The Empress is one of the most popular non-English language series on Netflix. The German historical drama revolves around Elisabeth "Sisi" von Wittelsbach, who marries Emperor Franz Joseph of Austria.
However, after arriving at his palace, Sisi realizes that her marriage is nothing like she had dreamt of as she faces several challenges in dealing with Franz Joseph’s scheming family. At the center of the conflict is Sophie, the Archduchess of Austria, who hates Sisi and does not want her to live with her son.
Sophie is a complex character who is played by actress Melika Foroutan. With her talent, Foroutan has brought layers and depth to the antagonistic character. She is a German-Iranian actress who has appeared in several films and TV shows apart from The Empress.
Melika Foroutan plays Sophie, the Archduchess of Austria, in Netflix’s The Empress
Melika Foroutan was already an established name in the German entertainment industry before she took up the role of Sophie in The Empress. Born on September 6, 1976, in Tehran, the capital of Iran, Foroutan studied Philosophy, English, and History at the University of Cologne from 1995 to 1998.
She later switched to acting and trained at the University of Arts (UdK) in Berlin, graduating in 2002. She then spent three years acting at the Schauspielhaus Leipzig Theater and made her television debut with an episodic role in Blond: Eva Blond! in 2004.
Foroutan rose to stardom by playing Silvia Henke in the popular police drama KDD – Kriminaldauerdienst. She appeared in 28 episodes of the show and impressed audiences with her powerful performance. She later appeared in TV shows like Lutter in 2008, Der Kapitän and Flemming in 2009, and Stolberg in 2010.
The actress then had a string of appearances in television movies including The Man with the Bassoon (2011), Und dennoch lieben wir (2011), Das Ende einer Nacht (2012), The Ice Queen (2013), Among Enemies (2013), and The Ingredients of Love (2014).
In 2015, she won the Best Actress award at the Hessischer Filmpreis for her role in the TV series Louise Boni – Mord im Zeichen des Zen. One of her standout roles was in the film Pari, which premiered at the 70th Berlin International Film Festival in 2020.
The film, directed by Siamak Etemadi, tells the story of an Iranian mother who is searching for her missing son in Athens. Melika’s emotional and powerful performance as the titular character earned her widespread praise.
Some of her other notable works include 66/67: Fairplay Is Over (2009), The Winemaker (2020), Mediterraneo: The Law of the Sea (2020), and the German TV films Reich oder Tot (2017) and Wiener Blut (2018).
Before The Empress, Foroutan appeared in another Netflix project as she starred in the sci-fi show Tribes of Europa in 2021. The series follows three European tribes in a dystopian future where a global technological failure divided the continent into tribal microstates.
Foroutan played Varvara, the leader of the Crow tribe, and received critical acclaim for her nuanced performance. In 2022, the actress stepped into the shoes of Sophie, Archduchess of Austria, for The Empress.
With her stellar performance, Foroutan brought the historical figure to life on screen and became a fan favorite despite playing a negative character. Ahead of The Empress season 2 premiere on November 22, 2024, she took to Instagram to thank Netflix for the opportunity to play the character and wrote:
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“Over the last few years, Netflix has given me the opportunity to try out some pretty fantastic, gory, scary, smart and tough roles. Thanks for the love and fun! Cheers to you @netflixde. November 22nd. The Empress Season 2.”
The Empress seasons 1 and 2 are available to stream on Netflix.
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