Malaya Stern Takeda (born June 19, 1997 in Tokyo) is an American - Japanese actress. The daughter of an American mother from California and a Japanese father from Tokyo who was passionate about German studies, Takeda grew up in Berlin from 2000 onwards. There, she attended a bilingual school. Although she is fluent in German, she states that English is her native language. Her first name means "free" or "independent" and, like her middle name, "Stern," was chosen by her father. From 2015 to 2016, Takeda attended the private acting school Michael Tschechow Studio Berlin. This was followed by acting studies at the Ernst Busch Academy of Dramatic Arts in her hometown from 2017 to 2021.