Natalia Gastain Tena was born on the 1st of November, 1984 to Spanish parents Jesus (a carpenter) and Maria Tena (secretary to the United Nations). Nat grew up in England but is connected to her Spanish roots, learning to speak perfect Spanish (Basoue) as well as English. At an early age it was clear she was drawn to the arts, taking up piano, violin, and accordian as well as having a fascination for painting and the circus.

It is fitting that she enrolled at a very prestigious boarding school for the arts, Bedales in Hampshire. Bedales has also seen the likes of Minnie Driver and Daniel Day-Lewis. Even at such a liberal school, Natalia seemed to get in trouble, whether from smoking on campus or not bothering with assignments. She was, however, very smart, and managed to pass with high marks, whilst rarely popping open a book! At Bedales she also took up field hockey and a variety of arts, including French language and acting. But this is where Nat truly discovered her love for theatre. In one school performance, she apparently stole the stage as a detective — saving the show from disaster.

It was her rambunctious behavior, however, that helped Natalia land her first movie role. After getting caught smoking on campus (one of Nat’s claimed favorite activities), instead of punishing her, a teacher decided she would be perfect for a role in the then upcoming British film, About a Boy. This was the role of Ellie, a rebellious punky school girl. The teacher encouraged Nat to audition, and Natalia found herself queued up with girls much younger than her, all hoping to take up a chance acting alongside leading man Hugh Grant. As Harry Potter breaks the school rules and rides his wand before having proper training, ending up on the Quidditch team, Natalia breaks her own school rules and is suddenly whisked into the professional acting world at the age of sixteen.

After filming About a Boy, Natalia proved herself a triple threat and took roles on television shows, stage, and independent films. Critics recognized a budding talent: According to Times Online, “Natalia Tena has grown into an actress with a formidable stage and screen presence. Untrained but admired for her untamed energy and larger-than-life temperament — thanks, perhaps, to her Spanish heritage — Tena’s big break came when Nancy Meckler cast her in the play Gone to Earth, which toured the UK last year. Tena’s performance as a child of nature had critics raving.”

But it was with the fifth installment of the famed Harry Potter films, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, that Natalia garnered world wide attention. Natalia won the role because of her real-life similarities with the character Nymphadora ‘Tonks’. Story has it she came to the audition around 2005, panting and exhausted, having just biked through London to the studio. Ironically, Natalia’s first impression with the casting directors — accidentally tripping into a table and apologizing profusely, was just the kind of spunk Warner Brother’s casting was looking for in the part of the young witch.

However, the jump to such a huge picture has not phased Natalia, who believes that the media is “bullsh*t”. She has stayed true to herself, and between Harry Potter goes back to filming low budget films with friends. Nat loves to perform, and besides acting, she tours with an England-based band, Molotov Jukebox, where she sings and plays accordion in outlandish outfits with the love of her life. Natalia one day hopes to do a film in her native of Spanish in the future - and no doubt a bright future that will be.

WRITTEN BY ALEXX FOR NATALIA-TENA.NET