Romanian actor Ioachim Ciobanu starring in Netflix series “Eric” alongside Benedict Cumberbatch

Romanian actor Ioachim Ciobanu stars in the newly released Netflix miniseries "Eric," with Benedict Cumberbatch in the lead role. The show premiered on May 30.

Ioachim studied computer arts in San Francisco and then film editing at UNATC "I.L. Caragiale," directing numerous short films and commercials. Since 2013, he has dedicated himself exclusively to acting, working with American acting coach Ivana Chubbuck and debuting on the big screen in 2014. His career quickly grew with over 20 roles in feature films and television series, collaborating with award-winning directors such as Cristian Mungiu, Jasmin Dizdar, and Terrence Malick.

“I wanted to learn the actor’s working process to become a better director who knows exactly how to work with actors. Understanding a bit of that and practicing on film scene scripts… I became fascinated and captivated by acting. I suddenly felt an irresistible urge to do this. So I decided not to resist anymore and started applying for castings in Romanian productions in 2014,” the actor says.

Ioachim Ciobanu is the son of famous communist-era Romanian actor Ilarion Ciobanu, who protected him from having to recite poems dedicated to Ceaușescu in his youth, as many others had to.

As an actor, Ioachim Ciobanu starred both in Romania in films directed by Toma Enache ("Între chin și amin") and Bogdan Mirică ("Câini"), as well as in international productions like "Mission Impossible Dead Reckoning Part One," or the series "Black Mirror" alongside Josh Hartnett and Rory Culkin, and in Amazon’s production "Comrade Detective" with Channing Tatum, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and Florin Piersic Jr.

Now aged 45, he appears in four of the six episodes of the series “Eric,” which premiered on Netflix on May 30. The show is a thriller set in 1980s New York. When Vincent (Benedict Cumberbatch), a successful puppeteer, loses his 9-year-old son, he becomes filled with self-hatred and guilt and develops an obsession with his son Edgar’s drawings. The drawings depict a puppet - a blue monster named Eric. Vincent begins to believe that if he brings Eric onto his TV show, his son will come home.

“I got involved through the normal casting process. I did a video audition through my agent. It took a bit longer than I’m used to to get a response, but it was well worth it, leading to an unforgettable experience. My character, Misha Varga, lives as a Russian immigrant in New York, working as a garbage collector. He has a hard, lonely life. Maybe that’s why he develops some… strange hobbies. That’s all I can say,” Ioachim Ciobanu said in an interview for Urban.ro.

The Romanian actor did not have any direct interaction on-screen with Benedict Cumberbatch, as filming took place in stages in Budapest and New York.