Today we’d like to introduce you to Hannah Pilkes.
Hannah, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I’ve been acting since I was a kid. I grew up in New York City and would stand on the stoop of my apartment building dressed up as characters like “Miss Tootyfruit,” a struggling street performer, for passers-by. Anything to make my older sister laugh.
I started auditioning when I was 12, and went out for the role of Robin in The Woodsman, opposite Kevin Bacon, which ended up being a whirlwind of an experience. We went to Sundance, I got an Independent Spirit Award nomination, it was a lot very fast. Naturally gravitated to comedy as I entered adulthood. I’ve always really loved observing people.
Maybe it was being in New York as a kid where you’re exposed to 2747273 people on any given day. I moved to LA around 20, had a little success on the Vine app 😩😂 RIP, but as a result of I got to executive produce and star in a season of a female-driven sketch comedy show for Go90 called Sorry Not Sorry alongside a comedy partner and close friend Manon Mathews.
Now my main focus is a two-woman show called Princess Party which I wrote with the lovely Lauren Howard Hayes who I met at The Groundlings. We’re workshopping it around LA/SF Sketchfest and will be taking it to the Edinburgh Fringe this Summer! 😊
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Oh heeeyyell no. I’m kidding I’m being dramatic. But landing my first major role after my very first audition definitely gave me this illusion that shows business was going to be easy and accepting. I approached my auditions immediately after with rose-colored glasses and this dewy optimism, only to be met with a lot of rejection.
I think all the rejection was important though. It helped me, in very formative years, figure out what my point of view was, and is, both as a performer and I was a writer and helped shape my voice. I’ve definitely had a lot of wins along the way, and I’m glad that I took a little break from acting when I was a teenager/early ’20s to address my mental health and well-being, so now, I feel much more confident and sturdy.
For a lot of years, I felt very flimsy, very delicate and defensive. I learned that’s not gonna fly in this line of work (haha).
We’d love to hear more about what you do.
I definitely feel like I’m a hybrid. I love performing, and I love writing. I love bringing to life people that fascinate me, or whose behaviors really strike a chord with me. My most recent discovery is how rich my Dutch heritage is.
My father’s born and raised in Holland and I’ve adapted his likeness into Princess Party. There’s a sing-song quality to the Dutch dialect and a very funny (to me) emphasis on certain words. Tonally I love the way it sounds.
I play a Dutch chef named Jannicka who uses folklore and riddles to befriend children at a birthday party. A lot of it is very dark, but she is blissfully unaware; this is simply how she was raised, and it feels perfectly normal to her.
I love those little quirks, whether it’s the way that we walk, or the way that we slurp our food, that we all possess that make us, us— that both differentiate us, but also I guess kind of bind us because we’ve all got our weird sh*t 😂
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
I think auditioning for The Woodsman when I did was incredible luck and timing. I was young and green, and it was such a massive gift. I think I have been extremely lucky and fortunate to have taken classes at different comedy institutions when I have. I met Manon Mathews at Second City, and made a lifelong friend and found a comedy soulmate.
At Groundlings, I met SO many amazing people. I got to be a part of and help with Middle School Talent Show with the incredible Lizzy McGroder, I’m developing a short form series called Girls Night with Lizzy, Jasmine Elist, and Caitlin Curl, and I met Lauren Howard Hayes at the Groundlings. My roommate, my boyfriend, my best friends, all these inspiring, talented people!!
But I think at this point, hard work, determination, and a lot of practice are more crucial than luck. I’ve been told no a lot in my life. So for me, using No’s as ammunition to work even harder, try different avenues, build a team, and having people by side that are just hungry and just as devoted. Sometimes even more so than myself… THAT’S lucky.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.princesspartycomedy.com
- Instagram: Www.instagram.com/hannahpilkes
- Other: https://whohaha.com/spotlight/hannah-pilkes/
Image Credit:
Daniel Robbins photography
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