See that photo on the left? That's 4 year-old me in Queensland (Australia) shoving my tiny hand right down into a place where numerous breeds of deadly spiders love to make a home.

This fearlessness and audacity have followed me to this day as a character actress, writer and (now) filmmaker. The parts I've played have ranged from sexy to naive, from sweet to lethal. I have strong dramatic range and powerful presence, but have often been singled out for having a true penchant for comedy of all kinds. It's been a joy running the gamut: from broad to quiet, slapstick to deadpan. 

 

In storytelling, I am always looking to defy industry and audience expectation. I'm a cinephile who counts every great filmmaker as a muse but if it's already been done, I'm not interested in just repeating it. Rather, I view them all as unique hues in an endless palette and their blending always results in surprising new shades.

 

The characters I want to explore are the people who have not had their voices heard. I find inspiration everywhere I look and I believe there is room for everything in our art. The concept of genre is false. Life doesn't adhere to rules of tone and it isn't predictable. Neither should scripts be. This credo forms the basis for the concept of my upcoming semi-autobiographical web series Mia: Unraveling.

 

Some of my favorite achievements so far: having a part written for me that aired nationally in primetime on a major cable network, improvised audition scenes which made casting directors laugh to tears, studying with the legendary Armando Diaz at the Magnet, starring in comedy sketches which have played numerous film festivals and playing the Nurse in Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet.

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My first ever attempt to write a play was a monologue relating to the shortage of diversity in casting called Desirable which I also performed. Shortly afterward, I had the incredible honor of it being published in a collection of writings by minority women entitled In Full Color.

 

I am happiest when being immersed in a creative project and just doing the work. Writing, directing, producing, acting and being of service to both my fellow artists and audience; I feel so lucky to be part of the fabric of storytelling. We use imagination to stir empathy (through laughter and/or tears) and remind people from diverse cultures that we are all connected in the human experience.
 

Thanks for taking a moment to find out more about me and I hope that connection begins with you!

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