Management Select Model Management is a global network of model and talent agencies. It was established in London in 1977, by founders Tandy Anderson and sisters Clare and Chrissie Castagnetti. Company In their early days, Select was one of the first model ...

, Oui Management, and Fabbrica Milano Management. In the ''

Pitch Perfect ''Pitch Perfect'' is a 2012 American musical comedy film directed by Jason Moore and written by Kay Cannon. It features an ensemble cast, including Anna Kendrick, Skylar Astin, Rebel Wilson, Adam DeVine, Anna Camp, Brittany Snow, Hana M ...

spin-off Spin-off, Spin Off, Spin-Off, or Spinoff may refer to: Entertainment and media *Spinoff (media), a media work derived from an existing work *''The Spinoff'', a New Zealand current affairs magazine * ''Spin Off'' (Canadian game show), a 2013 Canad ...

, '' Pitch Perfect: Bumper in Berlin'', she played as ''Thea''. She is cast as

Nico Robin , otherwise known as "Devil Child", is a fictional character in the ''One Piece'' franchise created by Eiichiro Oda. The character made her first appearance in the 114th chapter of the series, which was first published in Japan in Shueisha's '' ...

for

Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...

's adaptation of ''One Piece''.

Early life and career

Abova was born 4 November 1992, and grew up in the village of

Slavgorod Slavgorod () is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, town in Altai Krai, Russia, located between Lake Sekachi, Lakes Sekachi and Bolshoye Yarovoye. The population of the town is It was founded in 1910 and was granted town status in 1914. ...

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. According to her the village is “so small they don’t have it on the map”. When she was 13, she moved to Germany. She didn't speak German, so she used an electronic translator to communicate. She struggled to connect with her schoolmates due to the language barrier and her being from a different background. She liked to wear a pink ''

Pokémon is a Japanese media franchise consisting of List of Pokémon video games, video games, Pokémon (TV series), animated series and List of Pokémon films, films, Pokémon Trading Card Game, a trading card game, and other related media. The fran ...

'' T-shirt and had “crazy, long hair.” After learning German, she made many friends. She dropped out of school before her final exams when she was either 18 or 19. In 2016, she was noticed by David Sims who started her career as a fashion model. Soon other fashion photographers signed her, including Colin Dodgson and Mariano Vivanco, as well as ''

Vogue Vogue may refer to: Business * ''Vogue'' (magazine), a US fashion magazine ** British ''Vogue'', a British fashion magazine ** '' Vogue Adria'', a fashion magazine for former Yugoslav countries ** ''Vogue Arabia'', an Arab fashion magazine ** ' ...

'' stylists from many countries around the world. In the first two years of her career, she participated in many advertising campaigns. In 2017,

Luc Besson Luc Paul Maurice Besson (; born 18 March 1959) is a French filmmaker. He directed and produced the films '' Subway'' (1985), '' The Big Blue'' (1988), and '' La Femme Nikita'' (1990). Associated with the '' Cinéma du look'' film movement, he h ...

cast her in the role of Maude in his film ''

Anna Anna may refer to: People Surname and given name * Anna (name) Mononym * Anna the Prophetess, in the Gospel of Luke * Anna of East Anglia, King (died c.654) * Anna (wife of Artabasdos) (fl. 715–773) * Anna (daughter of Boris I) (9th–10th c ...

'', alongside Sasha Luss.

Filmography

Film

Television

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Abova, Lera Living people 1992 births 21st-century Russian actresses Russian emigrants to Germany Russian models Select Model Management models