Himalayan News Service

Bristol:

Antonia Bernath, who won rave reviews for her performance in ‘Kisna’, has been flooded with offers from Bollywood producers but says she is not interested in pursuing a career in India.

Antonia, 23, who trained at Bristol’s Old Vic Theatre, has decided to take on the role of playing Elvis Presley’s wife Priscilla in an American television series.

She did small roles in television shows ‘Holby City’ and ‘Monarch of the Glen’.

She was then picked to play Katherine in ‘Kisna’. Antonia said, “It was amazing making the film because a lot of the filming took place in all these remote villages and places that you would not normally visit. I have heard that I am quite well-known now in India, but I am not really interested in pursuing a career out there. My main aim at the moment is just to keep working, either in Britain or Hollywood. I loved India but didn’t train for three years in Bristol with Bollywood in mind.” Antonia said she had fond memories of living in Clifton in Bristol and training at the Old Vic. She said, “As soon as I had been offered a place in Bristol, I did not bother applying anywhere else because I liked it so much. The final year was generally about getting out into the real world and finding an agent. I found an agent pretty quickly, work started to come in and so I made the decision to leave. I am not saying it wasn’t a fantastic course with fantastic teachers.” Over the weekend, Antonia flew to New Orleans to start filming the CBS mini-series ‘Elvis’, starring Jonathan Rhys-Meyers and Randy Quaid.

Antonia, who is expecting to meet Priscilla for the first time next week, said, “It is always difficult to portray a real person, particularly someone who is still alive. Priscilla first met Elvis when she was 14 and so it is very much about a young girl who is in love with a famous star. I have heard that Priscilla has seen the script and although she insisted a couple of scenes be removed she is happy with it.”

Antonia has also been signed up to play the part of Alice in ‘Living Neon Dreams’ — a modern-day version of ‘Alice in Wonderland’, which also stars Marilyn Manson, Daryl Hannah and Jonathan Pryce.