To say that it’s been a busy last few years for Hannah Diviney would be a wee understatement. Between publishing a top-notch memoir, petitioning Disney for a disabled princess, and making her mark on the screen industry, Hannah has also managed to nab an AACTA Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her work as Norah in her debut film, Audrey.

Ahead of a screening at the Melbourne Women in Film Festival on March 21st at ACMI, we catch up for a chinwag with Hannah about her role in Audrey, her experience on set, and the affirming power of representation.

You’re playing the role of Norah in Natalie Bailey’s Audrey. Tell us a bit about your background in acting and how you came into this role. My background in acting is a little unconventional because I sort of fell into it. I was asked to attend a read for a show called Latecomers and inhabit the female lead, Sarah, for the day. There was absolutely no expectation on my end that I’d get to do anything more – I was there to read and offer feedback on the script as a disability advocate who was building a profile for herself. I’d always been a drama kid, drawn to the stage and storytelling. I thought it’d be really cool when the show eventually came out to say that I had a tiny part in it, and I hoped that whoever the actress was that played Sarah would want to be friends with me. When the director and head of casting told me they’d like me to audition for the show, I was absolutely floored. I was even more so when I eventually landed the role.

Latecomers is integral to my place in Audrey. I got the role of Norah because the producers saw a snippet of the show and some of my press. They saw my sarcastic, dry humor and quick wit and decided I’d be a good fit for the tone they wanted Norah to have. So, I actually didn’t have to audition (something that is normally reserved for big Hollywood names). They just emailed and offered me the role!

Just last month you were nominated for the AACTA Award for Best Supporting Actress in Film for your efforts as Norah. How does it feel to be recognised with this nomination? Absolutely incredible – I honestly still can’t believe it happened. To have my work recognised in such a stacked category with that calibre of performers blows my mind. I think it speaks volumes to the kind of stories we’re all hungry to make and the representation we all hope our industry continues to embrace.

As a vocal disability advocate, you’ve done some incredible activism that has resulted in real change. How does your advocacy tie into your creative work on screen? I think my advocacy is inherently tied to my creativity because I’m always going to be championing representation. And while I never expected that one of the faces that I’d spent my childhood searching for was in the mirror the whole time, I take that privilege and responsibility extremely seriously. I also just absolutely LOVE storytelling and am a big believer in showcasing and creating space for disabled joy, especially because in the current state of the world, that’s a kind of epic form of resistance and rebellion. So, anytime I get to be creative and think big and dream outside of the box is really special.

Not only are you an advocate, but you’ve also written a memoir titled I’ll Let Myself In. How does it feel to relinquish creative control of a story when you’re playing a character different from yourself on screen? Oh wow, that’s a great question. I’ve been really lucky with the projects I’ve worked on so far that every creative team has seen the building of my characters as something to collaborate on and shape together. But it’s really nice to be able to step into someone else’s world for a little while and play from their point of view without having to worry about where the next piece of the world necessarily comes from. That’s a new challenge I’m in the midst of trying to navigate as I begin the very long and very slow (but very rewarding process) of trying to create my own characters and worlds, whether that’s in a book or a script.

What was the experience like of making Audrey? As your debut film, was it all that you expected? I’m not going to lie, making Audrey was hard work. I think from the outside looking in, people can get swept up in the glamour of what they think making movies is, but really it’s just a bunch of people who are the best at their jobs, working and grinding for months on end to make something they hope will turn out as special as it looks in their heads. I always used to be so gobsmacked by how long the credits were at the end of all my favourite films. Now, I totally understand. Making art like that has so many moving parts, but they all need to work together for the audience to see what they end up seeing. I honestly had no idea what to expect, because you’ve gotta remember – I don’t have any formal training. I’m doing all of my learning on set in real time. Plus, it was also the first time I’d lived away from home, so it was intense.

Do you have a favourite memory from the making of Audrey? There’s a scene where Norah is involved in a dance routine, which I was initially reluctant to do so. But getting to hang out and work closely with Jeanda St James and Tiare Brooks (who play Irene and Andy respectively, and in my opinion don’t get enough credit for their performances) was so much fun. We laughed loads and had the best time on this beautiful outdoor stage in front of a crowd of extras with balloons and all sorts of things. We finished shooting that scene at, like, one in the morning, so we were exhausted but happy.

If you could choose any character to play in a film for your next project, who would it be? Oh, my god! I would love to do a feature length romcom, an animated film or a dramatic heavy hitter that really tests my acting capabilities. These aren’t movies, but I’d also love to find a Hannah-shaped hole on the next season of Ted Lasso (all about women’s sport) or Shrinking, because I think those writers are some of the best we have at the moment. But truthfully, the list is endless and I’m up for learning anything. There’s so many people I want to work with, so I guess I just need people to cast me!

To catch Hannah on the big screen, snatch up a ticket to the MWFF screening of Audrey on March 21st at ACMI here.