KATE NEWTON
Hawke's Bay actress Hannah Tasker-Poland is set to become one of New Zealand's hottest stars.
The 20-year-old ex-Napier Girls' High pupil is making her debut on the box tonight in the premiere of Rude Awakenings.
She was cast as Amber Short, a moody teenager fanatical about dance but not her dance
teacher, a role that she said forced her to shed her real-life passive disposition and adopt an angsty temper.
"She goes through the downward spiral and becomes involved with boys, sex and has regular fights with her family," Hannah said.
"It was great because when I acted the part I got to do things I usually wouldn't do. I had to swear and yell."
Hannah's drama teacher at Napier Girls, Chris Davidson, said he was probably feeling just as excited about tonight's premiere as she was.
"She's a wonderful girl with huge potential. She's a dancer, actress and singer. She could have been anything," Mr Davidson said.
Hannah studied at Napier's Rochelle Spence Studio of Dance before deciding to pursue a career in dance and audition for the Unitec course in Auckland.
It was the head of the department who suggested she audition for the role of Amber Short and after months of playing an agonising waiting game Hannah was offered the job.
Rude Awakenings is all about a war of words that develops between two neighbours in the Auckland suburb of Ponsonby. The first episode screens on TV1 tonight at 8.30pm.
* To read more about how Hannah landed the role and how she found acting as a moody teen grab a copy of 48 Hours in tomorrow's Hawke's Bay Today.
