Biography

Valeria Smirnova (born 4 November 1992), known professionally as Lera Abova, is a Russian and German model and actress. She works under more than one modelling agency, including Select Model Management, Oui Management, and Fabbrica Milano Management. In the Pitch Perfect spin-off, Pitch Perfect: Bumper in Berlin, she played as Thea. She is cast as Nico Robin for Netflix's adaptation of One Piece. Abova was born 4 November 1992, and grew up in the village of Slavgorod in Siberia. According to her the village is “so small they don’t have it on the map”. When she was 13, she moved to Germany. She didn't speak German, so she used an electronic translator to communicate. She struggled to connect with her schoolmates due to the language barrier and her being from a different background. She liked to wear a pink Pokémon T-shirt and had “crazy, long hair.” After learning German, she made many friends. She dropped out of school before her final exams when she was either 18 or 19. In 2016, she was noticed by David Sims who started her career as a fashion model. Soon other fashion photographers signed her, including Colin Dodgson and Mariano Vivanco, as well as Vogue stylists from many countries around the world. In the first two years of her career, she participated in many advertising campaigns. In 2017, Luc Besson cast her in the role of Maude in his film Anna, alongside Sasha Luss.