With the highly anticipated French premiere of the epic television masterpiece Sandokan, acclaimed star Anja Su-Jin Bourdais takes us behind the scenes of this massive production that brings Emilio Salgari’s timeless work to life with a contemporary spirit. In this exclusive interview tailored for the August issue (our special summer edition), Anja unveils the layers of her new character, reflects on milestones in her career, shares her philosophy of life, and discusses the true meaning of women’s empowerment without boundaries.
A Timeless Adventure Through a Modern Lens
Sandokan is finally arriving on French screens to treat audiences to a breathtaking, epic adventure. When asked what initially drew her to the project, Anja explains that the series belongs to the genre of pure swashbuckling adventure television, beautifully adapted from Salgari’s legendary literature. Although she does not play a heavily entertaining character, she felt that her role would grant this modern adaptation a much deeper layer of meaning—serving as a crucial supporting figure who is absent in the original story yet adds profound significance to this new rendition.
Reflecting on the lessons learned from the experience, Anja emphasizes:
“It taught you that you can be happy with very simple things, and just take responsibility and then love without boundaries.”
Art, Society, and True Female Empowerment
Delving into the human and political dimensions of the narrative, Anja points out that historical drama often mirrors the present just as much as it reflects the past. She expresses:
“I think the series will speak to those who want to escape today’s world into a world of adventurous friendship, freedom, and transcendent love. One of the main themes of the first season is also the theme of colonial oppression—and this, of course, continues to exist today through global power imbalances, structural gangs, and the dominance of Western knowledge systems.”
When the conversation turns to the evolution of female roles on screen, Anja offers a clear and liberated vision of women’s empowerment far removed from stereotypical molds, explaining:
“The role I play is a woman of strength, of resilience, of virtue in an unvirtuous world, and a clear-sighted woman who cares for her younger peers. I think women’s empowerment can mean many things and shouldn’t be boxed into one kind of life or one way of living. Women’s empowerment can mean being single, childless, and totally happy with it. It can also mean having children and preferring to stay at home—and everything beyond and in between—as long as the woman who decides to live that way is happy with it and can choose to live that way.”
She adds with decisive clarity:
“And it also means not depending on someone you don’t want to depend on. And above all: not judging other women for their choices.”
A Career Lived with Passion: It Is Never Too Late
In an entertainment industry that constantly pushes toward relentless reinvention, Anja discusses the secret to staying true to herself amidst winds of change, attributing it to her deep connection with her immediate family:
“I think I’m a very family-oriented person—at least to the very close family. I wouldn’t have been able to do my job well if my partner, my children, and my mum were sick or miserable. That has been constant across decades.”
She also shares her daily self-care philosophy, prioritizing those free-of-charge blessings: sleep, love, movement, and water. Answering the arbitrary timelines society imposes on success, beauty, and fresh starts, Budde asserts with enthusiasm and personal experience that it is never too late:
“I remember when I started going to acting school at the age of 26 that people around me were telling me it was too late—because I was surrounded by people between 17 and 20 years old. Everything is relative.”
Courage, Identity, and Eternal Inspiration
Summing up the true meaning of courage in her daily life today, Anja distills it into profound human values:
“The most courageous things for me at present are: helping people without bragging about it. Truly living a life that you love and not a life that society or social media makes you think is desirable.”
As for her boundless source of inspiration, she proudly points to two women who have shaped much of her personal world:
“There are two women in my life who inspire me beyond measure: my mum and my daughter. I know both of them very well—obviously!—but they still surprise me in many ways—and I still learn so much from both of them.”
Anja Su-jin Budde concludes her interview for the French and global audience with a timeless message as the curtain falls on the tales of Sandokan:
“I really hope they just remember that when someone has to leave, their love stays.”
