A Very Expensive Poison star MyAnna Buring described Marina Litvinenko as the “embodiment of grace” as she praised the widow of the murdered Russian defector for helping her play her on stage.
The actress and her co-star Tom Brooke, who plays the former Russian agent — known as Sasha — who was poisoned in London in 2006, met Ms Litvinenko while researching their roles.
Buring said: “She came in very early on in rehearsals and Tom and I had coffee with her and met with up with her and heard about her life and her life with Sasha. She was the most generous woman and is the embodiment of grace.”
The play examines the couple’s life in Russia and in London where Litvinenko was poisoned with radioactive polonium-210. A public inquiry found his death, after drinking poisoned tea in a Mayfair hotel, was probably approved directly by Vladimir Putin.
A Very Expensive Poison runs until October 5 at the Old Vic.
