Motherland star Anna Maxwell Martin looked unrecognisable in a racy ensemble as she attended the launch of her new Apple TV show on Wednesday. The actress, 48, rocked a black lace mini skirt paired with a leather shirt featuring fluted sleeves. She completed the edgy look with opaque stockings and suede stiletto heels, opting for glamorous makeup and a sleek updo.
New Series: Star City
Her new TV series, Star City, is a spin-off of For All Mankind and will premiere on the streaming service on May 29. The show follows cosmonauts, engineers, and intelligence officers as they work on the Soviet space program. Anna stars alongside Rhys Ifans, who joined her on the red carpet, as well as Lyudmilla Raskova.
Motherland Fame
Among the acclaimed actress's vast range of performances, her role as Julia in the BBC comedy Motherland is perhaps her most beloved. However, she looked worlds away from her harried character as she dazzled on the red carpet. Anna previously admitted she almost lost the career-defining part 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 in 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 Co-Stars
Anna expressed pride in the show and her co-stars' achievements, singling out Lucy Punch and her spin-off series Amandaland, which returns for a 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 about 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, who plays single mother Liz, revealed that the critically-acclaimed 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.
