Anna Maxwell Martin looked worlds away from her Motherland character as she made a glamorous appearance on the fourth day of the Cannes Film Festival. Among the acclaimed actress's vast array of performances, her role as Julia in the BBC comedy Motherland is perhaps her most beloved, yet the star appeared strikingly different from her harried character as she made a dazzling display on the red carpet.
Effortless Chic on the Red Carpet
For her appearance, Anna, 48, looked effortlessly chic as she flaunted her abs in a long-sleeved black cropped top. She paired this simple garment with matching black trousers and added inches to her statuesque frame with black heels. The actress posed on the red carpet alongside Matt Wolpert, Rhys Ifans, Agnes O'Casey, and Ben Nedivi to promote her anticipated Apple TV+ space race drama, Star City.
Almost Losing Motherland
The actress has admitted she almost lost out on the career-defining role in Motherland due to her own 'horrible' attitude. 'When I auditioned for Motherland I was livid. I was horrible. I had reached a bit of a nadir with my career and I was in the early years of motherhood, and exhausted,' she recalled during an interview with The Guardian. 'What I really wanted was to be at home with my kids. As a result I was surly in the room. To my shock, I got a phone call the next day from my agent saying: "They really like you. They want to see you again." I said: "No. Not going in again. Why do I have to go in again?"'
'They said: "Graham Linehan [who helped develop the pilot] is a bit scared of you." Thankfully, it turns out that's what they wanted from my character Julia.'
Pride in Motherland's Success
Anna expressed pride in the show and what her co-stars have achieved in their careers, singling out the success of Lucy Punch and her spin-off series Amandaland, which returns for an anticipated Christmas special this month. 'I'm so proud of what everyone's doing now. Diane [Morgan] has her own show, and Paul [Ready] is in it with her. Amandaland is fantastic. I do sometimes wonder, though: why is everyone else working together?' she laughed, referring to her lack of involvement in the new show.
'I even asked Lucy [Punch] recently, "Can I come along to the Amandaland set, just for the day?" But she said no.'
In February 2024, Diane Morgan, 50, one of the show's leading women who plays single mother Liz, revealed that the critically acclaimed and hugely popular comedy would not return. She told RadioTimes: 'I hate to say it because I still get women running up to me with prams in the street asking me when it's coming back.'
The spin-off series Amandaland hit screens last year, with a second series coming soon. Motherland is available to stream on both Netflix and BBC iPlayer.
