Maria Bakalova has opened up about her brief, yet memorable time in the DC Universe as the villainous Princess Ilana Rostovic in Creature Commandos.
Although Bakalova’s heiress to the throne of Pokolistan was introduced in Creature Commandos as a seemingly innocent bystander to Circe’s attack on her nation, the adult animated series soon unveiled that the character had villainous intentions. Bakalova recently stated that she quite enjoyed playing a villain who acts helpless even though she is in complete control.
“Ilana is a character that I haven’t really played before. I’ve gotten to work on a lot of interesting projects [that were] very different to each other, but I haven’t played a villain before. I haven’t played somebody that is using manipulation to get what they wanted,” she told io9. “To sacrifice their dignity and humanity to achieve a goal of power and control over society. It’s interesting.”
Bakalova continued, “She’s a complex woman. She can be seen as innocent and fragile and someone who really needs protection. But she is not as silly as she plays it to be and is not as fragile as she wants people to think she is . . . She wants to play with her charm, and she wants to play with her femininity. She wants to play with the idea [that] she is not dangerous, she is in danger — when she’s actually the biggest danger of them all.”
The actor likened Ilana’s dual nature to playing Tutar Sagdiyev, the teenage daughter of Borat in the 2020 mockumentary Borat Subsequent Moviefilm. “I did get to play something similar when I was trying to convince people that my character is a real human being back in 2020 with Borat [Subsequent Moviefilm],” she shared. “Sometimes, you just have to let people believe what they want to believe, and I think that’s her goal as well. She just lets Rick and the creatures believe that they need to protect her. So that’s why she plays it like, ‘Okay, I need protection, just don’t stay [in] my way.'”
What’s next for the Creature Commandos?
Creature Commandos has been renewed for a second season. While plot details remain under wraps, the Season 1 finale introduced a new lineup for the titular team with the Bride, Doctor Phosphorus, and Weasel being joined by a rebuilt G.I. Robot, the vampire Nosferata, the mummy Khalis, and fan-favorite The Suicide Squad character King Shark.
All seven episodes of Creature Commandos Season 1 are now streaming on Max.
