Severina Lajtman

Severina Lajtman is a Croatian actress. She is notable for her portrayal of Vanessa in the Croatian TV series Sram.

Early life and education Of Romani descent, Severina Lajtman was born and raised in Piškorovec, Međimurje County, and has 12 half-siblings. She attended a Romani elementary school in Mala Subotica, repeating the first grade due to her initial lack of proficiency in the Croatian language. At the age of 14, she moved to , and later to Zagreb, where she studied Romanian and Ukrainian at the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Zagreb.

Career Lajtman began her acting career as a theatre actress, starring in , a play about the life of young Romani people and the discrimination they face; the play was staged in thirteen cities across Croatia.

In 2023, Lajtman attracted media attention as the first Romani woman to appear on the cover of the Croatian edition of Elle, under the editorial leadership of Jelena Veljača. Following this milestone, both Veljača and Lajtman appeared as guests on Kod nas doma to discuss the significance of the achievement, after which Lajtman was also featured as a guest on RTL Direkt.

In 2024, Lajtman landed her first major television role in HRT's teen drama television series Sram, the Croatian remake of the Norwegian series Skam. She portrays Vanessa, a Romani girl studying cosmetology, who befriends Eva and Nora, the central characters of the series. Vanessa also serves as the counterpart to Sana Bakkoush from the original Norwegian series.

In 2025, Lajtman starred as Bogdana in Kismet, a short film about an 11-year-old Romani girl navigating cultural expectations within her community.

Filmography Television Year Title Role Notes 2023 Herself (Guest) Talk show Kod nas doma RTL Direkt 2024–present Sram Vanessa Main role

Film Year Title Role Notes 2016 Naša Seve Herself Short documentary film 2025 Kismet Bogdana Short film