Today we’d like to introduce you to Hannah Cubis.
Hannah, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
While I’ve wanted to be an actor since four years old, my journey to LA officially started in 2023 in Wellington, New Zealand, a few months after I graduated from high school (what we call College). I knew where I wanted to be and what I wanted to do, but had no idea how to make it a reality. No one was doing what I wanted to do, so I had to figure a lot of it out myself. Also, the idea of ‘going to America to be an actor’ sounded completely ridiculous to all the parents who would ask me what I wanted to do.
I was trying to find part-time work while also searching and applying to acting schools in the US. One day, I stumbled across the ‘a Day in the Life’ video of an acting student at AMDA, College of the Performing Arts. I was in awe of it. Everything about it was exactly what I wanted to do, and more. I went to their website, and funnily enough, they were accepting applications for the upcoming semester. I applied and went through the process of auditioning on Zoom. Not long after my audition, I was absent-mindedly scrolling through emails at 1 AM and saw my acceptance letter to AMDA. What followed was another year of work and organization to make it a reality, but thanks to the support and aroha of my family, I began my first semester at AMDA in the spring of 2024, studying for an AOS degree in on-camera acting.
Now, a year later and I’ve just graduated, but I still don’t think I’ve fully processed how surreal this whole thing is.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Let’s be real here, LA is already pricey, and so is College, so putting the two together was a lot, and something that would have been impossible without my parents. That currency conversion did us so dirty.
I’ve also probably had like four identity crises since my arrival. That sounds really intense, and sometimes, it is, but I think it all kind of needed to happen. Growing up, I thought I knew diversity, but my god, I had no idea what that really meant until moving to LA. There was like, two templates of what kind of person you could be at home, and I definitely wasn’t one of them. Diversity is what I love about LA, but the downside is it became really easy to compare myself to all these new things I had no idea about. Being surrounded by other artists with their own completely unique strengths and weaknesses sometimes feels like a competition of who’s the most special, but at the end of the day, life’s just less fun when you compare. Now, it just feels like a privilege to see so many new things all the time.
On a more heartfelt note, it’s so true that you don’t know how much you cherish someone till they’re gone. Being a whole continent away from people I love was something I wasn’t fully prepared for. For a hot minute, I didn’t know if I could manage living here because of how much I missed friends and family. Over time, it got easier, as I’ve been able to go home during the holidays, as well as being visited by family on occasion. In a way, it’s heightened my appreciation for my relationships with people, as it makes you realise you can’t take anything for granted.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Really niche, but I’m an Actor in LA. As of June 2025, I just graduated from AMDA, College of the Performing Arts, earning an Associate of Occupational Studies degree in On-Camera acting.
I’ve always leaned towards comedy for most of my life, and that tends to be where others see me, but AMDA has been a great avenue for me to explore dramatic roles that I wasn’t really given the opportunity for previously. I’d love to be in a Taika Waititi film some day, as I think his balance of comedy and tragedy is (usually) so unique and genius,and shout out to him for putting us (New Zealand) on the map.
I’m a 5’11 Polynesian Woman with a strong New Zealand accent, so that tends to make me stick out a bit. Growing up, that was kind of a nightmare, as all I wanted to do was blend in. Now, I guess it’s a blessing to be a little unusual to others, as the unfamiliarity factor intrigues a lot of Americans. I’ve come to embrace that people don’t really understand my ‘deal’, but it’s pretty fun to confuse people.
So maybe we end on discussing what matters most to you and why?
F*ck, thats a big question. I don’t know if I’m allowed to swear, but, wow.
Purpose. There are a lot of things I want in life: connection, happiness, peace, love, all of that good stuff. But what matters, I think, is purpose. Doing everything with purpose, making choices and being intentional with how you live your life. Understanding what you want and making it happen.
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