Hannah Marshall
Hannah is native New Zealander, currently aged 26 and a recent
addition to the Sydney acting fraternity.
As a young girl Hannah trained in gymnastics, reaching
representative level for New Zealand until an injury as a teenager,
saw her shift her focus on to singing and theatre sports. She is
also an accomplished sportswomen and enjoyed netball, soccer and,
water polo. After finishing school she took the big step of
traveling solo to Germany to work as an au pair for 12 months,
consequently she is fluent in German.
Returning home to New Zealand Hannah enrolled in a Bachelor of Arts
& Commerce degree, but the call of acting was strong.
Hannah toured New Zealand's with a various theatre productions
performing in The Reindeer Monologues, Tape, Luv and Loser. She
progressed to television with appearances on Milo's Wake,
Amazing Extraordinary Friends
,
Shortland Street
, Diplomatic
Immunity, Burying Brian, and Stolen Life.
In 2009, Hannah moved to Australia, and participated in the
Melbourne Comedy Festival with "The Cat and Mouse Show" at La Mama
Theatre.
How do you feel about joining the cast?
"I was so grateful and a little shocked when I got the
role on Packed to the Rafters. It is truly amazing, I love the
character she is quirky and fund with a good heart. She is a free
spirit and eternal optimist but has an intelligence and truth that
makes her endearing."
Tell us about your character Loretta Schembri
She is fun, vivacious - a free spirit with a big heart.
She can have a tendency to say the wrong thing... but it is always
coming from a good place. She is a believer in alternative
therapies but would never make people listen to her theories if
they weren't open to them. She reads people really well, but this
sensitivity can also make her feel like an outsider. Her and Carbo
just click, they understand each other and connect on a level
neither of them have experienced before.
Loretta meets Carbo via online dating. Have you tried
online dating yourself?
No - can't say I have. I am not the best with technology
so more of a "meet in person" kind of gal myself.
What's it like working with the Rafters' cast?
It is amazing. Not only are they are all extremely
talented, they are incredibly generous and warm. They are a really
close cast and have totally welcomed me into the fold- I feel very,
very lucky.
You only crossed the Tasman a year ago to live in Oz from
New Zealand. Where are you from and what do you miss about
NZ?
I am from Auckland in the North Island. I miss my family
and friends back home; my dog Mishka heaps; and pineapple
lumps.
And what's taken a bit of getting used to in Australia?
Thongs = Jandals. Chilly bins = Eskies. I am constantly
giving away my Kiwi-ness when I say those incorrectly. Also have
yet to catch an AFL game. I'm all for sports, I just need to be
explained what is going on.
What did you do before acting?
I travelled quite a bit - and plan to do a lot more. I
also was studying Politics/English at Uni and hopefully will soon
be finished that so my parents can see that the time and money
wasn't completely wasted!
What do you do in your spare time?
I read a lot, also I love yoga and am currently trying to
learn to cook... slowly but surely.
