“I can’t take it anymore! Enough!”
And just like that, these words managed to change Greek television. These words that stand for the scream for help, the cry of pain, the rage.
It’s not the first time that we’ve seen Maria Kavogianni mastering her performances on the screen. Perhaps we shouldn’t be surprised anymore, as the performances she has given us over the years of her acting career are more than exceptional. However, how can we not be shocked while watching her most recent work?
Maria Kavogianni was born on January 13, 1958, and words are not enough to describe her. She was born in a family of four, which she describes as “tender and open”, and was raised in Byronas, Attica where she and her family still reside today.
We grew up with a lot of cinema movies at that time! she states in an interview. During the weekends we used to go to Radio City – which no longer exists – and watch very nice films. (2)
Although at the moment it is impossible to imagine her in any other professional position than that of an actress, the truth is that her occupational status was not always that one. Her studies, initially, were on something completely different. She studied Economics at Athens University of Economics and Business, and later went on to get her second degree, in the field of Pedagogy, on which she worked for several years.
I never wanted to be an actress she says when asked about her acting career. But I don’t know how I got carried away. (4)
But speaking on behalf of everyone who has watched and loved her over the years, we are truly lucky she did get carried away. Alongside her studies in Pedagogy, Maria Kavogianni followed the path of acting at the Drama School of Karolos Koun.
For a career that, as it has been called, was built out of a period of many rejections by her side (2), Maria Kavogiannis’ course has been extremely impressive. Her first television appearance was in the game Tilemplofes. After that, many successful roles in various productions, both on the small and the big screen, as well as on the theater stage followed. As an actress, her first TV series was Oi frouroi tis Ahaias. Oi magisses tis Smyrnis, Hara Agnoeitai, Piso sto spiti, Moderna oikogeneia are just a few of the series in which we have seen her take on roles over the years. Worlds Apart was also a film production in which her performance stood out.
She has taken on drama and comedy roles, some of them against her true character, others based on elements of her personality as well. Whatever the character the actress is called upon to embody, she serves it faithfully, with respect and due care, and honors it in her own unique way. Maria Kavogianni has given us moments of such a range of emotions that it is not even worth it to try counting them. However, there are three roles that marked her career and made her one of the most beloved actresses on Greek television.
Aspasia, Korina and Maria. Three people who came into her life at different times.
In 1995, the actress was introduced to us as Aspasia, in the series Dolce Vita. For two TV seasons, it was the role of the virginal yet nymphomaniacal housekeeper in search of love that made her known to the Greek TV audience, with “Please, I ‘d rather not to!” was one of his lines.
Her role as Korina, in the series Eglimata, was one of Maria Kavogianni’s most beloved roles among viewers. The story of the prostitute who finds her lost family but tries to keep her work a secret, was one of those which the audience identified the actress’ face with.
And then, Maria met Maria. Through the eyes of Christoforos Papakaliatis, in the new Maestro series airing this year, the actress embodies a role that has the whole country watching with bated breath and eyes full of tears. She is a woman experiencing abuse from her husband – both Maria and her son – shamefully hides the scars of her brutal beating from the small community of Paxos island where she lives and pretends that her life is normal. The excellent performances of the actress and her co-stars and the story of the protagonist itself ring a bell to everyone watching. A reminder of the cruel face of domestic violence and the ills that families hide behind “sealed” doors and mouths, even in the year 2023. None of us can get past the scene of the merciless beating of her and her son by Charalambos, the father.
That noise of the chain striking and the fact that this thing is happening in real life can make you truly feel the extreme pain that these people feel (3) says Maria Kavogianni about her role in the series-statement. The raw reality that unfolds through our screens and the actress’ flawless performance can only make us bow to her talent.
If words were enough to describe the greatness of Maria Kavogianni, they would fill pages. However, at the moment, any description seems poor and insufficient, and the phrase “great actress” seems inadequate to describe one of the most stunning actresses of her generation. Therefore, we will let the words and the unique performances she gives us speak. And we will only wish her to keep flourishing!
REFERENCES
1.Photo Reference: Thestival
2.ΣΚΑΙ TV, Γεια σου (2022, 11 Δεκεμβρίου), τηλεοπτική εκπομπή, https://www.youtube.com/watch?…
3.Mega TV, Πάμε Δανάη (2022, 10 Νοεμβρίου), τηλεοπτική εκπομπή, https://www.youtube.com/watch?…
4.ΕΡΤ, Μαμά-δες (2022, 22 Οκτωβρίου), Μ. Καβογιάννη: «Δεν ήθελα ποτέ να γίνω ηθοποιός – Δούλεψα ως δασκάλα 7 χρόνια» | 22/10/22 | ΕΡΤ
