Maria Țăpușă to Star in Antena 1’s New Original Series Undercover Heart
She will play Ilinca, a young woman who finds refuge in art as she faces a difficult battle
Maria Țăpușă joins the cast of Antena 1’s original series Undercover Heart as one of its leading stars. An actress and model, Maria will bring Ilinca to life, a 21-year-old young woman whose life is shaped by a severe heart condition. Sensitive, passionate about art, and accustomed to living under the pressure of a complicated medical reality, Ilinca tries to find her own path in a story where drama, action, love, secrets, and revenge intertwine in a world where no one is quite who they seem.
Originally from Constanța, Maria Țăpușă discovered her passion for acting during her teenage years. While in high school, she was a member of the theatre group led by Tiberiu Roșu, where her talent was recognized and awarded at industry competitions. Alongside acting, Maria began working as a model at the age of 14, collaborating with major brands in Romania and across Europe. She became known to a wider audience through her roles in the series Lasă-mă, îmi place! Camera 609, in which she played Mara Georgescu, and Iubire cu parfum de lavandă, where she portrayed Ioana, the village priest’s daughter.
In Undercover Heart, Maria Țăpușă plays Ilinca, a 21-year-old young woman diagnosed with a severe heart condition that affects every decision she makes and has left her in urgent need of a heart transplant. The daughter of one of the most talked-about businessmen of the moment, Ilinca is given a second chance at life, one that comes with a story that unexpectedly intertwines the characters’ destinies.
“Ilinca is 21 years old and suffers from a serious heart condition that makes her life considerably more difficult. Things that are absolutely normal for us, things we don’t even think about, can be real challenges for her. She is a sensitive girl, sometimes naive, and deeply passionate about art. She finds refuge in painting; it is her way of expressing herself and conveying emotions that she may not always be able to put into words,” Maria reveals. Her talent for drawing and painting is, in fact, one of the things she shares with her character.
The actress also reveals: “For me, being a leading actress at such a young age means, first and foremost, greater responsibility, but also an opportunity I am truly happy to have. I try not to put too much pressure on myself because of it, but instead to focus on what I have to do and give it my best. I believe it is important to remain open-minded, to listen, and to learn from the people I work with, whom I am deeply grateful to. Ultimately, no matter how significant a role may be, I feel I still have so much to discover, and I’m glad I have the opportunity to do so with every project.”
Speaking about working with Maria, Ruxandra Ion, creator of the original series, shares: “Maria is already working with us on her third project. I’ve had the pleasure of watching her grow from one role to the next, becoming an increasingly confident and accomplished actress. She has extraordinary talent and brings a distinctive sensitivity and energy to every character she portrays. Ilinca Barbu is a fragile yet very courageous character, and Maria knows how to move naturally from vulnerability to strength, conveying complex emotions without having to explain them. That is precisely why I trusted her with this role. And when I saw her alongside Edi, playing the two leads, I knew we had found our couple! They have extraordinary chemistry, and I sincerely hope they will win the hearts of viewers.”
Iulia Rugină, the project’s lead director, adds: “Maria brings an explosion of freshness, energy, and youth to every encounter on set. Alongside her natural instinct, which guides her effortlessly through each scene, she is highly analytical—the kind of actress who needs to understand and believe in a scene before she can feel it and surrender completely to the emotion. And there is an enormous amount of emotion surrounding this character.”
Developed in the spring of 2025 and entering production in early 2026, the original series Undercover Heart will take viewers into a world of hidden identities, power games, and secrets that change lives, all woven around a unique love story. At the heart of the action is an undercover agent entrusted with an extremely important mission. Following a devastating fire, the agent assumes a new identity and infiltrates one of the most influential and corrupt families in the real estate industry. The mission is to expose criminal connections, illegal activities, money laundering, high-level corruption, and a possible link to an international terrorist network. However, the greatest challenge will not be the mission itself. It will be love!
Further details about the cast, storyline, characters, and premiere date will be announced in the coming period.
