In Conversation With Hannah Ware Star of Netflix's 'The One'
Hannah was virtually photographed and interviewed in Los Angeles by Alison Engstrom
I love hearing about journeys and the road to where you are now. Did you grow up around the arts and when did you know that performing was your passion and calling in life?
I came into it really late and when I was much older. I had already had a degree in the history of art and then as a second degree, I enrolled in architecture school. While I had gotten into a great one, I realized very early on I wasn’t going to be a good architect. As much as I loved the design aspect, I didn't think it was the right fit for me for various reasons.
I was at a crossroads in my life where all of my friends were solidifying what they wanted to do in their lives and I thought I was going further and further away from it. I never acted at school, it might sound cliché but I was very shy; my sister has always been a phenomenal singer—children get assigned roles and I was the quiet one who was good at art. My sister was good at being on stage. A friend in New York suggested that I go to this acting class and I said, oh no I would never do that. He did this thing that worked and asked, are you scared? If anyone ever accuses me of being frightened of something, I will 100% do it. I hate the idea that I put restrictions on myself. But I went and I was not good but I got obsessed with how people became good and what made some people good and some people not. I got consumed by it. Here we are today and I just kept going.
I can’t imagine going from being so shy and having all eyes being on you.
I realized that private people can be actors, it’s just a different way of communicating in the world. When I was younger, a couple people told my mom I could be a model for purely mercenary reasons, so I started modeling when I was 11. I did it part-time; I always had my freedom, financially, because I’d been earning money since then. I never took time off school, it was always worked around it because I was at a very academic school.
Have you had moments along the way that have tested you or made you question your path?
I still have those moments every day. I am like, why I am I doing this? The lack of autonomy that you have, as an actor, is really challenging to me. I basically can’t work until someone employs me. Even when I am working, I have control over my character but I’m a cog in a machine, it’s not just about the actors. This is something that I have come to understand the older I get.
What was a role that shifted things for you?
I had enrolled myself in a proper school and I met my now manager while I was rehearsing a play with my then boyfriend. My manager sent me on a couple of auditions and I got this really big role playing Kelsey Grammer’s daughter in this political series, Boss. I left the school I was in and got thrusted into the professional world a bit too quickly for my liking. I was thrilled but I had to learn very publicly on the job and that was quite painful. I realized there were some things that I could have done better if I had known more.
What would you say has been the most challenging thing you have had to learn about the business?
I have come to learn there are so many reasons that someone gets a role and someone doesn’t—I always thought it was down to talent but it’s actually not.
What types of material typically grabs your attention the most? Do you want to work on projects that you’d especially like to watch?
I guess I do because there is something about them that I find interesting to watch so, therefore, I am interested in it. There isn’t a specific genre, it’s more about what type of person do I want to be and I don’t know until I see it, if that makes sense. I do love a psychological thriller and pure sinister thrillers as a pure viewing enjoyment.
Now to talk about The One! Congratulations on the success of the show! The premise is pretty fascinating, I’m dating myself when I say I met my husband back in the day when match.com was a website. What stood out to you when you initially read the script?
It was the way my character Rebecca was written. She changes quite significantly. I had only received the first episode when I had first read it, but it was interesting to see what happened to this woman. I liked the idea that she was the big honcho, the boss. It’s nice to watch women in those positions in the tech world. Rebecca is so ideologically committed to what she is targeting like Elizabeth Holmes. It’s almost quite religious—they will both go to extremes to prove they are right. I think that’s an interesting place to come from. It’s also interesting when things falter and how these really committed people deal with that.
What’s your process when you step into a new character?
I think there should be a lot of research going into it and some real digging. I am one of those people who knows my lines really well; on the days when you are filming you realize that you can’t control everything. You have to be malleable, like if the director wants something different or it starts raining and you have to film somewhere else, you have to be able to role with the punches and act from a convincing place. It’s a bit like juggling.
Would you say that you someone as a whole who is weary of technology or open to how it can help society?
I am incredibly weary because I refuse to learn (laughs). My boyfriend says I could learn but I am not that interested and that’s true. I have a Hotmail account (laughs).
That’s hilarious, do you have a flip phone?
No, I wish I did but they are hard to find (laughs). The only reason I resist is because I am lazy.
Have you developed any new rituals or routines to help you stay sane and grounded over the past year or so?
I like to hike a few times a week, that’s really important to me. My boyfriend and I like to cook a lot and that’s made us really happy. I’ve also become more and more into podcasts, I feel like they are my friends now. I listen to the New York Times The Daily every day—it’s the best. I am really into food and restaurants so I listen to Eater’s Digest, Pivot and Modern Love. I also carve time out to read; I’ve also grown fond of an afternoon nap, if my body is tired I am going to get into bed.
